BENDIGO District Cricket Association will wait until Thursday night before deciding whether this weekend’s round of matches will proceed with extreme temperatures forecast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The region is bracing for an expected 41 degree day, above the BDCA's Heat Policy limit of 40 degrees.
BDCA president Wayne Walsh said the final decision would be “touch and go’ but not finalised until Thursday night.
“If it does go there (41 degrees) we will call it off, but for now we’ll just wait and see what transpires,” he said.
“It can’t be helped, it’s one of those things that happened. We all have a duty of care these days.
“We will leave it as late as possible, but at the same time we don’t want to muck people around.”
The BDCA has cancelled at least one round in each of the five years since the Heat Policy was enacted.
“Three years ago we had extreme heat of 42-43 degrees for three days in a row heading right into the weekend,” he said.
“That was probably an easy decision to make with extreme heat leading up to the day. That was really a no-brainer with the constant heat.”
“But sometimes at this time of the year you get that one day of extreme heat and it cools down.”
The temperature in Bendigo is forecast to reach 31 degrees on Thursday and 36 on Friday and is expected to drop to a milder 27 degrees on Sunday.
In First XI games scheduled this weekend, fourth-placed Sandhurst hosts North Huntly Epsom, Strathfieldsaye clashes with reigning premiers Eaglehawk, third-placed Bendigo clashes with second-placed Golden Square at the Queen Elizabeth Oval , Bendigo United meets top side Strathdale Maristians, and Kangaroo Flat is at home against White Hills.