BDCA clubs have their say on the Bendigo Big Bash proposal

JANUARY 30: A BIG BASH CAN WORK

JANUARY 31: BIG BASH DRAFT DAY DECISIONS

FEBRUARY 4: HOW THE BIG BASH CAN WORK

IS a Bendigo Big Bash Twenty20 competition a concept worth pursuing by the Bendigo District Cricket Association?

Or is it a too far-fetched idea that could never work in Bendigo?

LUKE WEST finds out what the clubs think about the suggestion that has been a talking point in the BDCA for the past fortnight.

BENDIGO

Tony Fitzpatrick (president) - “I understand the concept, but after winning the Twenty20 final a couple of weeks ago, that has been fantastic for our guys.

“We had 14 in the squad and they’ll be looking forward to playing again next year to try to do it again.

“The confidence the players gained from those Twenty20 games is starting to reflect on a Saturday.

“If you had asked me last year, I probably would have said it’s a great idea, but the fact we won the Twenty20 and I saw how our boys enjoyed it so much, in my opinion, I’d say we’re better off just playing it as we are.

“The support we got for our boys playing was great... whether that support would continue if they were split into other teams, I’m not sure.”

Marcus McKern (captain) -  “I think it’s a good concept, particularly if the clubs aren’t going to lose out in any way, shape or form.

“I like the idea of how it’s being put together and I think it will add a bit of a new lease of life to the competition.

“It’s good being able to play with a different bunch of blokes from other clubs and getting to know each other a bit better, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.”

BENDIGO UNITED

David Bicknell (president) - “There’s a few concepts that are okay, but I don’t think we do the Twenty20 badly as an association.

“The biggest thing that I’m not in favour of is probably 50 players not getting an opportunity to play.

“We utilise the Twenty20 for our youth and giving them exposure at the higher level, so, without having discussed it at committee level, that’s where we’d probably like to see the future continue to be.”

Leigh McDermott (captain) - “It sounds exciting, but the clubs will obviously ask what’s in it for them?

“The exciting part would be playing against people you normally play against, but also having the chance to play against your club-mates.

“We’ve used the Twenty20 as a way of trying to bring on the kids. 

“We had Riley Treloar bat at No.3 in the first XI last Saturday, but he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t played a Twenty20 this year and shown he could handle the standard.

“There’s pros and cons for your idea... and the Twenty20 is probably a bit stale at the moment.”

EAGLEHAWK

Phil Kerr (secretary) - “I think it’s got some merit, it’s just whether we can put together the sponsorship for it.

“We’ve also had a comment from one of our members that it’s good for the kids to get to know the senior players through Twenty20.

“I’m not sure you’d get that aspect as much with this new format, but any ideas to generate some more interest are full of merit.”

Jason Abbott (captain) - “I think it would be great... anything to freshen up cricket in Bendigo a bit, not that it’s stale by any means.

“Obviously, the logistics of it and how it would work need to be taken care of, but the idea is fantastic.

“I don’t have any issues with the Twenty20 in its current format, other than it takes a little bit away from club training on a Tuesday night, but it’s a good opportunity to give younger players some exposure.”

GOLDEN SQUARE

Aaron Bentley (president) - “My initial thoughts are it’s not a bad concept.

“With the Twenty20 competition, you see some clubs embrace it in its current format more than others.

“We try to blood a lot of kids because people can’t always get out of work at 4pm every second Tuesday.

“We invariably play quite a young side, but maybe this is a way of doing something different with it and making it a real spectacle.”

Scott Johnson (coach) - “I think it’s a good idea to pump some life into the competition a bit.

“The Twenty20 competition is a bit flat and I don’t think you have all the sides jumping on board playing their full-strength sides, which we certainly don’t because we’re trying to think bigger picture.

“We want to give our guys a rest from cricket and training and Twenty20 can be a bit too much for some of them, but I think it (the Big Bash) would work.

“I don’t see why you also couldn’t have an under-20 or 21 competition alongside the franchises. Maybe you have senior squads of 14 or 15 and you can bring junior players in if you need to.

“If a junior is smashing them around everywhere, why couldn’t you bring him into the senior list?”

Tim Wood (captain) - “I think it’s definitely got merit.

“The Twenty20 competition just seems to be drifting, so I think it’s a great concept and there’s definitely something in it.

“Some clubs use the Twenty20 to give players exposure. We’ve had kids who have had the opportunity to face A grade bowlers in Twenty20 when they otherwise wouldn’t.

“But I believe the positives (of the Big Bash) definitely outweigh the negatives.”

HUNTlY-NORTH EPSOM

Adam Ward (coach) - “It seems like an interesting concept and creates a different atmosphere to the normal Twenty20.

“I like the fact that it’s a bit different, a bit left-field and it’s not the norm.

“You get the chance to play with different players and it’s always good fun to create different friendship groups.”

Josh Collinson (captain) - “It’s a good idea and would create a bit more interest among the general public, particularly if you include players from other leagues.

“It opens up more sponsorship opportunities and would help to get better crowds.

“With our Twenty20 competition, I think it can get a bit much, but I like the format for this that has been put out there in that it’s a bit shorter, so that would suit me if I happened to get picked in a side.”

KANGAROO FLAT

Shane Harling (president) - “It’s probably got some merit, but to be honest, until I get my head around it, I wouldn’t like to comment on it.”

Adam Burns (captain) - “I reckon it’s a great idea and it would be sensational to mix things up a bit.

“The idea of getting charities involved and the chance to mix with some different playing groups all sounds positive.”

SANDHURST

Scott Mills (president) - “In principle I don’t have a problem with the idea.

“But what I do have a problem with is by only having five sides, you’re going to have a lot of players missing out on an opportunity to play.

“We would be in favour of it, but on the proviso that the normal Twenty20 competition doesn’t get scrubbed.

“Why couldn’t we do something like this in February?”

Craig Howard (captain-coach) - “My thoughts are the concept is really good, but my only concern is that by cutting it down to five teams, that’s at least 55 players who don’t get to play Twenty20 cricket.

“With the way cricket is going with Twenty20 playing such a major role, from a development point of view that’s 55 players who don’t get the chance to play it.

“Whether you keep the existing Twenty20 competition through November, December and a little bit in January, and then have this concept through the end of January and February, that could be an option.

“The concept is fine, but it’s at least 55 players who don’t get an opportunity that is the concern.”

STRATHDALE-MARISTIANS

Sean McCann (president) - “From our club point of view, we really like the Twenty20 competition because we get good crowds here.

“But we also like new ideas as well, so it would be interesting to see if something like this could maybe run alongside the Twenty20.

“Maybe the Twenty20 competition could run in the first half of the season, and something different could run in the second half.

“We’ve had some success in the Twenty20 as a club and it has provided a bit of a platform for us.

“But the whole idea is food for thought.”

Linton Jacobs (captain) - “I reckon it’s a good concept to jazz things up a bit.

“I like the idea of getting to play with different blokes and that may mean I might get the chance to play with my brother (Eaglehawk’s Cory Jacobs).

“It would be great to see some of the best players getting the chance to play in the same side together, and doing something to raise money for charity is obviously very positive.

“The only concern I would have is as long as the clubs can still make something out of it.

“At Strathdale we make good revenue out of our Twenty20 games on a Tuesday night and it’s a chance to get our young kids involved.

“But if this is a way of getting more people at the cricket, it’s a positive.”

STRATHFIELDSAYE

Brent Yates (president) - “Personally, I love the actual concept of it, but the biggest thing for me is it’s not now, it’s in four to six years time and how sustainable is it?

“You’re going to need businesses tipping in maybe $3000 or $4000 for example, and how sustainable is that over a four to six-year period.

“But also, can a David Rosaia (potential team manager) sustain his involvement over a four to six-year period?

“When it’s at club level, you’ve got enough people there as volunteers who are playing their part, but when you go outside the club, it’s hard to sustain, and I’ve seen that with the Bendigo Diggers.

“So my question would probably be around the sustainability part and that’s the ability to continually get it up and running each year.

“The other question as far as our Twenty20 goes is should we be doing all we can first to get the current competition to be better placed?”

Ben Devanny (Strathfieldsaye) - “I can see pros and cons to it, but I definitely think it’s worth thinking about.

“The standard of cricket would be increased, you get to meet some new people and learn off some different people as well.

“But more importantly, you might get some more people coming to watch cricket and with a charity involved, you’d like to think you could see more sponsors get involved.

“The negatives is there wouldn’t be as many young players getting a go, but at the same time, they’ve got to earn it.

“And you would no longer be playing for your club. Then again, I was against the Big Bash idea from a domestic point of view a few years ago; I thought it would be a shame not to support the Bushrangers, but look at how that competition has taken off.”

WHITE HILLS

Tim Knapman (president) - “I’m happy with the current Twenty20, but I think it (Big Bash) is a good idea.

“My issue is we get a lot of kids to our games who love coming to watch Brayden Stepien.

“They’d probably go watch Stepo wherever he’s playing, so we’d lose a bit of money there, and I’m not sure our supporters would come down to watch a mix of players.

“I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t know how to improve it to make it a really good idea.”

Rhys Irwin (captain) - “I think it’s a really good concept, but there’s probably a few aspects that could be difficult. 

“Clubs lose a bit of revenue through canteen and so forth from not having a Twenty20 team. And it’s probably going to be hard to build a supporter base for each team when you’ve got blokes from different clubs playing.

“But I love the idea and think it would be exciting.”

THE BENDIGO BIG BASH PROPOSAL IN A NUTSHELL

• Five newly-created franchise teams sponsored by local businesses.

By limiting the number of teams to five, it gives the competition an all-star feel.

• Each franchise is run by a team manager.

• Players who want to play in the competition nominate for the draft.

• A draft is held where squads of 15 are selected.

Rules may be in place about the number of junior players who must be selected, plus there’s also the option of opening up spots for players from surrounding leagues.

• All teams play each other once over a 10-game round robin series.

• One game could be played at each BDCA venue, allowing each club to host a match and earn revenue.

• One stand-alone game a week could be played over 10 weeks during the season on a Wednesday, starting in late October and culminating in a QEO final during January.

• Money raised through team sponsorship, player registration and a naming rights sponsor is donated to a local charity.