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THE Sandhurst and Maiden Gully Marist cricket clubs have taken the first steps in looking at a potential future partnership with each other.
The clubs have already agreed to a "pathway partnership" that will provide an opportunity for several Maiden Gully juniors to play with the Dragons' under-18s in the Bendigo District Cricket Association this coming season.
However, the junior discussions have also prompted consideration between the Dragons and Lions to look at their senior futures together and potential partnership opportunities.
"Formal talks are less than a fortnight old and no decisions have been made,'' the clubs said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
"The opinions of those with a stake in our clubs - including our members, supporters, associations and the City of Greater Bendigo - will be heard and considered.
"This is a process that could take some time, but we enter it with open minds."
Maiden Gully, which plays in the Emu Valley Cricket Association, has made its intentions clear that it believes its future is in a turf wicket competition and is determined to have a complete turf wicket pathway at its club.
Formal talks are less than a fortnight old and no decisions have been made
A new turf wicket at Maiden Gully's Marist College is expected to be playable in the second half of the upcoming season, which the Lions hope to utilise.
However, the club has been unsuccessful in having an amendment made to the Emu Valley Cricket Association by-law that restricts the competition to a hard wicket only league.
The club had hoped that if the motion was successful it could have played EVCA games on the turf at Marist College in the second half of the 2019-20 season.
The junior "pathway partnership" between Maiden Gully and Sandhurst was established after the Lions were last month unsuccessful in admitting an under-18 team into the BDCA.
"Our whole purpose is to create the complete pathway at Maiden Gully. We've been very fortunate with the Marist College development and the turf wicket; it's an opportunity we feel we can't pass up, so we'll continue to look to find different ways to get the turf utilised," Maiden Gully secretary Shane Rabbitt said last month.
If discussions progress between the two clubs the next step is likely to be the establishment of a joint sub-committee.
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