For the first time the full 18 rounds will be played in one-day format of 45 overs per side.

The shorter form of the game brings more teams into the equation when it comes to top four contenders. It might only take a 10-8 record to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the first part of a two-part series, we preview the seasons of Bendigo, Bendigo United, Golden Square, Strathfieldsaye and White Hills.

Captain: Nathan Fitzpatrick.

Arrivals: James Ryan, Declan Slingo.

Departures: Alex Pearson, Bailey Goodwin.

Last year: Record - 5-7-1. Finished - 7^th. Batting rank - 7^th. Bowling rank - 7^th.

Fitzpatrick says: Our improvement will come from our youth. Kayle Thompson has improved out of sight with both bat and ball, while Declan Slingo has come up from our under-18s to play first XI all season.

One-day cricket will suit them both because they like to play attacking cricket and they can both bowl a reasonably heavy ball.

Dylan Johnstone only played a few games last year, but he's right to play all season this year. He's another one that can bowl a heavy ball and he can hit a ball, so he'll be suited to one-day cricket.

Our batting line-up is probably better suited this year to one-day cricket. Something we need to improve on is having the awareness to not lose wickets in chunks.

If we can be making high 100s to 200s then we'll back ourselves in to defend it.

Summary: Fitzpatrick takes over as skipper from Shane Koop for a Goers side that is looking to make a return to finals action.

The loss of Alex Pearson's all-round talent is a body blow, while Bailey Goodwin was coming off a career-best season with the ball before making the move to Kyabram.

Their departure puts pressure on Fitzpatrick to have a good year with the new ball. He hasn't bowled for basically two years after undergoing a knee reconstruction, but a strong pre-season has him progressing towards a return to full pace.

James Ryan's availability until Premier Cricket resumes adds a touch of class to a Goers' batting line-up that will again centre around the talents of Kyle Humphrys. At his best, Humphrys could win four or five games off his own bat. That alone could be the difference between the Goers pushing for finals or languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Captain: Miggy Podosky.

Arrivals: Jack Bouwmeester, Tom Starr, Jake Thrum, Chris Howgate, Riley Treloar, Scott Harper, Josh Thurston.

Departures: Jake Klemm, Leigh McDermott.

Last year: Record - 2-10-1. Finished - 10^th. Batting rank - 8^th. Bowling rank - 9^th.

Podosky says: With Jack Bouwmeester, Tom Starr, Jake Thrum, Chris Howgate and Josh Thurston all back at the club, and Riley Treloar and Scott Harper committing to play first XI cricket, we've basically got a whole new side.

The depth we have is awesome and that's something that's been missing for the last three years.

Bowling will be our strength and I think our fielding, which is an area we've struggled in, will become a strength as well.

One-day cricket makes the game a bit more unpredictable and evens out the competition, so that will suit us.

The key for our batting is batting out our 45 overs because we feel as though we'll be able to defend scores with our bowling.

Summary: The return of some familiar faces gives the Redbacks more options, particularly with the ball.

Batting is the big question mark. Jake Klemm and Leigh McDermott were the club's most reliable batsmen and they've moved on.

Harry Donegan's aggression at the top of the order will be vital in a side that lacks genuine star power with the willow.

A jump from the wooden spoon to the finals appears unlikely, but the Redbacks will be tougher to beat this summer.

Captain: Liam Smith.

Arrivals: Bradman Constable.

Departures: Ryan Hartley, Alex Code.

Last year: Record - 5-7-1. Finished - 6^th. Batting rank - 2^nd. Bowling rank - 5^th.

Smith says: Bradman Constable has come to the club from Greenvale in Premier Cricket and we're hopeful to have him for the whole season. There's a fair chance he'll either take the new ball or bowl first change and with the bat he'll be somewhere in our top four.

On paper we still look strong with a good mix of youth and experience. Consistency is what we're striving for.

Our bowlers are suited to the one-day format. We have three spinners and we'll look to utilise spin as much as we can because it's a great weapon in Bendigo cricket. The three spinners with pace from Trollope and Constable gives us a good bowling attack.

Batting wise we've trained around batting with a more attacking mindset and I think you'll see improvement in that area.

It's important we get some wins on the board early. You don;t want to be chasing your tail in a season full of one-day games.

Summary: The off-season loss to star keeper-batsman Ryan Hartley was a massive blow for the Dogs. Arguably the most valuable player in the competition, Hartley's absence from the top of the order puts a question mark on Square's ability to score big totals.

Constable is a talented teenager with bat and ball, who might yet return to Greenvale when Premier Cricket resumes.

Square will have a heavy reliance on its two best players - skipper Smith and all-rounder Trollope. Smith is the premier short-form spinner in the BDCA and it would be no surprise to see him open the bowling with Trollope. If Smith and Trollope have big seasons with the ball then Square will stay in the game against most teams. Batting remains a big question mark.

Captain: Ben Devanny.

Arrivals: Nayana Palamandadige, Abe Sheahan, Mitch Cheesman.

Departures: nil.

Last year: Record - 7-6-1. Finished - 3^rd. Batting rank - 9^th. Bowling rank - 3^rd.

Devanny says: We've been working on some different systems and batting orders for one-day cricket.

We've got some batsmen that are really suited to one-day cricket like (Pat) Felmingham, (Chatura) Damith and Palamandadige, but then the likes of myself and (Cal) McCarty are probably not as well suited. It's a challenge for us to make sure we keep rotating the strike.

Our bowling is well suited to one-day cricket. We have good variety and our discipline was our strength last year.

Last year we made the finals on the back of our solid bowling, while our batting was hit and miss.

We've strengthened our batting this year and our pre-season has been great. We hope to be there at the end of the season.

Summary: After finishing third on the ladder last summer, the Jets have added a third Sri Lankan import to bolster their batting. Palamandadige is well-known to BDCA followers having made 787 runs at an average of 52.4 in Sandhurst's premiership season in 2017-18.

The return of batsmen Abe Sheahan and Mitch Cheesman from Premier Cricket for the first five or six games of the year is an added bonus.

Bowling will again be a strength. Skipper Devanny will look to take early wickets when the ball is swinging and they have quality spinners in Savith Priyan and Darcy Hunter to contain and/or attack through the middle overs.

While last summer's semi-final appearance was somewhat of a shock, there's no surprise element about the Jets this season. Anything less than a return to the finals would be seen as a disappointing season.

Captain: Mitch Winter-Irving.

Arrivals: Zac Poole, Tyrone Muir, Kyle Patten, Brayden Klemke.

Departures: Jack Bourke, Cameron Berry.

Last year: Record - 6-6-2. Finished - 4^th. Batting rank - 3^rd. Bowling rank - 8^th.

Winter-Irving says: We feel as though we've got more depth this year, particularly with the bat. As well as the recruits, Tom Dunham is back this year after hardly playing a game last season.

We'll have more options and there'll be more pressure on the guys to perform.

We enjoy one-day cricket and it suits our style. We have good plans for what we can do in certain situations and we've trained around that.

We think we have enough batting depth, but if we could get some slight improvement from a few players then we could jump up to one of the better scoring teams in the competition.

Summary: The Demons desperately needed more depth with the bat and the arrival of Zac Poole (Strathdale) and Tyrone Muir (Nagambie), and the return to the club of Kyle Patten, strengthens the club's middle-order options.

Medium-pacer Brayden Klemke also returns to the Demons after performing well with Heathcote in the NUCA. He could play a role with the ball after the departure of paceman Cam Berry and spinner Jack Bourke. Demons' great Gavin Bowles could also make a long-awaited return to the bowling crease with his left-arm spinners.

The bottom line for the Demons is no different to the same stage in previous seasons. You know what you're going to get from Winter-Irving, Irwin and Bowles. How far they go this summer will depend on how many of the club's second tier players can produce consistent, first XI standard cricket.

If there's a spike in that area then there's no reason why the Demons can't return to at least a semi-final appearance.

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