Bendigo District Cricket Association clubs have been given a strict warning about the dangers of playing cricketers who live in Melbourne.
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With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police have reminded cricket associations across regional Victoria about the penalties in place for clubs and individuals who flout the rules.
The BDCA sent a statement to its clubs this week, warning of the heavy penalties that will be imposed if a club is found to be utilising a player or players who don't live in regional areas.
Individuals face a $1650 on the spot fine if found not compliant, while the match the player is involved in would be closed down immediately.
The association could be closed down and asked for a please explain, which could result in no cricket being played for weeks if a breach was proven.
"Suggestion to all clubs is to ensure all players over the age of 18 to have 'proof of address' ready for verification purposes,'' the BDCA statement said.
"Valid drivers licence, rates notice or a utility bill with current residential address. Those players that can't provide this may be asked to stop playing."
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In the past some BDCA clubs have had players travel from Melbourne each Saturday to play.
Some clubs have Premier Cricket players playing in the BDCA at the start of this season, but the expectation is that those players live locally in Bendigo and surrounding areas.
Once they start travelling to Melbourne to train with their Premier Cricket club they're deemed ineligible to play in the BDCA.
The BDCA season started under new COVID-19 restrictions last weekend without incident.
Some of the rules participants had to adjust to included umpires wearing masks, cricket balls sanitised every 10 overs or if a spectator touched the ball and the inability of the fielding team to put saliva on the ball.
"We just need to stay on top of things,'' BDCA president Travis Harling said.
"Restrictions will ease as time goes by, we just have to keep playing by the rules. The best thing is we have cricket being played."
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