QEO to take centre stage in BDCA's bold new T20 plan

After the competition was scrapped last summer because of COVID restrictions, the Bendigo District Cricket Association plans to re-launch its T20 league this summer, with the QEO as its centrepiece.

The league is in negotiations with the City of Greater Bendigo about utilising the QEO for all of its T20 season.

Under the BDCA plan, matches would be played each Tuesday and Thursday night.

The league would be split into two pools of five, with all clubs playing each team in their pool across a 10-week season.

In the past BDCA clubs have hosted T20 matches on Tuesday evenings and/or Sundays.

The Sunday fixtures didn't work because the playing group has always been against playing Sunday cricket.

Tuesday night matches at local clubs put pressure on curators to prepare pitches and games had to start at 5.15pm so they could be finished before dark.

The 5.15pm start also made it hard for some local players to participate because of work commitments.

It also made it hard for clubs to attract marquee players from Premier Cricket or other regional areas.

Playing all matches at the QEO under lights allows the starting time to be pushed back and eases the workload of club curators.

The QEO is clearly the best pitch and outfield in the BDCA, which will provide a better backdrop for quality T20 cricket.

The other advantage the new plan provides is an opportunity to attract more people to watch Bendigo cricket.

While the dates of the season are still to be determined, once the league is up and running the general public will see that each Tuesday and Thursday night there is a game of cricket at the QEO.

Watching some lively T20 cricket with your family or a couple of friends over a couple of hours on a warm summer night at the QEO is a more attractive social outlet than watching a two-day match on a hot Saturday afternoon.

"I enjoy the T20 competition and it certainly has a place in Bendigo cricket,'' Golden Square captain Liam Smith.

"The players really enjoy the freedom of playing T20 cricket. The QEO is the best place to play T20 cricket because the lighting is so good and the outfield is always fast.

"It sounds like a good idea to me."

Meanwhile, the BDCA regular season fixture is expected to be released in the coming days.

After playing a full season of one-day matches last summer, the BDCA has reverted to a traditional format of nine two-day games and four one-day matches in the first XI, second XI and third XI.

Junior competitions will also return to two-day games this summer.

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