Grand final lotto for BDCA clubs

HAVE YOUR SAY: BDCA clubs make pitch for grand finalTHE Bendigo Bank District Cricket Association board is keeping its options open for next month’s first XI grand final venue.The BDCA board will meet this Monday night where the venues for the March 17-18 grand finals will be high on the agenda.While the redeveloped Queen Elizabeth Oval would seem the obvious choice for the first XI grand final, it’s unlikely to be played there.The board has concerns over the capacity of the new QEO wicket to host two consecutive days of cricket after it has shown a tendency to dry out and crack since it was first used in December.“I would love to see the QEO used, as long as we get consistent cricket out of the wicket,” BDCA president Wayne Walsh said.“There’s no doubt it’s the best sporting venue in country Victoria, but the concern is two days in a row being played on the wicket.“We’re not convinced yet that we can get two full days of cricket out of the wicket.“The problem is it’s quite moist of a Friday morning, but by the latter part of games on a Saturday it’s very dry and there becomes some uneven bounce on it.“So there’s come concerns about how the wicket would play on the Sunday.”The QEO’s tenant club is Bendigo, whose president Tony Fitzpatrick echoed Walsh’s concerns over the wicket being able to sustain two days of cricket.Fitzpatrick said if the Goers were granted hosting rights for the grand final, their preference would be to play it at Atkins Street.At this stage Kangaroo Flat and Golden Square have indicated they won’t be putting their hands up to host grand finals because of the condition of their wickets.Once a decision is made on the grand finals venues, the board is likely to up the pressure on the council to increase the watering of the grounds to improve the grass coverage of the outfields for the showpiece weekend.“A decision on where our grand finals will be played is very imminent,” Walsh said.

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Grand final lotto for BDCA clubs

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