By Nick Creely
Reigning Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) Turf 2 premier Dingley is on the move.
The Dingoes – who secured their second Turf 2 flag last season in an incredible grand final victory against the Parkmore Pirates at Lois Twohig Reserve – have joined the Cricket Southern Bayside (CSB) competition after mounting speculation that the club would make the move, following similar clubs in the City of Kingston making the same call on their own futures in recent years.
After joining the DDCA in 2013/14, the Dingoes have enjoyed plenty of success – winning two flags in Turf 2 and enjoying competitive stints in the strong Turf 1 competition.
But travel, combined with a need to align itself with its junior program and synthetic senior sides – which play under the umbrella of the CSB – has forced Dingley to make the shift, despite the prospect of another crack at Turf 1 cricket.
In recent years, clubs in the same region – the likes of Parkdale, Aspendale, St Brigid’s/St Louis, and ex-Turf 1 powerhouse Mordialloc – have all made the same move out of the DDCA into the CSB.
It is believed, at this stage, that either North Dandenong will remain in Turf 1 after initially facing relegation from the division, or Turf 2 runner-up Parkmore will make the jump into the DDCA’s top-flight after an incredibly strong season. However, no decision has been made on what potential impact Dingley’s departure from the association will have in terms of the division structure of the Turf grades.
