By Tyler Lewis
Victorian Premier Cricket men’s clubs have been asked to vote on the finer details of a returning red-ball season.
The format of the season for the men’s First XI has been confirmed, with four two-day matches to begin and conclude the season, with seven one-day match’s in-between.
Unlike the last two seasons, where each side plays everyone once, this season will return to a 15-round structure where clubs will not face two opposition sides per year.
The stand-alone twenty20 competition – the Super Slam – will feature during the week.
In order to squeeze in such a long season, the top-flight of the men’s competition will be asked to play two double-headers across Saturday and Sunday.
These double-headers are likely to be in one-day format.
Men’s clubs will be asked to vote on whether the competition – in line with Sheffield Shield cricket – makes a shift to 96 overs per day and commences earlier at 10:30am.
The alternative is 90 overs, commencing at 11:00am.
For the women’s competition, the structure of the season is still yet to be confirmed, as Geelong Cricket Club is making its case to join the First XI.
If Geelong is not accepted, the season will consist of 14 one-day matches along with seven twenty-20 matches.
Club’s with efficient lights – like Dandenong – will be given the flexibility to play double-header twenty-20s with the men and women on Friday evenings.
There is likely to be a ‘Super Saturday’ round where a women’s twenty-20 is played ahead of a men’s one-day fixture.
As it stands, the Vic Premier Cricket season will commence on Saturday 1 October, but the general consensus is that the season will be pushed back a week, as the season opener would then conflict with the AFL Grand Final.
