Host club aims for festival atmosphere at SCA grand final

WORKERS Gol Gol are looking to create a carnival around this year’s Sunraysia Cricket Association (SCA) First Division grand final.

Bowling competitions, food and a party atmosphere are planned as club officials hope to draw one of the biggest crowds seen at an SCA decider on March 21-22.

Workers Gol Gol president Richard Tankard said the new initiatives were designed to broaden the appeal of the grand final.

“We are just trying to create a different crowd, a different element of crowd,” Tankard said.

“Cricket probably doesn’t get the crowd – it definitely doesn’t get the crowds that football does, but our idea is just to create a bit more of a carnival-type atmosphere.

“There will be a full on canteen with lots of goodies and the bar will be open and we will have the Renegades there setting up some activities … so it will be a great family day.

“We will have a bowling competition for the junior age groups – under 10, 12, 14 and 16s,” said Tankard.

“We have Cricket Victoria bringing down their speed gun and there will be a $50 voucher for the fastest bowler in each category – it’s just an attraction and something for the kids.”

Workers Gol Gol have developed into one of the strongest cricket clubs in the SCA.

Junior numbers have surged in recent years and Tankard said the future looked very good moving forward for the club.

“We have got 50 senior cricketers, but we now have 110 junior cricketers throughout the six, seven grades that have been set up and it’s just a real positive for the future,” said Tankard.

“Basically it sets us up for a long, long time with such a strong junior program.”

Tankard said he believed it was one of the first times the SCA grand final had been held at Alcheringa Oval and with sides in every division this weekend’s semi-finals, he is hoping his club will be well represented on grand final day – on and off the field.

“We think it is the first time the First Division grand final has been held there – no one could answer that, but it certainly hasn’t been held there for a long, long time,” Tankard said.

“We have got all four grades playing this weekend in the semi-finals – obviously we won second, third and fourth divisions last year, but the one we really want to get is the firsts and without putting too much on them, let’s hope so.”