THE Victorian Country Cricket League (VCCL) is contemplating holding a regional under-16 male and female championship rather than its traditional under-21 version in lieu of this season’s Youth Premier League (YPL) not going ahead.
VCCL president Kelvin White, in communication with the regions, said while his organisation had tentatively committed to the under-21 concept, supporters of the under-16 format advocated that age group was more severely impacted by the pause in the YPL brought on after Cricket Victoria’s restructure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The competition would be played on the dates previously set aside for the under-21s – November 15, November 29, December 6 or December 13 – two matches at a halfway venue between regions and then a final on one of the December dates.
“The players likely to participate in these November-December matches have already been identified out of last season’s junior country weeks and been involved in some squad sessions over winter,” White said.
But he also said COVID-19 could still impact the running of any championships when taking into account teams travelling through or around restricted zones.
“Regardless of the competitions being under-21 or under-16, we remain mindful that the dates as presented may still present logistical difficulties for Region 3 (due to Gisborne’s proximity to the metro area), Region 7 (getting players through the metro area) and Region 8 whose associations, for the purposes of the coronavirus, are all zoned metro and will not start playing until mid-November,” White said.
Cricket Victoria last week confirmed plans for its player pathway system, stating the YPL for under-16 boys and under-15 girls would return in 2021.
In the interim, Cricket Victoria will support its associations and affiliates in providing representative cricket playing opportunities for talented young Victorian players, such as the VCCL championships and emerging performance squads.
Melbourne-based Victorian Premier Cricket clubs will also stage an under-16 male competition starting in December and an under-18 girls event from January.
“Some of the elite country players from the VCCL competition are more than likely to be invited to play in these Premier-coordinated matches,” White said.
Cricket Victoria chairman David Maddocks said the importance of providing a simplified solution was critical to the game’s ability to manage emerging talent.
“From 2021-22 we’ll deliver a performance pathway that makes it simpler for players, parents, clubs and associations and our talent identification staff to build and develop our talent pipeline in Victoria. We respect that a lot of work goes into this space at all levels and we want to support that, see it grow and ensure it continues to deliver fantastic results for players and for the next generation of Victorian players,” Dr Maddocks said.
Cricket Victoria’s high-performance manager Dean Russ said the new model put Victoria on the right path.
“Cricket is operating in a seriously competitive sporting environment in Victoria with all the other codes vying for talent,” he said.
“It’s incumbent on us to ensure the pathway we provide is as clear and concise as it can possibly be. In doing so we set ourselves up to find the next Meg Lanning or Aaron Finch.”
