By David Nagel
Turf cricketers from around the region are still waiting for the beginning of the 2022-23 season after heavy recent rainfall once again played havoc with pitch preparations.
Players from local clubs in the Dandenong and District Cricket Association (DDCA) – such as Beaconsfield, Berwick and Cranbourne – have been forced to cool their heels for a second-consecutive Saturday, with the season originally set to begin on 8 October.
Clubs such as Endeavour Hills and Noble Park are in the same position in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA), while Casey South Melbourne is yet to begin its campaign in the elite Victorian Premier Cricket (VPC) competition after making the grand final last year.
And the forecast looks touch and go for this weekend as well, with drying weather during the middle part of this week to be followed by forecast wet-weather from Friday through to Tuesday next week.
While turf competitions have suffered badly, the neighbouring Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) has not missed a day of play since beginning its season on Saturday 1 October.
The CCCA is played on synthetic wickets, meaning pre-preparation of the pitches are non-existent.
Despite the heavy rains of last week, the CCCA played a double-header of matches across the full range of its competition over the weekend.
DDCA administrators have already made adjustments to the composition of the season to allow a full-number of matches to be played.
