The 10 Shoalhaven District Cricket Association representative teams will start to ramp up preparations for their respective 2021-22 Greater Illawarra Zone campaigns once lockdown ends, as the league announced all competitions would begin on Sunday, November 28.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, following the state government's roadmap to freedom announcement, Greater Illawarra Cricket Zone chairman Jackson Surman announced their plan for the coming months and reiterated its commitment to administering an exciting and safe summer competition.
"The exact competitions starting on this date are yet to be finalised, however we strongly recommend that our affiliated associations ensure all of their representative teams have been selected and will be ready to play from this date," Surman said.
"In making this decision, we are mindful that cricket as a community sport may be able to commence earlier than Sunday, November 28.
"However we have also considered the need for our players to be physically ready and to have adequate training and trial opportunities, in preparation for representative competitions conducted in our zone."
The fixtures for all competitions, including the Creighton Cup, women's T20 Cup, junior boys (under 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s and 18s) and junior girls (under 13s and under 15/16s), will be released prior to Sunday, October 31.
Prior to training and the matches starting, once the state hits 80 per cent fully vaccinated, Surman urged all adults (16+) to get the jab, as individuals who aren't won't be able to participate in cricket.
"We understand that some parts of our region have a lower-than-average vaccination rate, which may be a barrier to participation in community sport for some, and would go against the vision of Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia of cricket being a sport for all Australians," said Surman, who explained all clubs needed to create their own COVID-safe plan and implement mandatory QR code check-ins for all grounds and venues.
"With this in mind, we are supportive of all our associations in Greater Illawarra Cricket Zone to make the right call for their associations with respect to when their competitions will start, with some of our associations already indicating that their competitions will not be starting until early or mid-November - including the SDCA which is set to start on November 6.
"We ask all participants of cricket in our region to be patient with their associations and our zone while we continue to plan and be ready for the start of play this season, keeping in mind that many people involved within our zone who run cricket are volunteers.
"Planning this season so far can only be described as the most difficult cricket season ever to plan for and as a zone, we are right behind our volunteers to make the 2021-22 season as good as any other cricket season held before it."