THE SCG Country Cup is gone, that’s fact, but regional centres have been rife with rumours of a potential Twenty20 competition being introduced to take its place for some time.
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Now, the speculation seems to have come to fruition.
A NSW Country T20 Bash competition is expected to be announced in the Country Cup’s place in the very near future.
There was no secret countless regional centres under the Country Cricket NSW banners were filthy when the Country Cup was removed from the representative cricket calendar, but they are set to be somewhat appeased, with the proposed T20 competition aimed directly at the towns and cities which competed in the now-defunct competition.
The competition is expected to be regionally based, opening the door for Western Zone’s district teams - like Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Parkes, Blue Mountains, Cowra and Mudgee - although some of the named areas already compete in the still-present McDonalds Country Shield and Plate tournaments.
With Western Zone the current NSW Country champions, and the Western Zone Premier League remaining in place, there is potential to see a Mitchell Cricket Council or Combined Valleys side enter the competition in place of the district sides - alleviating the current problem of one-sided inter-council games, and instilling more pride in representing said councils.
The tournament is also expected to draw teams from the other strong regional centres around the state like Newcastle, Illawarra, Central North and Riverina.
The NSW Country T20 Bash looks likely to be played as a 16-team knockout series, and the two semi-finals and grand final are expected to be played as a gala day at the SCG to finish the tournament.
The competition is expected to be finalised and announced officially, with full details released, in the coming weeks.
