WESTERN Zone chairman Dennis Cox says the Premier League cricket competition isn’t dead, but “it has gone backwards”.
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Five teams – Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Cowra and Parkes - competed in the 2015-16 competition, forcing delegates at the Zone annual general meeting to scrap the concept ahead of next summer.
The premier league’s axing isn’t too surprising, given cricketers in the zone will still get the chance to play representative cricket for their associations in the Cricket NSW’s McDonalds Cup – a variation of the old SCG Cup.
Cox said the Zone was determined to avoid a double up of sorts, and the lack of commitment to the premier league concept from the smaller associations like Mudgee, Lithgow, Forbes and the Blue Mountains made the decision easier.
“It’s hard … if the players wanted it then we’d have it in there,” Cox said, chairing the meeting that included 16 delegates from Mitchell, Lachlan and Macquarie councils.
“But we discussed it for an hour-and-a-half at the meeting and we’ve taken it off the schedule. It only had five teams last year, which was a bit disappointing.
“There the issue of dates and when to run it too. There’s not many gaps in the calendar.
“It’s difficult, not many blokes want to play Sunday cricket any more … and if you play Saturdays then you interrupt association stuff.”
The premier league has been used since the 2011-12 season as a tool for Zone selectors to pick a side for the Country Cricket Championships.
Cox said with just five teams interested in the premier league, there’s a chance players will slip through selectors’ nets.
In its place foe 2016-17, selectors will use the old inter-council matches between Lachlan, Macquarie and Mitchell as a means of selecting a Western Zone side for the championships, which will be played at Wagga from November 18-20.
“It’s not an easy fix and there’s going to be some people not happy with the decision,” Cox said.
“In my opinion, speaking to players, I think there’s more interest for players playing for their own town, but the delegates went the other way.”
The matches begin on October 9 with Macquarie Valley playing Lachlan while Mitchell host Macquarie on October 29.
