By Marcus Uhe and Jonty Ralphsmith
A wet beginning to October forced the DDCA to reschedule round one’s turf cricket fixtures for Sunday 10 December.
The decision was made by league administrators on Thursday 5 October in the midst of a week of significant rainfall across Melbourne.
Data from the Bureau of Meteorology showed that Melbourne received 40.2 millilitres of rain in the first eight days of October, highlighted by 22.8 millilitres falling on Wednesday 4 October.
It’s the second consecutive season that the DDCA has been forced to wait an extra week to get underway, after last year’s opening week suffered the same fate.
Round one’s turf games will now be played on Sunday 10 December, making for a busy weekend of two one-day contests, due to round seven’s schedule falling on the day before, and three matches in eight days to close the first half of the campaign before the Christmas break.
A quirk in the Turf 1 fixtures will see all of last season’s top four sides tackle sides that missed finals qualification in round seven, before the bumper set of opening week clashes sees the four finalists play in two separate matches.
It makes for a big weekend for Springvale South in particular, who will tackle last season’s fifth-placed finisher and expected finals contender in Kyle Hardy’s Narre South on Saturday before fronting-up for a grand final rematch against Buckley Ridges 24 hours later, both at the Bloods’ fortress of Alex Nelson Reserve.
In Turf 2, the interruption could prove beneficial for Parkmore, which gets the opportunity to face Keysborough when the side has more continuity.
The Pirates will have much player unavailability early, but the second weekend in December could provide the perfect launchpad to a late-season assault, as they will be favoured to beat Narre Warren and Keysy.
Parkfield will face the same two opponents on what will be a must-win weekend for a team expected to be pushing uphill for a finals spot.
In Turf 3, Silverton will circle it as a key weekend, with games against fellow likely fringe top four sides Doveton and Doveton North awaiting.
Turf cricket is expected to begin this weekend on Saturday 14 October, with Beaconsfield and Berwick scheduled for Sunday in what will be the Tigers’ opening clash in the Turf 1 competition, and a chance to celebrate the success of 2022/23 when they unfurl the Turf 2 premiership flag at Perc Allison Oval.
