WARRNAMBOOL and District Cricket Association (WDCA) has a long and proud history of being the south-west’s best. But that rating is set to be tested at next week’s Melbourne Country Week.
After narrowly failing to win promotion back to division one last year, the WDCA faces neighbouring South West Cricket and Hamilton District associations in country Victoria’s toughest cricket competition.
South West Cricket has been on a rapid learning curve in recent years, winning division four in 2009 and division three in 2010, before finishing third in division two last year.
Are the boys from the bush scattered either side of Mount Emu Creek ready to upstage their city-based counterparts? Or could Hamilton, which finished last in the eight-team competition last year, surprise all comers and make the leap into division one?
It is the first time in years each side is drawn to play its south-west cousins, setting up some tantalising showdowns.
WDCA captain Ben Boyd, who is set to embark on his 11th Melbourne Country Week campaign, said South West Cricket had narrowed the gap in recent years and Hamilton’s best batsmen had the ability to win matches.
He said his side’s focus was on completing what it set out to do last year — get back into division one.
“It is a little bit about bragging rights each year,” Boyd said.
“But there is no extra pressure.”
He said each of the associations knew what to expect from their rivals. “I think South West, in the last four or five years they have had a stable team and that has been a real strength for them,” he said. “They know how to go about it and that is probably one reason why it is a little closer. They have good, mature cricketers playing good representative cricket.”
South West captain Steven Castle said he believed his association had closed the gap on Warrnambool.
“Probably confidence has a lot to do with it,” Castle said.
“Having success gives you a bit more confidence.
“I have always believed our good players are as a good as the good players in any association. Obviously the depth across the competition may not be there, though.”
Castle said his side relished its underdog status for its clash with Warrnambool on Tuesday.
“It’s just about the boys having the belief we are good enough,” he said.
“We haven’t had a great record against Warrnambool in any of the competitions we’ve played them in. In the odd practice match we might have had some success against them, but obviously at the major competitions you would say they have the wood on us.”
He said his side would love to change that next week but the focus was on Monday’s opening game against Hamilton District rather than Tuesday’s showdown.
Hamilton association president Lloyd Ilett said next week’s match-ups were rare at Melbourne Country Week.
“We played South West last year and batted poorly on the first or second day and got spanked,” he said.
“Our blokes will be keen to make amends.
“We haven’t played Warrnambool . . . it would be a long, long time ago. We haven’t played Warrnambool in anything longer than a Twenty20 game in about five years.
“Warrnambool has always been in provincial (grade) and Hamilton in division two or three at Country Week.” Hamilton and Warrnambool faced off in a semi-final at the festival of cricket Twenty20 tournament in Hamilton late last year, with WDCA claiming a big win.
“No one expected Warrnambool to play as well as that,” Ilett said.
“Hamilton hadn’t lost a game until they played Warrnambool and got wiped off the park.”
Ilett said, generally, matches between Warrnambool and Hamilton were close, regardless of rankings.
Next Week Hamilton will field a young side, including six debutants.
While each association is focussed on the Country Week prize, match-ups between the south-west rivals will carry far more than just points.
As Boyd said, bragging rights are on the line.
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