THE fixtures are set and the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association is ready for another season.
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In the final fixture released by the association last week six one-day matches will kick off the 2018-19 season on October 6.
One of the six twenty20 matches is scheduled to break up the one-day regular season and the final with rounds two to four of the shorter format of the game to be played after the final.
In the final two weeks before the Christmas break the two-day competition begins with two rounds of matches before the twenty20 resumes for the final two rounds and finals after the break in the lead up to the Sungold cup, which is set for January 27.
Four rounds of two-day competition is scheduled for the week after the twenty20 final. The season comes to a conclusion with the two-dayer grand final set for March 23 and 24.
WDCA chairperson Gordon McLeod said the format was similar to past seasons but the one-day matches kicked off the year instead of the twenty20 competition, which were scheduled first in 2017-18.
McLeod said the decision to move the twenty20 fixture was based on the amount of short form cricket being played around the Sungold Cup.
With Nirranda deciding to step down from division one, each of the renaming 11 clubs will receive a bye in all formats of the game.
McLeod was expecting another big year in the association’s top division.
“It should be an exciting season with already teams looking like they are getting some new players in for this season,” he said. “There will be teams who will advance and it’s difficult to work out how the teams will go against each other at this stage.”
The division two fixture begins a week after the top flight on October 13. The third division’s fixture is still to be finalised but is set to start either October 20 or 21.
The junior seasons begin with the under 15s (October 12) followed by the 13s (October 13), 17s (October 13). The under 11s is still to be confirmed but is expected to start in mid-November.