Chairman Gordon McLeod told The Standard on Tuesday the association had overhauled its short-form structure in a bid to give more clubs the chance to push for the $15,000 windfall.

The revamp will allow every Warrnambool and District Cricket Association club to play in the newly standalone competition as games won't be for premiership points. The WDCA's top two Twenty20 teams will this season advance to the Sungold Cup, a knockout tournament featuring the district's top short-form sides.

In previous seasons, only one WDCA-linked side has advanced but the association has secured another place on the back of the Grassmere Cricket Association's demise.

Southern Titans co-president Luke Smith said his club had long championed the concept and was excited to see a more equitable system take shape.

He said the Twenty20 format's unpredictability meant a division two side could easily knock off a division one outfit on its day.

"How (Twenty20 cricket) was initially formed, it used to be just a Wednesday night competition and straight knockout," Smith said.

"With that format back then, we never lost the first round. We always took out a division one club straight up. A perfect example was not the last season just been but the one before where Dennington actually qualified for Sungold and they were at that point struggling in the one-day and two-day stuff.

"But they got up and went undefeated (through the Twenty20 games). As I said to Gordon, pardon the pun but any dog can have its day. It's a completely different format and it only takes one batsman to get up and make a score and anyone can win."

Koroit president Bailen McDonald said his club was also delighted at the prospect of testing itself.

"We've definitely been pretty competitive in division two and we think playing in a standalone tournament like this will give us a good opportunity to see where we're at," he said.

"Cricket is a funny game and it can just be the better team on its day."

McDonald said the Saints' strong recruiting drive through the winter, which netted Hamilton-based batsman Mitch Lang and Tyrendarra's Jason Pitt, meant it was confident of improvement.

Northern Raiders president Trevor Dowd said his club "hadn't had a lot to do" with Twenty20 cricket and was exciting to experience the format against division one opposition.

He said two of the club's new recruits - Chetan and Mayank Sharma - could make a mark in the format.

"We would like to be able to contest in that, that's for sure," Dowd said.

"You might have some good guys in your club who have a great run through that and you could lob up into a final. You only need someone to have a good game with the bat or the ball and you're half a chance."

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