Defiant chairman Michael Erdeljac has hit back over criticism of provincial’s draw, declaring clubs should “look at the big picture” and not their “small little world”.
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Lavington coach Robbie Mackinlay led the charge, admitting he was “a bit filthy” with it, arguing St Patrick’s has won four less games, yet sits only a point behind.
The Patties have scored successive outright wins over Wodonga Raiders and New City, which trails the eighth-placed Albury by 37 and 25 points respectively.
Wodonga coach Dan Dixon and Albury co-coach Alex Popko also voiced their opinion, with the major beef not everyone plays each other once at both one-day and two-day level.
“We had a meeting with all the clubs last September and it was agreed that the fixture would be run over two years, so therefore whoever you played in the one-dayers this year, you will play them in the two-dayers the following season,” Erdeljac said.
“Some people will think that others will be getting an easier draw, but this is a two-year fixture, playing three formats of cricket, which we’ve been asked to play by higher above than us.”
At representative level, CAW plays T20 matches, followed by one-dayers, but no two-day games.
“If people go back 12 months ago, people were upset that they had only nine games of two-day cricket, and they only had nine bats,” Erdeljac said.
“I can’t believe anyone is complaining when we sit down at the start of the season, laying down everything in front of the clubs at that meeting.”
But Erdeljac says next year’s draw has the potential to change.
“If a 75 per cent majority came to us with a proposal that might be possible,” he said.
“But I’d be very much doubt the clubs supposedly who think they’ve been disadvantaged this year would want to lose the advantages available to them next year.”
A number of clubs believe the competition should revert to eight teams.
“The clubs need to understand that the board of CAW looks after the 60-plus senior sides, the 60-plus junior sides, the 30-plus Milo T20 sides and the 15 Milo centres, it’s not just that seven or eight first grade cricketers who think they’re being harshly done by,” Erdeljac said.
“So basically we have to look after 3000 who play cricket, not just the elite 100.
“So they need to look at the big picture, instead of the small little world around themselves.”
Clubs must meet a three-pronged criteria to remain in provincial.
They must have three senior teams, three juniors outfits and a turf wicket.
That criteria is reviewed every third year with the next set for the end of next season.
