![RELIEF: Belvoir's Zac Simmonds was facing the prospect of having to play for an Albury club under COVID residency rules. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE RELIEF: Belvoir's Zac Simmonds was facing the prospect of having to play for an Albury club under COVID residency rules. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/andrew.moir/d4e226a0-2629-47f1-8a6b-a60333d585b4.jpg/r0_0_4456_2971_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Cricket Albury-Wodonga's provincial competition is set to return to its pre-COVID-19 status.
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NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro re-visited the region yesterday to announce changes to the Border permit system.
He announced the tight blue zone or bubble no longer applies and instead be expanded to 50 kilometres and allow for travel for daily life needs as existed after the initial closure in July.
It must be stated too that 50km limit means you are within that distance from the NSW/Victorian border, not 50km from Albury-Wodonga.
Mr Barilaro said by the end of next week the border restrictions will be lifted from the current two-and-a-half km border zone back to 50km.
He added the upcoming change will allow more freedom to the border communities to work, play and function.
Under the current format, sportspeople aren't allowed to travel interstate to compete.
The association had even brought in a COVID transfer rule where players could play part of the first half of the season with a club in their State of their residence before switching back to their original club.
CAW had designed State-based competitions in the opening weeks of the season, with the four Victorian clubs to meet each other, while the seven NSW outfits clashed.
CAW chairman Michael Erdeljac was delighted with the NSW Government's directive.
"What this means is that CAW provincial competition, at this point, will go ahead, starting October 10," he said.
"CAW Hume will still go ahead with their competition (as it was last season).
"We just have to work out with the 50km limit, instead of two-and-a-half km, how this affects Howlong and whether they will be able to play district cricket this season or, as was worked out earlier with CAW, whether they will fill a void in the lower grades of provincial cricket."
Howlong is the only NSW-based outfit in district, so CAW officials were forced to find an alternative to overcome cross-border coronavirus restrictions, placing the club into provincial's B grade.
A decision on Howlong's future will be made after further consultation with government officials.
"CAW's board has put a lot of effort into working through many scenarios and we understand naturally we will still have to be COVIDSafe and compliant," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"All our training facilities and match fields will have QR codes (barcodes) where everyone will have to be recorded.
"There's still a long way to go until the season start, but we're very happy with what Mr Barilaro has delivered and grateful to the NSW and Victorian (Govt) initiatives."