Rain affected junior country week, still plenty to play for

WINNERS were crowned, but it was not in the normal fashion of Barwon Junior Country Week after losing two of the four days to rain last week.

The disruption meant instead of the Thursday being dedicated to finals cricket and deciding the winners of the grades, the champions were decided by the ladder leader after four matches.

Geelong Junior Cricket Association chairman Werner Weigl said while it was disappointing to lose a couple of days to rain, the overriding feeling was that playing cricket, and sport in general, at the moment was something to be cherished.

“Playing cricket during the pandemic is a privilege not a right… any games we do get in is a bonus.” Weigl said.

“Giving kids an opportunity to enjoy themselves and have games is what it’s all about.

“A lot of the kids didn’t have winter sports, so this was the first time they’ve had the chance since about March.

“That’s why it was so unfortunate to lose those two days.

“We’ve seen an increase in numbers playing, the kids are just wanting to get out there… and it can be taken away at any moment, all it takes is one cluster, so it was good to get it in.”

Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association enjoyed great success in the under-13s. BPCA Pirates won the under-13 Lanning grade, BPCA Gold took out under-13 Mooney, BPCA Green prevailed in under-13 Haynes, BPCA Black and BPCA Gold claimed under-13 Carey and under-13 Gardner respectively while Colac Buchanan won under-13 Healy.

In the three under-15 age-groups, GCA 15.4 succeeded in under-15 Wareham, GCA 15.7 were standouts in under-15 Jonassen while GCA 15.11 proved the top side of under-15 Schutt. In the under-17s, the four teams played test matches, which both resulted in draws.