Cricket season comes to an end with issues to ponder over the break

The 2022-23 Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League season is done, with Towns retaining the A-grade premiership.

Other honours were shared with Wanderers retaining the women’s title, Bluff Point taking out B-Grade (their first at this level since 1969-70) and Sportsmans winning the Young Motors T20 Cup.

There are issues that need to be addressed, for instance the prevalence of slow outfields which turned the A-Grade grand final into a dirge rather than a delight.

Thought also needs to be given to the direction of women’s cricket, especially with doubt over Chapman Valley-Northampton’s future and how to attract more boys and girls to the game.

On a more positive note, some historic milestone were passed throughout the season.

Clint Yeats and Shayne Bidwell Yeates passed 10,000 A-grade runs in their respective 314th and 326th innings, a feat managed by only two others in the league’s 60 years – Bruce Gillingham and Bernie Knight. Bidwell later claimed his 600th wicket.

Ringo McKenna’s hat-trick for Towns against Sportsmans.

Clayton Bruce-Cherry’s century against Towns – curiously the only A-grade ton of the season.

Bruce-Cherry also topped the batting and bowling charts with 497 runs and 35 wickets and won the Hogue Medal, Cricketer of the Year Award and for his efforts at country week, the Keeffe Medal.

Olivia Bidwell became the first female to tally 1000 runs in the women’s comp, which is now four seasons old, while Ruth Vorster, 230 runs and 15 wickets, was Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

Jo Walker was first to the 500 run/50 wicket double, while Sam Biddiscombe continues to amaze with her 53 career wickets costing just 4.13 runs each.

In B-grade, no-one stood out as much as CVN’s Scott Harrison who made three hundreds, took 20 wickets and was a runaway Cricketer of the Year winner.