Fixtures set as players prepare to strap on the pads for cricket season

Fixtures have been set for the start of the Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League 2022-23 season on October 15.

There are again five A-grade teams, with Towns aiming for a shield hat-trick, and six in B-grade where Dongara are looking for their fifth flag in seven summers.

Wanderers are reigning champions in the four-team women’s competition.

In the A-grade, each team plays the others four times for 16 games in total, with one round devoted to the Young Motors T20 Cup played on Friday nights under the lights at Wonthella.

The T20s will count for full points in the league competition but there will also be a final between the top two T20 sides to decide the cup on February 23. The other 12 fixtures will be 50 overs-a-side games.

Finals are set for March, with a preliminary final on March 11 between the second and third-placed teams. The winner of that will advance to a grand final against the minor premier on March 18.

In B-grade, all teams play the others three times for 15 qualifiers but perhaps surprisingly, a majority of clubs voted against a full round of T20 games as in the previous two seasons.

B-grade also begins on October 15 with 40-overs-a-side matches which will start at 12.30pm, while A-grade starts at 11am aside from the T20s at 6pm.

B-grade semifinals (first vs fourth and second vs third) will be played on March 11, with the winners to meet in a grand final on March 18.

The Young Motors Women’s League, now in its fourth season, will be played on Sundays from October 23.

They will play 12 qualifiers with a decider for third place and the grand final on February 26.

The first half of the season will be on hard wickets, with three T20 rounds followed by three T30 rounds.

The remaining six games will be T20s but on turf. The 30-over games will start at 1pm and T20s at 2pm.

The Geraldton Regional Cricket Board is also planning to field teams in country week’s A and C sections.

Women’s country week will be held in March in Bunbury after the first two editions were successfully held in Geraldton.

The GRCB intends to send one team and will be looking to win their third title in a row but will have to do it away from home, which will be a challenge and will require more fundraising to support the trip down south.