A newly formed Twenty20 tournament aims to find out who is the best team between the bridge and the beach in Hobsons Bay in cricket’s shortest format.
In the inaugural year of the competition, six teams have entered to battle it out for the Squires Loft Cup, with $2500 to go to the winners.
There will be two groups of three this season, including Altona Roosters, Gellibrand and Williamstown Colts in group one and Altona North, Newport-Digman and Williamstown Congs in group two.
Williamstown Colts first XI player Hanni Harb is confident a successful first year will result in more teams participating in the future.
“I would’ve loved to have got 10 teams in it to see who can stand up to the challenge, but a couple of teams couldn’t make it,” Harb said. “We got six teams to enter and I think it’s going to generate a lot of excitement.
“When you’ve got so many teams locally, there’s always talks in pubs and there’s always chat about this side and that side.
“We’re all local cricketers, whether you’re playing Subbies ones or the bottom grade of the VTCA, so anything can happen on the day.”
Altona North is the top seeded team in the competition, coming from the Victorian Turf Cricket Association’s second tier north west division. But Harb reckons the shortest format of cricket lends itself to upsets and that favourites can be toppled.
“Twenty20 is one of those games where no matter how good your team is, upsets can happen,” he said.
The group games will be played this Sunday with matches starting at 10am, 1pm and 4pm.
Group one matches will be at Greenwich Reserve in Williamstown. Group two games will be at Bryan Martyn Oval in Newport.
Group winners will advance to Tuesday’s grand final at Greenwich Reserve at 5.30pm.
Lance Jenkinson
