Tara Murray
Spotswood’s focus on its juniors is behind the club’s decision to move it’s senior teams to the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.
The VSDCA committee announced last week that the competition would increase by four clubs, taking the number of clubs to 32.
There will be a new club in each of the four conferences, with Donvale, Port Melbourne and Strathmore joining Spotswood in moving to the competition.
Spotswood president John Wheeler said they had been speaking about the move for the past couple of years.
Spotswood had been playing in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 1. It was in the top division as recently as 2018-19.
“We’re really happy about it,” Wheeler said of the move.
“It’s been a bit of a process. We had a good chat about it two years ago with the senior club and wanting to play at the highest level.
“It’s always hard in the VTCA with promotion and regulation as it puts the young blokes under pressure straight away, without being able to build that growth.
“We want to be able to play the young guys and have some experienced players around them.”
Wheeler said in recent times the club had lost many juniors because it didn’t have a pathway system. Nearby clubs include Victorian Premier Cricket side Footscray and subbies sides, Williamstown, Yarraville and Altona.
The junior program will also benefit the club, which will have a side in the VSDCA Craig Shield competition, something most young players aspire to be a part of.
“We thought about the junior program and we found we were losing some kids who were going into pathway cricket,” Wheeler said.
“We had put a lot of time into them. We want to strengthen the club from the bottom up and set ourselves up for the future.
“We’ve been focusing on pushing junior players into the seniors. Max Buck, who has only been playing for five years, finished among the top bowlers in the division.
“It’s fantastic to see young kids coming through like that.”
Wheeler said they had 35 to 40 children in the Woolworths Cricket Blast program this year, which is a promising sign for the future.
The news comes as the club’s new changerooms are set to be ready later this year.
Wheeler said following upgrades the club’s ground and facilities will be among some of the best in Melbourne.
The VTCA has already released a draft fixture for next season, following the departures of Spotswood and Strathmore.
Aberfeldie looks set to survive relegation from the senior division with the departure of Strathmore. Craigieburn, the division 1 premiers, will be promoted.
In division 1, Altona Roosters have been promoted after winning division 2, while Glenroy will be relegated.
