The grass is greener for Moonee Valley's Thirds

Moonee Valley Cricket Club’s Third Eleven will be playing on turf for the 2006/07 season, following the endorsement of the MMVCA’s turf clubs at the August 22 delegates meeting.

The clubs overwhelmingly supported a motion to include our Thirds in the MMVCA C Turf competition, playing our home games on Sundays at Ormond Park and away games in the traditional Saturday time-slot.

The Thirds will transfer out of the MMVCA B Matting grade, where they were finalists last season.

Moonee Valley Cricket Club president Sandro Capocchi (left) said the move was a vital step in the ongoing development of the Club, as it would enable an extra 11 players each week to compete on turf.

“Being able to play regularly on turf is vital in providing our players – especially the younger ones – with the experience to take the next step to higher grade cricket,” Sandro said.

“This will further strengthen our Club by having a far greater pool of players who have played turf cricket and have experienced the vagaries that make the highest grades of cricket such a challenge and such an attraction.

“I’m also confident that Sunday cricket at Ormond Park will attract a lot more spectators, as players from the Saturday grades will be able to come and watch their colleagues, and families will also be able to come and enjoy the games.”

Sandro also thanked Moreland Moonee Valley Cricket Association president Brett Pallini, his executive and the clubs for supporting and endorsing our move.

“Cricket in the MMVCA has traditionally been a Saturday game, so the leadership shown by the executive in endorsing and encouraging our proposal to play home fixtures on Sundays was far-sighted,” he said.

“I hope it will give a lead to other clubs that they need to think beyond traditional structures to ensure a healthy future for cricket in our region and a progressive and vibrant MMVCA.

“Our own Moonee Valley Cricket Club in recent years has thought outside of the traditional structures, and as a result in the past three seasons we have added three extra sides.

“We have endorsed and encouraged the participation of intellectually disabled players, developed structures to encourage the majority of our junior graduates to continue in senior cricket, and targeted and encouraged the return to sport of one of VicHealth’s key target groups, older inactive males.

“The support of Brett Pallini and his executive has been crucial in these innovations, and now their support for our Sunday home games in turf cricket has helped us take the next step.”

28/8/06