Senior Mens

Introduction

Elsternwick Cricket Club is affiliated with the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA) for its senior competition. The VSDCA is considered Victoria’s second most senior turf competition and its 32 member clubs are divided among four geographically aligned groups (North, South, East and West). Elsternwick is in the South group and plays its fellow South group clubs once every season. The 1st and 2nd XIs also play against one of the other three groups (North, East, West) each season on a rotating basis. The 3rd and 4th XIs play against the East Group each season, thus reducing travel for the lower levels of competition. The South / East Group is further split into two divisions at the 3rd and 4th XI level. Any lower senior XIs play on Sundays in the Cricket Southern Bayside Competition.

The club accommodates players of all abilities with the 1st XI comprising many ex-Premier players who have decided to step back from the demands of Premier cricket along with experienced suburban cricketers and up and coming younger players. The lower grades cater for players of varying ability and experience with the lowest XIs generally a mixture of mature cricketers and junior players getting their first taste of senior turf cricket.

The club communicates with its senior players through a specific Senior Player Group on Facebook, email and via the club website.

Match Schedule

The VSDCA Pennant Competition typically comprises 15 rounds with a mix of 2-day and 1-day matches scheduled. The majority of games are played on Saturday but in the higher XIs one or two Sunday games are also sometimes played. The top 6 teams in each competition play off in 2-day finals over 3 weekends with Quarter, Semi and Grand Finals played on Saturday and Sunday in March.

There are also T20 matches scheduled on several Tuesday nights during the season for the 1st XI. These are separate to the regular Pennant Competition.

The Cricket Southern Bayside Sunday competition plays 1 day matches between local clubs.

The fixture of matches can be viewed via the MyCricket / Matches menu.

VSDCA match times are: -

2-day games 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

1-day games 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm (1st to 3rd XI)

1-day games 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm (4th XI)

Captains will direct players as to what time they should arrive at the ground, however it is expected that all players will be at the ground at least one hour before the scheduled start of play.

Match Fees

Match fees are levied on players each game day to cover the cost of umpires. The fees are set by the individual teams and collected prior to play and are approximately $10 - $15 per day.

Playing and Training Apparel

The club has designed a range of playing and training apparel in club colours. 2-Day Games are played in cream clothing while 1-Day and T20 Games are played in navy clothing. Training shorts and tops are predominately navy with club logos. Players are expected to wear the club training uniform at all training sessions and in the pre-match warm up.

Apparel items can be ordered online via the club's website, more information on this will be communicated shortly. Cut-off dates for the next order are listed on the website and will be advised to players by the Apparel Subcommittee. Playing shirts are numbered and new players will need to contact the Apparel Subcommittee to get a number assigned.

The club holds limited stock of shirts, trousers, caps and hats to allow new members to play while waiting for their playing kit to be delivered.

Availability

Senior players must give their Captain, the Coach or the Chairman of Selectors at least one week’s notice if they are unavailable for any game during the season. Contact details of the Selection Committee can be viewed via the Senior Men / Contacts menu.

The selection committee will assess players who may be injured.

Training

The club conducts a comprehensive pre-season training program each year which typically commences in August and comprises a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions.

In-season training is held on Tuesday & Thursday evenings from around 5:30 pm at the synthetic practice facility adjacent to the Holmes-Todd Oval (Elsternwick Park Oval No.2). Occasionally centre wicket practice will be conducted to give players the opportunity to train on turf.

Training normally proceeds regardless of weather conditions. Players should advise their Captain, the Coach or the Chairman of Selectors if they are unable to train or need to leave training early.

Subscriptions

The club endeavours to keep subscriptions at a manageable level. Subscriptions are due on 1 October each season. Current subscription levels can be viewed via the Senior Men / Registration menu.

Insurance Cover

The club has insurance cover to reimburse players for certain medical related expenses (non-Medicare) and loss of income where injuries occur while playing or training during club scheduled cricket activities. This cover is provided free of charge to players who have paid their annual subscription.

All injuries should be reported to the Secretary and an incident report filled out, irrespective of whether the injured party intends to make an insurance claim.

Anyone with a potential claim should contact the Secretary.

Social Functions

Players are reminded of the importance of supporting the club and teammates by attending social functions organised by the club. The money raised at social functions allows the committee to keep player subscriptions at a manageable cost.

Social functions will appear as events on the club website and will be posted on Facebook. Individual flyers advertising specific events will also be emailed to members and posted in the rooms throughout the season.

The club uses Trybooking to organise ticket sales for club functions. Players are urged to rsvp to social functions by the due date whether or not they intend to attend the event.