Cricket ACT will pilot a month-long junior transition competition from next Saturday in the wake of a surge in the sport's popularity.
Youngsters have flocked to the game after two busy summers in the capital, which have included a host of Big Bash League matches, plus the recent Test match and opening one-day international of the Women's Ashes.
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The five-team transition competition will include Bungendore's first junior outfit. Weston Creek and Tuggeranong will also field teams.
"It's basically kids that have come out of that entry level program, and they're just about ready to go into junior cricket," Cricket NSW's Southern Inland club development officer Adrian Brunker said.
"It's a taster basically, it's going to run for four weeks, commencing next Saturday, and an opportunity for kids that may have been drawn to the game watching all the content that's been on our TVs and Manuka Oval as well.
"It's a really good idea. The kids are pretty ecstatic about their upcoming cricket experience."
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The competition will help bridge the gap between the popular Cricket Blast program for, kids aged five to 10, and competitive junior cricket.
It's a concept Brunker said Cricket ACT hoped to build on next summer.
"Once this competition runs for the first time, it'll then become a staple, it'll be something Cricket ACT does each year," Brunker said.
"People have been [stuck inside] with the lockdowns and they were really looking to get out and resume their normal activities.
"Cricket and summer sport was certainly one of those. Once we got the green light to recommence, everybody came with a rush.
"We had a really compressed lead in to the season but it's a credit to the volunteers of every association, every club, every entry level program, that they got the job done and they got cricket out, back up and going.
"It's definitely not like other seasons but it really showed what can be done."
Bungendore's junior team will be affiliated with the town's City and Suburban club, the Bunyips. Next summer the Bungendore Bunyips hopes to have two junior teams playing in the Canberra competition.
"The next step following this competition is that they'll go into the stage one and graded competition on a Friday night next season," Brunker said.
"Bungendore ran a pop up Blast, they did a four-week entry level program. Some of those kids went out and did the on-ground experience at the Thunder Heat game, they got signed hats by the players.
"The conversation with the clubs is around how many teams they're going to field, which kids they feel are ready for that transition to hard ball cricket. The conversations have been very positive around yes, we'd certainly like to be involved."
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James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
