Following the finalisation of team nominations over the weekend the Orange District Cricket Association has confirmed that the finals series in 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grades it will revert back to a 4 team finals series played across 3 weeks for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Team numbers have increased in the men's division to 23, up 4 on last season. 4 of those will play in the BOIDC first grade competition, with 7 teams in 2nd Grade, 7 teams in 3rd Grade and 5 for 4th Grade (Centenary Cup).
In other changes announced at the recent meeting of the Association, for Centenary Cup the requirements around a minimum number of players aged under 19 has been reduced to provide clubs more flexibility around selection of these players.
According to ODCA President, Mark Frecklington, "this grade is still a very important link from junior cricket to senior cricket for us, but we need to be flexible and continue to adapt to best suit the current environment."
The Lower Grade Twenty competition run across 3 weeks either side of the Christmas break in place of the 3rd Grade and 4th Grade competitions will use pink balls this season.
The final will also be played under lights at Wade Park, on Saturday 18 January. The draw for this competition will be confirmed a little closer to the time, with clubs given until the end of November to confirm their team/s.
The Association has also made some changes to the way club championship points are calculated, allowing for the lesser number of matches played in first grade. Points for the lower grade Twenty competitionwill also be included for this season.
The Association will also trial a variation to the current wide rule interpretation for the first 5 weeks of the season in 3rd and 4th Grades. Following this trial, the Committee will review feedback and consider whether to implement the change or revert to the original rule.
Meanwhile, the women's Friday night social competition is set to commence on Friday 8 November and will be played in 2 six-week blocks. The Association is anticipating 10-12 teams are likely to nominate for this competition.
Additionally, it is planned to hold a separate 'hard ball' women's T20 competition, played across 4 separate Sundays in November, December, February and March.