THE Hamilton and District Cricket Association )HDCA) president, Lloyd Ilett, has heralded the recently concluded 2023-24 season as a fantastic success for all involved.

It was a year of unprecedented change in the region, with the six Portland and District Cricket Association (PDCA) member clubs joining the 13 clubs already in the HDCA to former a 19-club strong association ahead of this season.

It was a move which, from inception to fruition, took place across only a few weeks, with clubs hoping it would breathe new life into cricket in the south west of Victoria.

“We came into the season knowing the product we had was good, it was simply about the clubs coming together and committing to the move,” Ilett said.

“All 19 member clubs bought in, and it’s been a fantastic success, it’s got more people playing cricket in the region.

“People have already been telling me they’re keen for what’s to come next season, I’ve had eight clubs already approach me asking about the process for bringing in an international player.”

Ilett said the southern sides impressed in the association, praise which was not just limited to eventual premiers Tyrendarra.

“We expected Tyrendarra to be strong, but Gorae-Portland and Portland Colts in particular also put up a really good showing,” he said.

“A lot of the clubs are expecting to be stronger again next year, whether that’s with players returning from injury or recruits and imports, it should be an even stronger competition next season.

“We’ll have 13 A grade clubs next year (with Tahara joining the top grade) so everyone will have a bye.”

In terms of the areas where he felt the association could improve, there were a few which Ilett said stood out the most.

“I think our umpires need to empower themselves to control the game more, there are times when players across both towns can get a bit mouthy at each other and it’s up to the umpires to step in if needed,” he said.

“We’d love to see some new umpires coming through the ranks… they’re just like players in that their skills diminish as they get older.

“There’s a marked difference in the standard between B grade in Hamilton and B grade in Portland, so we need to go about lifting that standard in Portland.

“At the end of the day there are just as many people living in Portland as there are in Hamilton, so we should be trying to get the same standard of cricket across the board.

“Apart from that we want to invest in the junior side of the game, again that’s an area where we need to work with Portland to improve the competition that the PDCA has.

“In particular we need to focus on our girl’s competition, we had one but a few years ago through our own fault it fell over, so our focus is on getting it back up and running.

“We’d also love to be sending a second senior country week side to Melbourne, whether that’s a Portland team or two association teams, we want as many players as possible going and competing there.

“Other than that, there will be some tinkering with the rules here and there to adjust, and we of course have to deal with and help to improve the PlayHQ system.

“The association will be acquiring a Frogbox which will go around to stream one match from each round and we’re working on getting some sponsorship from that.”

Ilett also said there was the option there for the name of the association to be changed in light of the amalgamation, saying that would be a decision left up to the clubs to make in due course.