The long awaited new season of cricket is now only just around the corner, with the Griffith District Cricket Association setting the first day on the green for October 12.
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Fourth grade will be following the first graders as the next league to start their competition. The youngsters' first bowls hitting the pitch on Wednesday, October 16.
Finally, second and third grade will begin their season on October 19.
With the dates for the new season now set in stone, cricketers from around the Riverina region can look forward to the ups and downs of what this great sport has to offer.
President of the GDCA, Brenton Harrison, is particularly eager to see the competition get underway.
"It's going to be tough in first grade, especially in a comp with five teams," Harrison explained.
"Diggers are back after four or five seasons too, which is great to see," he added.
Sporting fans can look forward to cracking catches and batsmen hitting sixes all season long, with the likes of Ex-Services Eagles, Diggers, Coro Cougars, Panthers, Hanwood and Coleambally all lining up to play across their respective grades.
This year will be the first time since 2013 that third grade has hosted six teams in their competition. The newest addition being the Diggers side coached by Richie Alvaro.
The team consists of mostly year seven, eight and nine school children. But they are planning on bringing up fourth graders to fill in each week.
"We have some players who have just come out of the woodwork and never played competitive cricket before, so we're looking forward to seeing how they go," Alvaro told The Area News.
"Nowadays what's happening is technology has taken over and the kids would rather stay inside, we have to keep them playing sport and staying social."
The new look competition features a long-term investment plan that will ensure the future of Riverina cricket.
Coaches in the lower grades are hoping to shape young newcomers into sportsmen that thoroughly enjoy playing in Griffith, helping the GDCA keep their competition alive for many years to come.
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