ADCA 2023-24: Collingwood Park officials left disappointed by outcome of washout in A-grade preliminary final

The Albany and Districts Cricket Association has stood by the process in which Saturday’s A-grade preliminary final was abandoned due to a soaked turf pitch, saying both captains were made aware of the ramifications of not moving the game to a synthetic wicket. Royals walked through to the grand final as the highest-ranked team, after the final was officially abandoned and teams shook hands before noon on Saturday afternoon without a ball being bowled. The highly anticipated preliminary final between the Lions and Collingwood Park was set to start at noon. But all three turf wickets at the Centennial Park precinct were deemed unfit for play because they were too wet from rain leading up to the match. After an afternoon drenched in confusion and controversy which spilt onto social media, the decision to abandon the fixture ultimately secured the Lions’ spot in the grand final having finished second on the ladder. Teams arrived on Saturday morning to prepare for the clash at Turf North but there had been significant rain on the surface in the lead-up. The grounds were handed over to umpires at 11am under ADCA rules, and soon after all three turf wickets were deemed unfit for play. Lions captain Mitch Green and Park skipper Mitch Jackson were then in discussion with umpires and the pair were presented with an alternative hard wicket option before reaching a consensus that the match would not proceed on a synthetic wicket. The outcome sparked much debate on social media and as a result the ADCA posted a clarification of events on Facebook later that day, clearly stating there was no reserve day option and the final moved to a synthetic wicket was offered. ADCA president Ryan Kinnear said the umpires made it clear to both captains that there were opportunities to contest the match and the ramifications for both sides should they decline. “We are happy with the process by the umpires which I was present for, led by umpire Rex Evans,” Mr Kinnear said. “He was firm and explained thoroughly the options to the teams and the ramifications of their (captains) decisions to abandon the match. “Synthetic surface was one of the options put forward by umpire Rex Evans which both captains declined before the abandonment, lower grades would have been moved to allow the match to commence. “There is no reserve day in the ADCA by-laws for any semifinal or preliminary final matches which was also communicated to both captains prior to the decision for the match to be abandoned.” Collingwood Park president Steve Van Nierop said his club were disappointed by the outcome and believe every avenue to play the game was not explored. “It was obviously disappointing every avenue wasn’t explored to get a game over the weekend whether it was on a hard wicket or revised overs later in the day,” Van Nierop said. “Hopefully in future, we can change the way these scenarios are approached whether it’s having reserve days or exploring all avenues to get the fixture up. “It was disappointing to not give our young group that finals exposure that we have been after, but we are pleased with how our season has gone making a T20 grand final and the one-day finals. “It has been successful for us but just a disappointing end.” Mr Kinnear said the move to leave all three turf wickets uncovered on Friday night was made after the rainfall received during the week. “Persistent rain in the days leading up to the match hampered preparations,” he said. “By Friday evening the grounds were still touch and go for Saturdays matches. “City of Albany ground staff called for no covers in an attempt to dry out wickets with overnight wind.” Green said while the decision to abandon the fixture was not ideal for the competition, the ADCA handled the matter with the utmost clarity and transparency. “The umpires were very clear about what was going on and the association handled the situation very well,” Green said. “It isn’t a great look to have a washout in a preliminary final but we’re happy we have the chance to play in a grand final. “We have moved on pretty quickly and now we are just turning our focus to Mt Barker on Saturday.” The two B-grade finals that were set down for turf on Saturday were moved to synthetic wickets and both completed while on Sunday the B-grade preliminary final was played at Turf East. The Bulls and Lions will now square off in their fourth consecutive grand final against each other at Turf North on Saturday.