Players await decision on outcome of Country Cup competition

A decision on the outcome of the 2020-21 Belt-Up Country Cup competition is expected to be made this week after the third round was cancelled.

The third and final qualifying round of the four-team 50-over competition was set to be played on Sunday but the latest COVID outbreak in WA, which caused a five-day lockdown and imposed new government restrictions, was one of the reasons the games didn’t go ahead.

A poor weather forecast on Sunday and issues getting turf wickets prepared in the lockdown areas were also factors in the decision of the Country Cricket Board competition, administered by the WACA.

Albany and Districts Cricket Association were still a chance to finish in the top two and qualify for the final at the WACA ground.

Round 1 was abandoned in November before Bunbury and Districts and the WA Invitational XI recorded victories in round two.

Albany were relying on a big win over Peel, and either Bunbury and Districts or WA Invitational XI losing, to force their way into the top two if the third round was played.

Competition organisers are set to decide this week if they’ll rescheduled round three or if the current top two teams will face off in the February 21 decider. Albany and Districts CA vice-president Ryan Kinnear said they hoped round three would be rescheduled.

“With us still having a chance of making the final, if we can replay the match it would be great,” he said. “But with all that’s going on, we’ll leave it up to the Country Cricket Board and the WACA.

“We’ll honour the fixture either way.

“COVID and the weather were reasons the game was cancelled on Sunday, and not being able to prepare the wickets in the metro areas was another problem.”