Earlier this week, the region’s premier T20 cricket competition called time following on from the October announcement that the tournament was on hiatus for the 2024-25 season.
League organiser David D’Elia labelled it “absolutely a successful venture”, and though he is sad to see it go, like many others, the GVBBL’s closure comes with a silver lining.
The emergence of female cricket as well as the resurgence of representative cricket - namely in the 50-over format - means that GVBBL served its initial purpose.
“Representative cricket is filling the spot that the Bush Bash filled, and the Bush Bash was put there to fill the spot left by not having representative cricket,” D’Elia said.
“I’d like to think that the guys playing better class cricket in the Bush Bash got their heads around the fact that rep cricket isn’t too bad.
“It’s sad in a way; it takes time and people to run it and that sort of thing, but it was a successful competition and people enjoyed it.
“The feedback I’ve got from people online and privately is that they’re disappointed to see it go because it was good fun and good cricket.”
Established in late 2019, the GVBBL was littered with iconic moments from day dot.
From the Cobram Panel Works Panthers rocking up in a limo on draft night to players of state, national and international calibre ripping out poles and caning cricket balls over the ropes, the league was box office from start to finish.
D’Elia said during the competition’s planning phase, the committee worked with another marquee tournament - the Darling Downs Bush Bash League - to find out what would work and what wouldn’t.
Even he admitted there was little surety whether the concept would be supported.
As the GVBBL first took flight on a sunny afternoon in Cobram, D’Elia and other invested parties were immediately vindicated when a man, yet to make his Melbourne Renegades debut, went ballistic with the bat.
“Having a bloke like James Seymour knock up 60 off about 30 balls and put a couple over the roof of the double-storey pavilion up at Cobram made it really exciting,” he said.
“For the crowd to turn up that day, we had a sigh of relief to say oh yes, people will turn up to this.
“Then having a bloke by the name of Todd Murphy decide to come and roll his arm over for a couple of games and then see him take his step up was great to see.
“Even Xavier Crone; there’s blokes who come from district cricket who are now stepping up and playing Shield cricket, and you go ‘it was a pretty handy standard of competition and it was good to have those guys here’.”
Lastly, D’Elia wished to thank all involved in making the GVBBL happen, from sponsors, players, broadcasters, volunteers, media and the five franchises and owners: Cobram Panel Works Panthers, Jarvis Delahey Crushers, Hurley’s Hotel Hounds, SRP Mud Dogs and Sporties Spitfires.
“Thanks to everyone who was involved; it was good fun while it lasted,” he said.
“The idea is sitting there - it could resurface in the future - but hopefully the rep cricket that the boys are wanting to play with the 50-over stuff really pushes on and fills up any gaps that might be in the fixture.
“It’s sad to see it go, but it’ll free up time for other stuff.”
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