For the first time in the competition’s history, next month’s decider will not be held at Deakin Reserve, with a new location set to host.
Windridge Oval, Rochester Cricket Club’s home ground, has been given the nod for the blockbuster between Hurley’s Hotel Hounds and Bendigo-based Sporties Spitfires on February 11.
Rochester Cricket Club president Brendan Martin was delighted to attain the hosting rights to the final, promising a mint deck for players to go big on.
“We’re pretty chuffed to be considered. I think it’s come from the Ky boys putting our name forward, so we’re pretty happy that they have a reasonably good opinion of our facility and our wicket,” Martin said.
“It’s a good opportunity for our club to showcase our facilities.
“We’ve got a very good cricket facility; Windridge Oval is a very good batting wicket. The ground is in very good nick.
“The oval’s a good size, the ground is reasonably quick and we’ve had some good one-day scores there this year around the 200-220 mark.”
As neither one of this year’s finalists hails from Shepparton, the decision to play at a neutral middle ground was a no-brainer, according to GVBBL organiser Dave D’Elia.
The heavy impact on Rochester by recent floods also factored into the ground change, with the injection of catering and bar money made as a meaningful gesture to provide some relief to the club.
Because, as Martin indicated, it hasn’t always been easy on the recovery front.
“It’s been challenging with player numbers; there’s been a lot of distractions,” he said.
“There has been a lot of other priorities around town for people, like housing, gardens and businesses, but we’re fairly upbeat.”
Melbourne Renegades have donated a child’s jersey to be raffled off on the day, with proceeds going to Rochester Cricket Club.
And, like the Echuca-hosted third round, the final will feature a crowd catch promotion.
The first person in the stands to hold on to a six in the first innings will pocket $250, with the promo repeating in the second innings.
The GVBBL grand final between Hurley’s Hotel Hounds and Sporties Spitfires starts at 1pm on February 11 at Windridge Oval.
