FRANKSTON Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire are battling to prepare ovals for the start of the 2010-11 Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association's season on Saturday, October 2.
Cricket clubs in Frankston municipality have been told by the council that due to continuous wet weather, the cricket wicket uncovering process following the football season has been delayed because the grounds are too wet and soft for machinery to get on them without causing more damage than that caused by football.
Frankston Council has warned clubs that if current conditions continue, play starting on October 2 may be "unrealistic".
And the shire council last week said works had started on grounds not being used by football clubs involved in the finals, but it was "hopeful" all grounds would be ready for the start of cricket.
"This will be dependent on the volume of rain over the next two to three weeks and how the grounds respond to the weather," the shire's open space and roads conservation co-ordinator Greg Powell said on Friday – before the rainy weekend.
The end of the 13-year drought – with this year's winter rains breaking the long-term average – is likely to mean many cricketers won't be donning the flannels when the season officially opens.
Frankston has so far managed to uncover only nine of its 40 wickets.
The council's recreational development officer Troy Lyons said: "So far this year, the council's operations centre in Seaford has received a rainfall of 502millimetres, compared with 335millimetres at the corresponding time last year. In other suburbs such as Baxter, this year's rainfall has been even higher.
"The surface conditions of all grounds have been affected as the large amount of water is unable to penetrate the sub-base, which in turn leaves the water sitting on the surface. When the wet surface sees sports action, this creates muddy and boggy areas."
One of the ovals at Baxter is a quagmire, and the council is asking for state government funding to improve drainage. Previously, councils had been asking for government grants to 'drought-proof' sporting grounds.
There are 35 clubs in the association, with about 180 senior teams that play on more than 100 grounds from Carrum to French Island and down to Sorrento. This does not include the hundreds of junior teams looking forward to playing on the second Saturday of October.
Recently elected MPCA president Steve Morone said the association was working
closely with the councils – "they are doing a great job trying to get the grounds ready for play".
The full fixtures for the season may not be known until a week before the scheduled start.
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