For the second time in as many weeks, the Wangaratta and District Cricket Association is preparing to relaunch their 2025/26 season, with seniors and juniors set to get back on the park.

The season was initially supposed to recommence last weekend for the seniors, but the round was cancelled by the WDCA executive due to impacts from the ongoing fire situation around the state.

Now, the season has been given a green light to resume, with all junior and senior matches approved to start regardless of any potential smoke haze.

“We are going ahead,” WDCA president James Ladd said

“We have moved games from Bonnie Doon and Merton to Wangaratta and Benalla.

“We will ask coaches and captains to be aware of those respiratory issues.

“There is always room for games to adapt on the day to conditions.”

For City Colts’ A grade squad, the last seven rounds of the year are a chance for the fledgling squad to further improve and expose their young-skewing list to more and more top-level cricket.

The Colts sit on the bottom of the ladder with just one win from their seven matches played in the one-day competition.

After taking the bye last weekend – an ultimately unceremonious bye as no cricket was played by anyone – Colts captain Kent Braden is optimistic looking ahead to the rest of the season.

“We got one win in the first half of the year, and we’re aiming for hopefully a couple on the way home, but we’re excited by what lies ahead,” he said.

“It’d be nice to [get some wins] but if it doesn’t happen, so be it.

“I think the kids have learnt a lot of lessons from the first half of the year about how to play A grade cricket.

“I think it’s good to set a goal, try and get a couple of wins which is obviously easier said than done, but it’s something to aim at.”

The young Colts bowling attack copped some tap at times during the recent T20 competition, but Braden said having more time up their sleeve per game was only going to do them a favour.

“The more overs, the better for our group – crikey, we’d be happy playing 100 overs in a day.

“We found the T20s hard, just because a lot of those kids haven’t played T20s before at that sort of level, it’s a different intensity.

“With 45 overs, you just get that little bit more time to get yourself in, build an innings, and with the ball, you get your nine overs if you’re bowling okay, and it allows you to get into your work a bit more.

“Don’t get me wrong, batters still come hard at you, but you’ve just got a touch more time to settle.”

The Colts have a challenging reintroduction to competition this weekend, taking on a consistent Wangaratta Magpies squad at Norm Minns Oval.

“It’ll be a good challenge, they’re right up the pointy end of the ladder,” Braden said.

“They’re just a steady side, so if we get our basics right, we restrict Cooper [Matheson] and Tyler [Nanson] at the top, anything’s possible.

“As I’ve said before, everyone’s sort of had their moments, they’ve all proven they’re up to A grade cricket, it’s just a matter of getting five or six blokes on any given day performing instead of one or two.

“If we can get five or six all having good days, we’re a massive chance to pinch a couple of wins.”

Elsewhere, Beechworth are at home to Ovens Valley United, while Benalla take on the undefeated Rovers United Bruck at the picturesque Gardens Oval.

All A grade matches commence from 12.30pm.