It’s finally here - the 2025/26 Wangaratta and District Cricket Association season will officially kick off this weekend with the A grade and A reserve squads taking to the oval for the first time in the summer of cricket. After all the net sessions, practice matches, and anticipation in the off-season, it’s finally time to let the willow and Kookaburra do the talking. It’s always a mammoth effort to get a season together from an administrative standpoint, and WDCA president James Ladd said the entire committee had come together remarkably well over the off-season. “The WDCA committee really stepped it up a notch this year, with a lot of the members assisting and volunteering their time to getting it right,” he said. “We’ve got some pillars we’re focussing on this year as the WDCA association - in no particular order, they are: child safety, female participation and pathways; entry-level program delivery; communication and engagement; and association capability and club support. “We’ve engaged a paid administrator as well to assist us in some fixtures and set-up behind the scenes of the league, and we’re supporting the delivery of that as well, as well as the players and participants of the association as well. “I believe this year we’ve got 105 teams in the association playing across seniors and juniors, so that’s significant.” The association has also been successful in recruiting more umpires, bringing the current crop of officiators to 24 strong, more than enough to cover the 16 senior matches on any given Saturday. Ladd said the boost in adjudicators was in large part thanks to the season launch and information held in early September. “That was highly successful, partnered with Cricket Victoria on that,” he said. “We’ve got a record of 24 umpires this season which we’re really excited about, having a larger group of umpires to help with that kind of professional integrity across all of the senior games.” The B and C grade seasons will commence next weekend, alongside the full gamut of junior division, including under 16s, under 14s, under 12s, and the All Girls league. Ladd and the WDCA committee encourage everyone to play hard but fair this season, and most importantly enjoy their cricket. A grade match previews on page 31.
