Cricket
8 October, 2025
Reigning premiers out of A grade cricket season
The 2025-26 Horsham Cricket Association season start date has been delayed a week after Homers Cricket Club withdrew from the A grade competition.
Homers, the reigning premiers of the A grade two-day 2024-25 premiers, pulled out of the A grade season on Monday, October 6, after several of the club's premiership team departed the club.
Combe says Homers’ exit was unfortunate, with the change now meaning all grades will commence play on Saturday, October 18.
“We’ve had a bit of dialogue with Homers since last Thursday that this may occur, but it’s quite unexpected,” Combe said.
“Homers have been a successful side, and we hope they can get a side back in the A grade competition for next season.”
“It’s put the start of cricket back a week, so we’re going to reorganise the A grade draw and all three grades will start next week.”
Barry Hopper, Homers Cricket Club president, says the club tried but was unable to get the numbers to fill an A grade side.
“Quite a few players pulled out, and what’s happened is some people were saying they were or weren’t playing, or we could play some of the time,” Hopper said.
“In the end, we just didn’t have enough real A grade players to make a side.
“The timing is a bit unfortunate because our objective was to get an A grade side since the draw was already made, and we’ve been an extremely successful side over the years.”
Hopper said Homers would field a C grade side for the 2025-26 season and was granted a permit to allow its A grade players to play for Laharum, who would field A grade and C grade teams.
The club president added he would have liked to field a B grade side of Homers and Laharum players, suggesting the player surplus means some people may not decide to play.
“We approached Laharum, and the association granted us permits for the A grade side of things,” Hopper said.
“But we’ve got a dilemma now where we've got too many players (between both clubs).
“So we were talking about rostering players into sides, and some may just have to not play and give it away. That's the part that annoys me, but that's the decision that’s been made.
“We felt that between the two clubs, if there were two C grade teams, one B grade side, which is a combination of both clubs, and an A grade side, predominantly of Laharum players, it could have worked.
“With the way cricket is going, we will probably need to do a bit of this to survive and to cater to players.
“It’s a bit unfortunate, but the timing is not ideal, and we were a bit late.”
Homers’ exit means the A grade competition will now consist of 10 teams, which are West Wimmera, Brim Kellalac Sheep Hills Cricket Club (BKSH), Noradjuha Toolondo Bullants, Colts, Laharum, Lubeck-Murtoa, Horsham Tigers, with Donald Jeffcoat, Swifts-Great Western and St Mary’s the new teams after joining the association.