WARRNAMBOOL Wolves president Brett Gasper is disappointed the club is unable to finish its junior season after it was denied access to its home ground.
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The Wolves leader said he was "caught off guard" by Warrnambool City Council's decision to deny them access to Harris Street Reserve to complete their junior programs after COVID-19 restrictions forced them to be postponed.
"Council have knocked back any usage until they have dates locked in for cricket," Gasper said.
"It totally caught us off guard as we have always had use of it. We normally work around cricket and be flexible for each other.
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"We were hoping to get Mini Roos delivered in full and hoping to salvage something this year.
"Now they've lost a season of development because of the impact of COVID. They have had to sit through it and we were committed to offer something for them to run around."
Gasper, who plays cricket for Merrivale, said the cancellation of the junior program would be a significant financial impact to the club due to processing refunds.
Merrivale Cricket Club and the Wolves share Harris Street Reserve.
A Warrnambool City Council spokesperson said it "understood the frustration many codes, clubs and competitors feel" but its hands were tied due to a memorandum of understanding between Football Victoria and Cricket Victoria.
"Over summer local cricket requires priority access to all available ovals given school ovals are currently inaccessible under the current COVID-19 restrictions," they said.
"In addition, Reid and Davidson ovals - normally used for cricket over summer - are both unavailable for a period of time due to upgrade works.
"Once the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association has determined its needs for the summer season, council will be in a position to consider additional or alternative use of sports grounds."
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
