A South West Cricket powerhouse isn't deterred after its application for a transfer to a neighbouring league was unanimously rejected at a meeting on Wednesday, June 6.
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SWC president Luke Heffernan confirmed each of the league's seven other clubs voted against Pomborneit's application to join the Colac District Cricket Association for the 2024-25 season.
Bulls president Dave Murphy said the club would appeal the decision, with Heffernan aware of the club's plans.
"They're going to take it to an appeal with Western Waves," Heffernan told The Standard.
The Bulls are a founding member of South West Cricket, which was created in 1996 and have played division one cricket every season.
The club has won five premierships in the top grade and finished runner-up in the 2023-24 season.
It also clinched its second consecutive division one Twenty20 flag in January, 2024.
Murphy told The Standard in May the Bulls needed to secure their own long-term future with the club already fielding teams in Colac's female competition and junior boys' competition.
"While South West Cricket has been a fantastic competition to play in for nearly 30 years, the losses of traditionally strong division one clubs in Mortlake, Noorat and Terang over the past two years have greatly diminished the competition, while losing those clubs and Simpson have also hurt the lower grades, especially numbers wise," he said.
"We feel the time is right to give our players the best opportunities and standard of cricket going forward in a bigger competition.
"We have been part of Colac District Cricket Association female competitions for five years now and CDCA junior boys competitions for the last two seasons, (and) we find it a strong, professional organisation and where we now see our long-term future to be."
Murphy said the Bulls weren't surprised with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting but the club's circumstances hadn't changed.
"It was expected the vote would go that way," he said.
"Obviously we understand South West's reasoning behind it."
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
