A Warrnambool and District Cricket Association club will hold a special annual general meeting on July 8, 2024 to vote on whether to pursue a full merger.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Nirranda will hold a members vote on the night, to be held at the Recreation Reserve as it explores a proposed merger with the Southern Titans for the 2024-25 WDCA season.
The Titans and Knights could become the latest club in the region to join forces after premier division one clubs Wesley Yambuk and Brierly-Christ Church ticked off a merger recently.
It's been a busy few years for the Titans - originally a merger between East Warrnambool and Killarney - in particular. The club was tied with Wesley Yambuk in division one last season but have since parted ways.
Nirranda committee member and senior coach Stewart Rundle said the merger made sense for a variety of reasons and confirmed there had been strong support amongst its members.
Rundle added having access to two high-quality turf grounds, one in Port Campbell and Jones Oval in Warrnambool was a catalyst for the move.
It would also still have use of its hard wickets in Killarney and Nirranda.
"With the situation of cricket not only here but across the state, as a club we need to keep looking forward," he told The Standard.
"Juniors and recruiting is getting harder so we're just trying to stay ahead of it. You've got to be on the front foot.
"We thought we really needed a base in town, we have players coming out here (from Warrnambool) so it'll help us a lot with training.
"From our point of view it's just about looking to the future. On the junior side of things there's a few things still to push but are really positive.
"But it gives us another option and with these kids going to Warrnambool schools, if we can train one night a week (in Warrnambool) it'll save parents a lot of time on travel.
"We're a club that needs to keep looking forward."
Rundle said the two clubs had a long history dating back more than 130 years.
"Both clubs played each other socially all the way back in 1892 so there's some history between the two clubs," he said.
"That's how long we've sort of had an association with them, we play hard on field and off-field we've always been mates."
He said the move had already been ticked off from the Southern Titans' end and believed his club's members were "positive" about the merger.
"It's been a positive (reaction) so far, there will obviously be a lot of questions but 95 per cent of them seem to be really happy with it," he said.
"We've met with the Titans and they're very, very positive with it and they seem to be very happy with how we do stuff."
Nick Creely
Sports reporter with The Standard
Sports reporter with The Standard
