An expanding women's game is part of a changed Country Cricket NSW representative calendar for this summer.
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Men's and women's senior and junior carnivals have all been altered for 2021/22 and it could lead to one of the biggest summers the bush has had.
Some scheduling changes, namely the NSW Country Championships being shifted to post-Christmas, is due to the challenges posed by COVID while others have been made to ensure the best possible standard of play possible.
That's the case for a number of the women's competitions.
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The women's Regional Bash, which the Northern Inland Bolters will feature in, will be a round robin format rather than knockout for the first time to ensure more matches, while the under 19s championship, which is scheduled for early January, has been extended a day to allow for one 40-over match on top of the regular Twenty20s.
That will help regions like Central North continue to develop players who can follow in the footsteps of Tamworth's Erin Osborne and Jess Davidson, who are part of the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder, respectively, Women's Big Bash League squads.
"The game continues to grow for the girls," Cricket NSW's Country Programs Manager, Bruce Whitehouse, said.
"The women's Regional Bash has been expanded and in Premier Cricket in Sydney a new club, Manly, has joined the competition.
"That aspect of the game continues to grow and I can't see why the success of young women, who are country cricketers, won't continue.
"If you look at the amount of women's country cricketers who are performing around the country in Big Bash franchises, it's a fantastic achievement and another sign of the factory of players in NSW country."
The men's Country Championships has been pushed later in the season due to uncertainty around the Australian Country Championships.
The national tournament is usually held in early January but a decision on whether or not it can be played later in 2022 will be made in December.
The NSW country titles are usually early in the season during November but having them in the new year will also help ensure players have had all the time to discover their best form.
The 'northern' championships, which Central North will be a part of will be played on the Central Coast from January 28-30.
"It's exciting, the prospect of playing things at a slightly different time of year. It could be a sign of things to come," Whitehouse said.
"It really gives guys the chance to get in some kind of good knick and be ready to play."
The men's Regional Bash has also reverted back to the round robin format this season.
The Bolters will play in the Sixers Pool 1 and have a triple header at Ballina over December 4 and 5. The women will also play a triple header on December 3 and 4.
The winner of each pool in the men's and women's competition advances to the finals day.
That is scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground but a date is yet to be locked in given the ongoing uncertainty around the Sheffield Shield draw due to border restrictions and COVID case numbers around the country.
The Bradman Cup under 16s carnival has also been adjusted and for the first time each of the state's eight zones will play each other.
While the state has previously been split into two pools, this season rounds one and two will be played at Wagga in December before the final four rounds are hosted by Lake Macquarie in January.
The country colts carnival will be played at Bathurst in January.
2021/22 REPRESENTATIVE SCHEDULE
- MEN'S COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP: Northern pool: January 28-30 at Central Coast; southern pool: February 4-6 at Shoalhaven; final February 13 at Bowral's Bradman Oval.
- COUNTRY COLTS: January 10-13 at Bathurst
- WOMEN'S UNDER 19s: January 5-7 at Raymond Terrace.
- WOMEN'S UNDER 16Ss: January 20-21 at Raymond Terrace
- BRADMAN CUP: Rounds 1-3: December 4-5 at Wagga; rounds 4-7: January 4-7 at Lake Macquarie.