Plans in place for women’s CBL revival

MYRTLEFORD and District Basketball Association president Kory Batt said he hoped to bring back the women’s CBL program next season. The Saints were forced to withdraw their side from the 2023 North East Women’s conference earlier this month due to a lack of committed players available. Batt, who was also going to coach the side, said there simply weren’t enough players who could commit to play a season. “We were having try-outs as we always do and we only had a few respond to that,” he said. “After the two try-out sessions I did a bit of a ring around, chasing, and in the end I only had a core group of about five fully committed, with others saying they could play two games here or there, which isn’t ideal going into a CBL season - you need at least eight to nine fully committed to have a good season. “That was pretty much the defining factor in the end. “I tried to get people from Wodonga, I tried Wangaratta people, and they just couldn’t fully commit for the whole season.” Despite the unfortunate result, Batt said there was definitely a place for women’s CBL basketball in Myrtleford, and he would be working to bring it back for next year. “Short term, obviously we’re going to miss this season but long-term, we can get another side in and be competitive,” he said. “We’ve got some good young girls coming through the ranks in the next couple of years. “It’s just a matter of getting them to commit for the whole season, and that’s probably the biggest problem at the moment. “A lot of them over the age of 18 now are going to uni or travelling, there’re a lot of weddings still going on from the COVID years. “Being a small town, it’s a bit hard in that aspect – we don’t have a big group to choose from, but going forward I’ll be trying everything to get the team up and running again, and I do believe we can have a strong side again.” With Wangaratta also having to withdraw their side from the women’s CBL competition, Batt said he’d keep the door open for a potential merged squad going forward. Meanwhile, the men’s CBL side is undefeated and going well, while the domestic competition has grown from last year.

Plans in place for women’s CBL revival

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