The association deemed an issue between Pomonal and Buangor-Tatyoon and the result of their round four A Grade clash resolved following a hearing on Thursday night.

Pomonal was appealing a pennant committee decision, which deemed the match abandoned and therefore both sides received three points. 

The hearing discussed the outcome of the match. 

The hearing ruled that Buangor-Tatyoon did not take care of the wicket when the team failed to put the covers on the wicket before the wet weather arrived.

This meant play could not continue into day two. 

The association’s president David Turner said the ruling came under the MCC laws of cricket. 

“What it came down to was the home club was responsible for the preparation of the pitch,” he said. 

“Because they hadn’t applied the covers as a duty of care prior to all the rain, it had been deemed under the laws of cricket that they haven’t taken the correct step to ensure play was possible.”

Despite the ruling, Turner said that Buangor-Tatyoon should not take all of the blame. 

“We found that there were faults all around – some from the Ararat Rural City Council, some from Buangor-Tatyoon and some within the bylaws and the issue with the GCA,” he said. 

Turner said the issue came about because of a silent rule within the GCA bylaws.

Turner  said  if  a  rule  is  silent,  the  association  referred to the  Premier  cricket laws – but a law failed to exist there, so the association referred to the MCC laws of cricket. 

It means the association now needs to address a new set of bylaws.