Just two years after claiming a Castlemaine District Cricket Association A Grade premiership, the Castlemaine United Cricket Club is battling for numbers to fill squads for the 2026-2027 season and is urging new players to join the fold.
Founded in 1881, the club is based at Castlemaine’s Camp Reserve and has a long and proud history.
Castlemaine United prides itself on being an inclusive club for all, and fields teams in the Castlemaine and District Cricket Association in A Grade, A Reserve, B Grade, Women’s, U16 and U13s. They also run the Blasters Program for younger kids to learn the basics of cricket.
Castlemaine United CC president Luke Kneebone said at this stage it looked as though they might not be able to field their A Grade side, and they needed several players to bolster the ranks in their A Reserve, B Grade and Women’s squads.
“We normally put the call out to friends and family to fill in the gaps. We actually have someone coming all the way from the United Kingdom to play for us. But we are still short,” he said.
“We’d love to welcome some new faces. Whether your a serious senior cricketer or you are happy fill-in on a casual basis we’d love to hear from you.
“The B Grade competition is a great option for people as it consists of one-day matches so it can be a week to week commitment depending on your schedule.
“We offer a great casual membership option for our fill-ins, but once you get involved you’re bound to get hooked. It’s a fantastic club with a proud history and a great local comp,” Kneebone said.
“Our Women’s team was one of the founding sides in the CDCA’s popular Friday night competition, and it’s a real family atmosphere down here at the Camp on a Friday night so we really want to see this continue.
“At this stage our Under 13 and Under 16 numbers are looking good, but we always welcome young people keen to try their hand at the sport. We hope to field a couple of squads in each division.”
Castlemaine United Women’s team member Miho Barnett urged local girls and women to come and join them.
“I didn’t know how to play when I joined but everyone was so welcoming and it has been a lot of fun. It’s pretty casual, we just have a hit and enjoy a laugh together. It’s a good exercise and a great way to meet people, it’s very social. We have teens as young as 12 right through to women 50+,” Miho said.
CDCA Under 13 competition takes place Wednesday evenings, Women’s competition Friday evenings, Under 16 (C Grade) competition Saturday mornings and B Grade competition Saturday afternoons. A Reserve and A Grade comps sometimes run over two days or weekends depending on fixtures.
The club trains Tuesday and Thursday evenings. To learn more about how to get involved, head down to the cricket nets and say hello or email Luke at luke_knee@hotmail.com or call 0414 422 648.