Melton will apply for a spot in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition next season.
A place in Victorian’s top club competition will become available after it was announced last week that current clubs Dandenong and Hawthorn-Monash University will merge.
On the field, it was a great day for Melton on Saturday, with the Lions smashing Roxburgh Park Broadmeadows by seven wickets.
PICTURE GALLERY: Melton v Roxburgh Park Broadmeadows
Buoyed by its success, Lions’ president Kevin Vernon said his club would put its hand up.
“We went through the process before when expressions of interest were asked for,” he said.
“We submitted ours and had the interview and everything. Nothing eventuated.
“Now the merger between Dandenong and Monash has gone through, a place is available.
“We’ll launch our expression of interest again and go through the process.”
The Lions have been one of Sub-District Cricket’s strongest clubs in recent years, winning four first-grade premierships between 2008-09 and 2012-13.
Vernon said he felt like the club was a great fit for the Premier Cricket competition and hoped Melton council would help the Lions take the next step.
“We are a long, well-established club and have been very successful in Sub-District cricket,” he said. “We have a stable administration and good junior development.
“I think it will come down to which council is prepared to invest into getting Premier Cricket to their town.
“I think that’s what they [Cricket Victoria] are looking for, really. I know the council is keen. How keen? We’ll have to wait and see as we go through the process.”
Cricket Victoria’s Premier Cricket strategy and development manager, Mike Ronchi, said the governing body was now in the process of determining the criteria and timing for a call of expressions of interest from clubs.
“A holistic business case will need to form the foundation of any organisation which wishes to pitch to compete in the Premier Cricket competition with the key areas of facilities, sustainability, community support and committed investment by local government,” he said.
