It is "very unlikely" Tamworth cricket will start on time this year due to the pandemic, the sport's president, David Mudaliar, has said.
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The season is scheduled to commence on the first Saturday after the October long weekend - its traditional start date, which falls on October 9 this year.
But it normally took between four and six weeks to prepare wickets from scratch before matches could be played, said Mudaliar, the Tamworth District Cricket Association's new president.
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That process cannot commence until the lengthy lockdown is lifted, with September 10 the earliest date that will occur - meaning it would be a race against time to get wickets ready by October 9.
Cricket and council officials will discuss the situation on Monday.
Mudaliar said it was "too early" to make a call on whether a full season could be played.
He said: "I wouldn't say I'm optimistic, and I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic ... At the moment, I'm completely willing to just wait and see."
He added: "We'll see what the [NSW] government's decision is then [September 10] and move forward from there.
"And then it's a case of being very adaptable under whatever circumstances we're operating under.
"Obviously the goal is to get cricket under way as soon as possible, and make the season as competitive and relevant for the amount of time that we have."
Mudaliar said teams would use as their preseason the time it took to prepare wickets for the opening round.
Cricket is the latest sport to be impacted by the pandemic. Both Central North and New England rugby have cancelled their seasons, as has AFL North West. Several other sporting bodies - including Group 4 and Northern Inland Football - are in a holding pattern.
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