"It's a fantastic change," former Otago representative and Green Island delegate Shane Robinson said yesterday.
"Dunedin Cricket listened and the change came from the feedback from the players.
"I'm looking forward to the change that is a mixture of one-day, twenty/20 and declaration cricket.
It's a nice blend.
"I have played declaration cricket in England and it works once the players become aware of the implic-ations of the game."
The changes were approved at a Dunedin Cricket Asso-ciation management committee meeting this week.
Robinson was also pleased with the franchise format that will be played during the December-January holiday period.
"It will be an opportunity to build stronger links between clubs," he said.
North East Valley delegate Bryan Johnston is also positive about the change.
"It will stabilise the lower grades and give them a better season," Johnston said.
"In the past, a lot of players have been sucked out of the lower grades to play senior cricket in the holiday season."
Kaikorai delegate Andrew Dawson said there was a risk of Dunedin club cricket dying because it was not working as it had in the past.
"The purists won't like it but it's worth trialling for a season to have a competition that has more appeal."
He said the bye had been a problem in the past and he agreed with the introduction of the Academy team.
"We've had teams like this before," Dawson said.
"As long as there is good administration, it can be a success.
With Mark Bracewell in charge of the team it will work."
Dunedin Cricket Association operations manager Andy McLean said the intention was to develop a better cricket environment in Dunedin and make changes that would project the game into the future.
"The bye was always a problem and that is why we have added the Academy team."
Club feedback at the end of last season revealed dissatisfaction with the bye in the two-day competition and it was decided to form a working party to address the issue.
"The bye caused disruption to the competition and meant some cricketers were spending extended periods off the field," McLean said.
"I was excited that they were quite forward-thinking to come up with solutions to the unique issues that Dunedin cricket faced."
McLean said the traditional two-day format was a lost cause because conditions could change so much in a week.
He felt that the twenty/20 format "would become a big part of cricket's future and we must embrace it", McLean said.
"It suits players' lifestyles."
He hoped cutting back to four teams in the December-January period would encourage some competition for places and a more flexible season would help lure senior players back.
The proposed eighth team would be a new team made up of students and two or three Otago contracted players.
The twenty/20 games would be included in lower grade cricket and no two-day games would be played in second grade.
In lower grades there would be a mixture of 40-over and twenty/20 games.
Dunedin club cricket facts
Changes in 2008-09
• Eight teams (Academy added).
• Two-day cricket axed.
• Twenty/20, September 27-28.
• - Bing Harris Shield: One-day limited overs (October-November), twenty/20 (two weeks at the end of November, two weeks in March), declaration one-day cricket (February-March).
• Franchises (Green Island-Taieri, Carisbrook-Albion, North East Valley-Kaikorai, University-Academy) playing in December-January.
