The association, with things like player welfare to consider, has decided to call off this weekend's round.

Here is the SDCA's official statement on the issue and the reason why it called the round off.

On behalf of the SDCA we hope that you and family had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As we are all aware of the terrible finish to 2019 with the devastating fires, that continue to this day.

The SDCA executive have unanimously agreed to cancel play for this weekend, 10-12/01/2020, for several reasons.

Ground availability

Several grounds are being used as staging areas for RFS and other emergency service providers

Some grounds are being used as temporary campsites for those that cannot, or have no homes to return to

Fires

While there is a brief respite from the fires, they are continuing to burn within our region, and with that comes obstacles that we need to overcome.

With fires ebbing and flowing, roads open and close on the whim of the breeze, as per the final round before Christmas, we are unsure that people will be able to return home, or if they will have homes to go to, if the winds change and fires kick off again.

Heat

This weekend is predicted to be hot again. While not hot enough to cancel cricket in its own-right, when combines with the other factors here, make the risk of illness or injury much higher.

Air quality

While we do not have an official air quality measuring point in the Shoalhaven or Eurobodalla, the satellite and cloud monitoring apps give a fair assessment of the air quality [using AQI(US)]. These measured levels are consistently higher than that of the CA/CNSW recommended app, but they are workable nonetheless.

We know that the fires are continuing, with that there will be more smoke, particularly in the southern regions. However, if the Westerly's com in, then the smoke from the highlands will cover all of the Northern Shoalhaven.

Play availability

Many people, let alone players have affected by the tragedies over the past few weeks. Not all are going to be available for too many reasons to be understandable.

We as a community, should support those that need our help, in whatever way we can. When they are ready and able to return to our game, we need to be there for them.

We hope that you understand that this was not an easy decision to make, but we believe that it is the right one, given the current situation.