There are a few ideas going through my head in regards to the tournament.
One. Like the AFL, you need to come to the realisation that perhaps not everyone can play two rounds. We take the tournament back to 18 rounds with teams having the chance to have one full round, then a draw determines the remaining 7 games. Six games per day for each of the days. One block of 6 or two blocks of three for both the men or the women. Means that a finish should and I say should be no later than 9 to 10 pmish.
Two. Much the same as suggestions before, you tender the tournament out to Melbourne neutral centres big enough to hold both the mens and ladies divisions at the same time and everyone gets to bow at once. The game rate can have a surcharge added to it and whoever the host association is gets the money for nothing. The host association also get the chance to host a dinner or something on the saturday or sunday night and get all of the proceeds from that. However the downfall of this is that it is a country tournament and I understand that it needs to stay in the country centres.
Three. The VCTBA allow the teams waiting to join CC in and you have one full round and a positional over two days which gives you the monday to travel home.
Four. The event is split between Morwell and Geelong each year with the host association to have the control in regards to the oil pattern, dinner, schedule etc. Basically, the bowl is handed over to the for the weekend.
Thats a few ideas travelling through my head and I now have them down.
Regardless as to what happens, another team needs to be let in to fill the bye by next year. 11 teams bowling with a bye when there is no need year after year is absoloutly stupid. There are three or four teams waiting now to join this competition (correct me if I am wrong). Regardless, there are teams hungry to join and they are still continually being made to wait.
My last item is even though there are ideas floating around, this year has been the latest year yet and an exception. I understand that the three days are demanding both mentally and physically, but that is what makes the tournament so damn great. You enter your respective CC trials year after year knowing that you have to go to hell and back for a chance to win the cup and that is hat makes it so damn special when you get to stand and hold it at the end. If no changes come of any of this, then I will understand also.
Thanks for reading the post, these are just my thoughts. Lol.