Club cricket in Whanganui takes on a new look in a rain-delayed start to the season.

The season was scheduled to begin last weekend, but atrocious conditions forced an abandonment of the Coastal Challenge. Points will be shared from that abandoned day and Coastal Challenge play will resume next weekend and continue through on weekends when representative teams are not on duty.

With the Treadwell Gordon representative side away on Chapple Cup duty on Napier, the club format sees the start of the Bullocks T20 competitions on Saturday.

This season, the Council of Clubs has decided to divide the the competition into its two grades - Premier 1 and Premier 2.Premier 1 consists of Marist, Wanganui Tech, United 1st and Saracens 1st and will culminate in a finals on March 24, 2018.

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This will be a strong finals with the representative players back for club duties over that weekend.Premier 2 consists of United 2nd, Saracens 2nd, Renegades, Collegiate and Wicket Warriors Wanganui. Collegiate drop into the second grade as rep coach Warren Marr has four of the Collegiate boys turning out for the representative team.

Dilan Raj from Cricket Wanganui said it was exciting to see Wicket Warriors start in the competition after their introduction in the successful Whanganui IPL early in the year.

"They play a flamboyant style of cricket and have already attracted good club numbers for the season," Raj said.Meanwhile, due to the significant amount of rain, games will be moved from Tasman Tanning Park to the Springvale and Whanagnui High School artificial pitches with P1s starting at 11am and P2s starting at 3pm.