Belt Up Country Cup
The "Belt Up" Country Cup is a premier cricket competition played between WA Cricket's affiliated Country Cricket Associations, providing players with an opportunity to play in an elite competition.
The competition was introduced in the 1980-81 season as a Senior Inter-Association competition played under a 50 over/one-day format.
Over the years the "Belt Up" Country Cup has been mainly played as a "knock out" competition, with the Grand Finalists competing at the WACA Ground towards the end of the season.
The "Belt Up" Country Cup has been played under the T20 format since the 2009-10 season.
If you haven’t heard of them, the Insurance Commission is the state’s insurer providing motor injury insurance to 1.9 million motorists and self-insurance to 111 Government agencies in WA. Last year, it paid out around $450 million to injured people in crashes and it has supported and funded the Belt up campaign for over 20 years.
Belt up is simply that – to promote wearing seat belts on WA roads to reduce the severity of injury in a crash. Belt up partners with community sport to target at-risk demographics and WA Cricket is the fifth sport joining the Belt up family – the other associations are West Australian Country Football League (Australian football), Netball WA, Rugby WA and Football West (soccer).
Cricket was chosen due to its high participation rates and regional presence. Targeting regional WA is important to the Insurance Commission due to the high rates of crashes in country areas. Being a summer sport, cricket helps give the Belt Up campaign prominence throughout the year. The agreement with the Insurance Commission covers:
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Naming rights to the Belt Up Country Cup, Belt Up Cricket West Cup and the Belt Up Integrated Cricket League for cricketers with disability. The latter fits with the Insurance Commission’s objective to rehabilitate and improve the independence of those injured in crashes and workplace accidents, helping promote access to community sport for people with disability.
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Belt Up-branded cricket helmets distributed annually to community cricket clubs via the Belt Up Helmets Program. Reducing head trauma on the cricket field links to Belt Up’s aim of reducing head trauma and other injuries on the road; and
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Creation of a two-day match weekend Belt Up Round for Premier Cricket.
Belt Up Country Cup Results
1980/1981
Wickepin def. Beverley-Brookton-York
1981/1982
Wickepin def. Mt Barker
1982/1983
Wickepin def. Mt Barker
1983/1984
Bunbury def. Ongerup
1984/1985
Bunbury def. East Avon
1985/1986
Bunbury def. Katanning
1986/1987
Wickepin def. Merredin
1987/1988
Albany def. Wickepin
1988/1989
Bunbury def. Central Great Southern
1989/1990
Central Great Southern def. Merredin
1990/1991
Narrogin def. North Midlands
1991/1992
Bunbury def. Esperance
1992/1993
Eastern Goldfields def. Bunbury
1993/1994
Bunbury def. Merredin
1994/1995
Central Districts def. Mid-West
1995/1996
Eastern Goldfields def. Albany
1996/1997
Peel def. Albany
1997/1998
Peel def. Eastern Goldfields
1998/1999
Geraldton def. Peel
1999/2000
Peel def. Eastern Goldfields
2000/2001
Bunbury def. Albany
2001/2002
Peel def. Bunbury
2002/2003
Peel def. Eastern Goldfields
2003/2004
Geraldton def. Upper Great Southern
2004/2005
Bunbury def. Geraldton
2005/2006
Busselton Margaret River def. Geraldton
2006/2007
Bunbury def. Albany
2007/2008
Upper Great Southern def. Albany
2008/2009
Esperance def. Upper Great Southern
2009/2010
Eastern Goldfields def. Geraldton
2010/2011
Upper Great Southern def. Eastern Goldfields
2011/2012
Eastern Goldfields def. Bunbury
2012/2013
Eastern Goldfields def. Peel
2013/2014
West Pilbara def. Eastern Goldfields
2014/2015
Bunbury def. Albany
2015/2016
Peel def. Upper Great Southern
2016/2017
Albany def. Bunbury
2017-2019
Not Played
2019/2020
WA Invitational XI def. Bunbury
2020/2021
Not Played due to COVID 19
2021/2022
Albany def. WA Invitational XI
2022/2023
Bunbury def. Peel