Nyah District v Murrabit
NYAH District head into tomorrow’s final Kookaburra Cup round in pole position to secure a grand final berth.
While the Demons currently sit a game clear of the chasing pack, a loss to Murrabit would leave them at risk of tumbling from the top two and out of grand final calculations.
With form on their side and on their own home deck, however, Nyah District will be favourites, albeit against a Murrabit side that has proven to be competitive against most opponents throughout the opening six rounds.
For the Blues to cause an upset, they will need to find a way to negate the hitting power of Joel Walsh, who has returned from injury in blistering form, pounding 139 runs from just two hits this season.
Nyah District will further bolster their batting depth, with Dean Harrop expected to return from injury to the top order.
While Walsh, and Charlie Boulton, loom as the key wickets, so too does Toby Gray (202 runs at 50.5) and Leigh Sobotnicki (115 runs at 23.0), the pair quickly forming a strong middle-order combination in their first season together.
The bat looks set to dominate, but the team who best performs with the ball could come out on top, and the Demons’ depth with the cherry gives them a slight advantage.
Wandella v RSL
VICTORY is needed for Wandella and RSL to say in the Kookaburra Cup race at Riverside Park tomorrow.
The winner will also be relying on one of St Mary’s Tyntynder or Nyah District to falter in order to leapfrog their way into the top two.
Regardless of who does or doesn’t make the grand final, there is still plenty riding on the outcome of tomorrow’s match, especially for the Blues, who need to correct a two-game losing streak and halt their dip in form.
That will be easier said than done against a highly competitive Wandella outfit, who dominated Woorinen last Saturday with both bat and ball and appear to be hitting their straps after some inconsistent early season form.
At their best, the Bombers are close to the best team in the SHDCA, with matchwinners like Peter Moore, Bohden McKnight and Greg Dickson all capable of changing the course of a match in an instant.
It’s a similar story for RSL, who possess one of the SHDCA’s leading batters in Ryan Hinton, who is once again showing why he is the key wicket, having already plundered 194 runs at an average of 48.5 from five innings.
The big question is whether RSL have the depth within their squad to match it with Wandella, who bat right down the order and have plenty of game-breaking options with the ball.
Barham Koondrook v Ultima-TUF
BARHAM Koondrook host Ultima-TUF, who are every chance of resurrecting their hopes for the season with a second-straight win tomorrow afternoon.
Having secured their first points last Saturday against Swan Hill, the Roodogs could put themselves back in the conversation for finals later in the season by taking down the Raiders, who have shown themselves to be more than competitive against the SHDCA’s best.
Barham Koondrook’s biggest strength is their depth and not relying on any one player to guide them to victory each week.
So far, the Raiders have had six players make more than 50 runs, the equal most of any club, while also having three bowlers (Jade Stewart, Chameera Akurugoda and Jayden Hall) within the competition’s top-20 wicket takers.
Ultima-TUF’s best cricket is impossible to ignore, possessing some of the most damaging hitters in the SHDCA, with Kyle Symons, Mitch Seton-Stewart and Aydan Symons all finding form.
The Roodogs will need big performances from Jordan King and Cassidy Sibley with the ball, just as they did last Saturday in the win against the Swans.
