WITH just one round remaining in this year’s shortened McDonald’s T20 cricket competition, there is everything to play for all six clubs who will take to the field on Saturday afternoon.
With each match featuring one winner and one loser from last Saturday’s opening matches, the equation is simple for those sitting outside the top four in the shortest format of the game.
With the first four qualifying for the semi-finals next Saturday afternoon, a win is a must for St Mary’s-Tyntynder, Barham-Koondrook and RSL if they are to be any chance of overtaking Nyah District, who sit fourth and are the team at risk with the bye.
The team most likely to overtake the Demons appears to be Barham-Koondrook, who sit fifth after a hard-fought loss to Wandella last weekend.
The Raiders need to make up 1.029 percent, which will be no mean feat opposed to short-form specialists Woorinen, who’s aggressive style with the bat is perfect for T20 cricket.
The Tigers were made to earn their win over RSL last Saturday, with Guri Singh (63), Darren Rushton (31) and Mitchell Uhlhorn (28 not out) all performing strongly in the top and middle order.
Although Woorinen are among the league’s most damaging and dynamic teams with the bat, they will face a sterner test than last Saturday, with the Raiders having a far deeper and challenging bowling attack.
The Lolicato brothers, Garry and Warren, along with Jayden Hall and Chameera Akurugoda are all capable of bowling a tight line and length as well as taking wickets.
The challenge for Barham-Koondrook is likely to lie with posting a winning score, especially against an improving Woorinen attack that enjoys bowling on their home deck.
If the Raiders are to cause an upset, they will need to see improvement from their top order, with Warren Lolicato the only batter in the team’s top four who registered a score against the Bombers and Lachlan Laursen the only Raider to score north of 20 runs for the match.
While performances like that won’t win too many games, the good news is there is still plenty of improvement within the Barham-Koondrook line-up, with the Raiders’ best undoubtedly being good enough to challenge the Tigers.
The other game with significant interest will take place at the Alan Garden Reserve, with Ultima-TUF hosting cross-town rivals RSL in a must-win match for both teams.
Victory for the Roodogs would see them sew up a semi-final berth for this year’s McDonald’s T20 tournament, while a win for the Blues would more importantly see them return to the SHDCA top four as every team heads into the second half off the season.
Fresh off a confidence-boosting win over Nyah District, Ultima-TUF will go into the game as favourites and with a point to prove having suffered a disappointing loss to RSL in round 4.
It was the bat that let the Roodogs down on that occasion, having been bowled out for just 104 in the 30th over, but that form appears to have turned the corner after last Saturday, with their top five all getting in double figures, including Lachie Edwards who scored a match-winning 53 off 38 deliveries.
If Edwards can replicate his form, along with Kade Benfield, Mitch Seton-Stewart and Josh Waldron, who performed with both bat and ball, then they could prove hard to defeat, despite RSL possessing two of the SHDCA’s most dangerous strikers of the ball in Ryan Hinton and Stuart Patterson.
The final match of the round will be down south, where Wandella will be aiming for their third straight win of the season against reigning T20 premiers St Mary’s-Tyntynder.
While the Bombers had a strong start to this year’s tournament, it couldn’t have begun any worse for the Bulldogs, who were bowled out for just 62 against Nyah District.
It has been a season to forget for St Mary’s-Tyntynder, who have won just one of their first seven games and sit two-and-a-half games outside the top four and in danger of missing finals for the first time in a decade.
While their form may be down, the Bulldogs still have more than enough talent at their disposal to be more than competitive, with Jake Foster, Riley Daniels and Bailey Codling, should he play, capable of turning a game on its head with the bat.
Their challenges seem to be with the ball however, especially their fourth and fifth bowlers and their ability to keep things tight in the shortest form of the game.
Nathaniel Holmes-Brown and Robin Sebastian are all class, but without Austin McKerrow coming on at first change against the Demons, St Mary’s-Tyntynder leaked too many easy runs.
It could well be the same challenge on Saturday against the Bombers who posted a massive 152 from their 20 overs last Saturday thanks to Daniel Higgs (43) and Luke Murray (30 not out).
Wandella’s biggest threat isn’t with the bat however, but with the ball, as the Bombers possess one of the most talented bowling attacks in the league – with Laing Waddingham, Peter Moore, Bohden McKnight and Ryan Barnes all capable of tearing through any batting line-up.
