THE Kookaburra Cup one-day final begins tonight with the rapidly improved Woorinen battling long-time powerhouses Nyah District under lights at the Swan Hill Showgrounds.
The Tigers have missed finals for the past five seasons and suddenly find themselves atop of the A-grade ladder and competing in their first Kookaburra Cup final since their 2013 triumph.
Woorinen captain Jason Mangiameli said the side has been slowly improving each season, but even he didn’t expect this much of a jump in form.
“We’ve had a rough few years, but we’re finally putting some results on the board and now we’re excited about the opportunity to win the Kookaburra Cup,” Jason said.
“Bowling has been our strong suit this year with a lot of bowlers contributing, while batsmen have been stepping up when required.
“Nyah District are a quality outfit and have been for a few years now, so we won’t take them or their finals experience lightly.
“But our squad have been involved together for more than five years and we’re a pretty tight-knit group, so I feel if we play our game, it’ll be good enough to win.”
Reigning two-day premiers Nyah District will be returning to the Kookaburra Cup final for a second consecutive year, currently sitting second on the A-grade table.
Captain Joel Walsh is pleased to be back, but hopes to take out their first one-day cup since 2017.
“After losing a couple of players over the off-season, I wasn’t really sure how we’d go, but we’ve started well, especially in the one-day format,” Walsh said.
“Tom Batters (last season’s league-leading wicket-taker) and Sam Britton carried a fair bit of the workload bowling last season, but we’ve been able to pick up the slack in their absence.
“Everyone is playing their role and we’ve blooded a few kids who have stepped up in Charlie Boulton and Mackinnon Rogers.
“Our batting was also left to only a couple of guys scoring last season, but we’ve had a lot of blokes getting around the runs this season.”
Jason said the improvement of league-leading wicket-taker Harry Harcourt (19 wickets) and Robert Rush (12 wickets) has been vital to Woorinen’s rise.
“Rush has been slowly improving, he’s only 16 and has taken a real step-up,” he said.
“Harcourt is a bit older, but beginning to take control of the attack and is a real damaging bowler when he’s on song.
“But it’s an all-round bowling attack with Gurmander Singh and Stefan Mangiameli (both 13 wickets) also bowling tidy overs.
“Daniel Mangiameli (112 runs at 28.25) has made some good runs for us and Singh (196 runs at 39.2) has always been reliable with the bat.”
With Jason (127 runs at 21.17) and Glenn Violi (87 at 21.75) also in the line-up, Woorinen have some extra batting depth.
Their issue is the Demons bat deeper with Walsh leading the league for runs scored (407 runs at 58.14), while five other batsmen average more than 20 runs a game.
Walsh has also impressed with the ball, sitting equal eighth in league wicket-takers with 11 scalps alongside teammate Ben Sheridan.
While Walsh is pleased, he said there are plenty of other players stepping up this season.
“It’s been pretty good to contribute this year and I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself as captain to be the man to get my side in good positions,” Walsh said.
“Ben Shadbolt (10 wickets) has been the pick of the bowlers so far and has really tied it down at the front and secured early wickets, but most of the attack has bowled well.
“We’ve got a few experienced guys with the bat in Justin Toomey (176 runs at 58.67) and Shane Fleming (166 runs at 33.2), but our younger guys have finals experience and know what to expect.”
In their lone one-day encounter back in early November, Nyah District walked away comfortable seven-wicket victors after successfully chasing Woorinen’s 143.
But Walsh said history means little when they return to the middle, with both sides keeping their strategies close to their chest as they search for early wickets.
The rainfall on Thursday has assured a slower pitch due to moisture, but with even bounce and thick grass cover, it should have a bit for everyone, including spinners.
The match begins at 5.30pm today, with a barbecue and drinks on offer throughout the night.
