SWAN HILL DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION – ROUND 9 PREVIEW
RSL v ULTIMA-TUF
WITH just four rounds remaining, tomorrow is a must-win game for both RSL and Ultima-TUF if either side harbours any ambitions of playing finals.
Both teams would have fancied their chances of going deep into the season back in October, but as we approach the pointy end of the competition, both clubs find themselves outside the top four and in desperate need of six points – so much so that for the loser, it will likely be season over.
RSL have been the most disappointing and have struggled to recapture their form of last year, which saw them win 11 out of 12 regular season games. Since the Christmas break, the Blues have struggled with the bat, with an inability to build partnerships and bat out their overs being a key reason in them failing to taste victory in the new year.
RSL’s batting woes have only exposed their bowling, particularly their lack of depth. The one saving grace is the season now turns to the longer format of the game, with no bowling restrictions now meaning the Caldwell brothers and Cameron Cook can bowl the bulk of the overs.
While the Roodogs haven’t had the same recent success of RSL, they would have been hoping for significant improvement and greater on field performances than they have currently shown. And, while their batting has certainly improved, their bowling is letting them down, with an inability to break partnerships hindering their chances.
It’s not just their lack of wicket-taking options, but the lack of pressure that their bowling attack is building in order to keep their opposition to a chaseable target.
The last match they played resulted in a comfortable win to the Blues – with RSL chasing down the Roodogs’ meagre total of 81 in just 20 overs. While the last encounter may have ended in a blowout, you can expect that this time around, the result will be much closer.
WOORINEN v NYAH DISTRICT
A TOP two ladder position will be up for grabs when Woorinen host Nyah District on Saturday afternoon.
With both teams sitting on 33 points, percentage is all that separates the long-time rivals heading into what promises to be another classic encounter.
Woorinen have been in great form all season and were unlucky to miss out on a spot in the Kookaburra Cup Grand Final – but it’s the longer form of the game where the Tigers have traditionally played their best cricket.
Mitch Uhlhorn has been a revelation in his first full A Grade season, having scored the most runs in the league to this point – while Marcus Mangiameli is also having a breakout season with the bat, having scored 118 runs at 29.50. Add experienced batsman Dean Morpeth, who returned to the Tigers’ line-up two weeks ago – and the home sides batting starts to have an ominous look about it.
Not to be outdone, the Demons have also found a talented youngster who can wield the willow, with Charlie Boulton dominating at the top of the order with 48 against Ultima-TUF and a match-winning 62 against RSL a fortnight ago.
With the exception of Justin Toomey, who has been in sensational touch (129 runs at 43.00), the challenge for Nyah District over the remaining few weeks will be to find some depth with the bat and give their bowling attack bigger totals to defend.
Ben Shadbolt has led his team perfectly with the ball and is the competition’s joint leading wicket-taker with 15. While Shadbolt is the leader of the attack, the Demons have been well served by youngsters Drew Lloyd, Mackie Rogers and Charlie Boulton, who have all taken their game to another level so far this season.
The player who holds the key to this match though is Woorinen all-rounder Guri Singh, who can take a game away from any team with either bat or ball – and it could well be his performance that decides which team takes home the six points.
WANDELLA v SWAN HILL
WANDELLA will be looking for win number four when they host the bottom-of-the-ladder Swan Hill at Riverside Park on Saturday.
The Swans have struggled since the end of the T20 competition and are yet to win a match in the season proper. One can expect that form line to continue this weekend, with league newcomers Wandella having won three of their last four games – including defeating St. Mary’s-Tyntynder at their last start.
Ryan Barnes has made an immediate impact on the competition, with the Bombers’ opening bowler taking 15 wickets at 9.00 from the opening six games of the season, to be the joint leading wicket-taker for the SHDCA.
Swan Hill on the other hand have struggled to take wickets, with the entire team having taken just 20 scalps from five games. While their performances with the ball have been less than desirable so far, it’s with the bat where they’ve been really exposed.
From their five home-and-away games, the Swans are yet to register a triple figure score as a team – which is the bare minimum if they want any chance of claiming a win.
Wandella have had no such problems, with Greg Dickson (150 runs at 50.00) and Laine Gibbons (128 runs at 32.00) both among the competitions leading run scorers. With that in mind, they should also have no problems in accounting for Swan Hill come 6pm Saturday evening.
