SWAN HILL v ST MARY’S TYNTYNDER
IT will be a case of David versus Goliath when the winless Swan Hill host premiership favourites St Mary’s Tyntynder at the Showgrounds this weekend.
After their loss last Saturday to Nyah District, one would expect the Saints to come out breathing fire – and unfortunately for the Swans, they’ll be the ones on the receiving end.
Last week won’t have done St Mary’s Tyntynder any harm – in fact, it will only sharpen their focus ahead of the finals. For Austin McKerrow and Jack Shannahan the only concern to come out of last Saturday will be their team’s batting collapse – having been bowled out for just 85 when chasing the Demons’ meagre total of 109.
It’s a problem that has plagued the Saints in the past, especially with the aggressive nature with which they bat – and the potential to occasionally implode against the better teams.
They should have no such problems tomorrow however, with Swan Hill’s bowling attack likely to ask far less questions than the Demons’.
With the likes of Jack Shannahan, Jake Foster, Bailey Codling and both Corey and Riley Daniels at their disposal, St Mary’s should have no problem putting a massive score on the board. For Swan Hill, they just need to bowl as tight as possible, for as long as possible.
At this point, it’s all about improvement for the Swans as they look to build towards next season. They have enough young, talented players who will become good cricketers in the future, but they must continue to improve week on week.
The last time both teams met, it ended with the Swans being bowled out for just 36 and the contest lasting just 29 overs – and although the end result will likely be the same, tomorrow’s encounter will be a good guide into just how far Swan Hill have improved – or not.RSL v WANDELLA
WANDELLA will be looking to maintain their top-two ladder position when they travel to Gurnett Oval and face off against RSL this weekend.
The Blues have been a massive disappointment this season – and are now certain to miss the finals for the first time in 10 years off the back of five consecutive losses. One of those losses was in round five, when Wandella’s Ryan Barnes rattled through RSL’s top order, taking 5 for 21 in the process and bowling the Blues out for just 121.
The Bombers will be hoping for more of the same tomorrow from their spearhead, who has proven to be one of the competition’s leading paceman thus far. Barnes holds the keys to Wandella’s fortunes, as when he fires, the Bombers usually win.
RSL’s strength has traditionally been their batting, although one of the big factors in their slide down the ladder in 2021-22 has been their inability to build partnerships, particularly in the top order. In their last five games, the Blues have been bowled out on three occasions – and found themselves nine wickets down on the other two.
With that said, the Blues might be a different proposition tomorrow, with Stuart Patterson having found form with the bat after scoring 71 in RSL’s last game, while Ryan Hinton, Brenton Caldwell and Ben Hallam are all capable of producing match-winning knocks as well.
It’s a similar story for Wandella with the bat, although their middle order has shown more consistency throughout the earlier rounds of the season. Greg Dickson (156 runs at 39.00), Laine Gibbons (141 runs at 23.50) and Luke Murray (133 runs at 22.17) are all among the top-eight run scorers in the SHDCA and provide the backbone for the Bombers’ top and middle order.
The key to this game will lie with the batting line-ups of both teams – and whether RSL can find that match-winning partnership that has been lacking for the majority of this season.ULTIMA-TUF v WOORINEN
THE final game of round 10 will be at the Alan Garden Reserve, where Ultima-TUF will host last year’s red ball premiers, Woorinen.
Tomorrow shapes as a danger game for Woorinen, with Ultima-TUF showing improvement over recent weeks – first beating RSL, then pushing Wandella to the final few overs of last week’s encounter.
That improvement can be put down to the Roodogs’ batting – particularly their ability to bat in partnerships. Ben Shepherd, Josh Waldron and Kyle Symons all made scores in the 30s last Saturday – but if they want to take the next step and really put the Tigers under the pump tomorrow, then one of them needs to turn that start into a big score.
One player who has appreciated the change to the red ball has been Ultima-TUF opening bowler Jordan King, who has taken seven wickets for just 51 runs from his two games in the whites. While King will need to produce a similar performance, the Roodogs will also need to find him some help with the ball if they are to produce an upset tomorrow.
The recent inclusion of club legend Dean Morpeth to their team has strengthened an already imposing Woorinen batting line-up, which no longer relies on Morpeth to go big in order to produce a defendable score. Instead, youngsters Marcus Mangiameli, Mitch Uhlhorn and Darren Rushton are the ones who get the runs flowing at the top of the order, which will now allow Morpeth to come in and put the icing on the cake in the later overs.
While Woorinen have shown great improvement with the bat, they are also capable of winning games with the ball – and it’s their all-round ability that should see them cement their spot in this year’s semi-finals with a win tomorrow.
