NYAH DISTRICT v SWAN HILL
NYAH District will be looking to lock away top spot on the ladder tomorrow afternoon, when they host Swan Hill out at Nyah.
The Demons can all but guarantee themselves finishing the home-and-away season as minor premiers if they can pull off a big win over the winless Swans – with the home side already finding themselves a game clear, plus percentage, of the second-placed St Mary’s Tyntynder.
While it may sound like a fait accompli that the ladder leaders should easily account for a team who is yet to taste victory this season, the reality is it may not be that simple.
When the Demons and Swans last met back in round four this season, it was Swan Hill who nearly pulled off a miracle victory. Having bowled Nyah District out for 100, they then fell an agonising seven runs short after their middle-order capitulated, losing five wickets for just six runs.
Admittedly, the Demons went into that game severely undermanned, with over half their side missing – and while they will regain the services of Charlie Boulton, Mitch Grinham, Dean Harrop and Ash Thompson tomorrow, they will once again be missing key players, namely Ben Shadbolt and Justin Toomey.
For Swan Hill, last Saturday showed that they are on the improve, registering their first triple-figure score as a team for the season against the Saints – the team many consider the premiership favourites.
Led by the skipper Cal Noonan, who scored a patient 41 of 111 balls, the Swans took their time and attempted to bat out their overs against the best bowling attack in the competition. If they can repeat that same form tomorrow against a Nyah District bowling line-up that will be missing its spearhead in Shadbolt, then they could very well put a defendable score on the board.
The challenge for Swan Hill will then be how they go about defending said score, and whether they have the weapons with the ball that are capable of taking all 10 Demons’ scalps.
WOORINEN v RSL
AFTER looking dead and buried a week ago, RSL will have another opportunity to keep their faint finals hopes alive tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Woorinen to tackle the Tigers.
The Blues (fifth) find themselves nine points adrift of Woorinen (fourth) on the ladder – and with one round still to play, a win to Ryan Hinton’s men this weekend could very well set up a grandstand finish to the season.
RSL set up last week’s win over Wandella with the ball, ripping through the Bombers’ in-form batting order for just 89, with Pat Caldwell taking four wickets proving to be the chief destroyer. While the Blues may have seemingly returned to form with the ball last Saturday, the same cannot be said for their performance with the bat, as they struggled to chase down the meagre total eight wickets down.
If RSL are to keep their 10-year run of semi-final appearances going, they will need to rectify this tomorrow against the reigning premiers. Their middle order has consistently failed this season and it’s their inability to stop the flow of wickets that has cost them wins – and would have done so again if not for Caldwell’s stoic 29 not out last week.
Woorinen had a shock result of their own seven days ago, with a four-wicket loss to Ultima-TUF the reason why the finals door is still ajar for the Blues. The Tigers would also have been disappointed with their batting performance, having been dismissed for just 117.
Marcus Mangiameli continued his breakout season with the bat, scoring a game high 54 and he looms as the key target for the Caldwell brothers. With both clubs’ batting orders seemingly brittle in recent weeks, it could well be the performance of Mangiameli that decides this one come 6pm Saturday evening.
ST MARY’S TYNTYNDER v ULTIMA-TUF
THE final game of the penultimate round of the season will see Ultima-TUF also attempt to keep their finals hopes alive, although they will face a much tougher proposition in premiership favourites St Mary’s Tyntynder.
Just like RSL, the Roodogs find themselves nine points outside the top four with two games to play, however their run home is much more difficult, starting with the Saints tomorrow.
While Ultima-TUF need a win just to stay in the hunt, for St Mary’s, a win this weekend will see them lock away a top-two spot and a home semi-final, which would be due reward for their so far dominant season.
The Saints made light work of the Roodogs when they last met back in round four, chasing down Ultima-TUF’s score of 136 with 13 overs to spare. This time around however, they will face a much tougher prospect, with Kade Benfield’s men having won three of their last four matches, including victory over reigning premiers Woorinen last weekend.
Josh Waldron has been in great form with the bat, but if his team is to trouble St Mary’s, he needs to convert those consistent 30s into a big score. The Roodogs have had plenty of contributors with the bat in recent weeks, but so have St Mary’s Tyntynder, including Jack Shannahan, Riley Daniels and Jake Foster.
Austin McKerrow, who has been struggling with the willow in season 2021-22, returned to the top of the order last Saturday – and may just stay there – after he compiled a very patient 33 to guide his team home against Swan Hill.
While both sides’ batting depth is their strength, the clear difference between the two teams is with the ball, and it’s the Saints who hold a clear advantage.
With an attack-boasting talent such as Corey Daniels, Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, Charlie King and Dom Violi – who returned the impressive figures of 6 for 13 off 11 overs last Saturday – it’s here where St Mary’s Tyntynder hold the edge. It will also prove to be the reason why they end Ultima-TUF’s season this weekend.
