St Mary’s-Tyntynder v RSL
St Mary’s-Tyntynder will be looking to keep their undefeated record in tact when they host long-time rivals RSL at the Ken Harrison Reserve this weekend.
The Saints were forced to earn the six points by an improving Swan Hill last Saturday after a dismal performance with the bat.
Very un-St Mary’s like, the top and middle order failed – with the exception of Bailey Codling, whose 45 not out in the end proved to be the difference.
It was a similar story for RSL, although it was a late order collapse that led to a tie.
The Blues were well and truly coasting to victory against Nyah District and at one point required just 13 runs with six wickets in hand.
But the wicket of innings mainstay Ben Hallam exposed one of RSL’s Achilles heels in their young and inexperienced lower order, with the Blues then forced to share the points.
It was further evidence RSL are heavily reliant on their top order.
But all four of Ryan Hinton, Stuart Patterson, Brenton Caldwell or Hallam are quality players, so restricting or removing them cheaply is easier said than done.
St Mary’s-Tyntynder have plenty of depth to their attack and that’s without Corey Daniels, who will most likely not bowl until after Christmas.
Daniels’ absence at the popping crease is more than covered with skipper Nathaniel Holmes-Brown and Robin Sebastian, with the pair proving to be a very formidable opening bowling combination throughout the early games of the season.
Both bowl a tight line and length and making scoring difficult, which only amplifies the pressure when quality change bowlers Charlie King, Dom Violi, Austin McKerrow and Jack Shannahan step in.
King in particular is extremely underrated, as evidenced by his five wicket haul last week – and it’s this area of the game that will likely see the Saints got the job done on their own home patch.
Nyah District v Ultima-TUF
Nyah District will be desperate to get their premiership defence back on track when they clash with Ultima-TUF at home.
The Demons are yet to taste victory from their two games so far this season – with a nine-wicket T20 loss to St Mary’s-Tyntynder followed by the tie with RSL.
While things haven’t gone to plan as yet for the reigning premiers, an opportunity is presented by an Ultima-TUF outfit also still finding their feet.
Adding to the positives for the Demons will be the return of captain Ben Shadbolt and hard-hitting middle order batsman Josh Domaille, with both players having missed last week.
Domaille was a big loss to the middle order, with Nyah District suffering an untimely batting collapse at the back end of their innings.
Also strengthening the side will be the return of their captain, who was expected to be passed fit to return to bowling in the coming weeks.
Ultima-TUF on the other hand are a bit of an unknown quantity still, having played just the one game – a seven-wicket loss to Woorinen – a fortnight ago.
While the Roodogs have spent the last decade down the bottom of the ladder, there’s no denying they are also a team on the rise – and should pose a significant test.
Their bowling looks a little light on for depth, but they do have a number of high-class bowlers capable of running through an opposition order on their day – namely last season’s highest wicket taker Jordan King and left-arm quick Josh Waldron.
It’s a different story with the bat however, with the Roodogs stacked full of talented game breakers.
Ben Shepherd missed Ultima-TUF’s opening game of the season but should return on Saturday in a major boost to his team’s top order. Shepherd is the Roodogs barometer and more often than not sets up his team for a big total if he gets through the opening overs.
Their strong line-up also included Mitch Seton-Stewart, Kyle Symons and captain Kade Benfield.
The key to victory likely lies with the Roodogs batsmen – and whether the Demons’ deep and talented bowling attack can keep them under 140. If they can, the game should be theirs.
Swan Hill v Wandella
A much-improved Swan Hill host the unknown and underdone Wandella.
The Bombers are yet to play a game this season and as a result will have to find their feet quickly if last year’s semi-finalists want to secure their first win on Saturday.
While Wandella made a splash in their first season in the SHDCA last year, last year’s wooden spooners Swan Hill have made the biggest impression so far in 2022-23.
The Swans’ performance with the ball against one of the competition’s better batting line-ups last week was first class and showed they will be a much different proposition.
The move to open the bowling with Ian Schodde was a masterstroke that paid immediate dividends, with the spinner taking 5/36 from his full eight overs.
Andrew Clark also claimed three wickets and joint captain Cal Noonan started off in fine form with an economical 1/33.
The biggest challenge for Swan Hill’s chances appears to be with the bat, however.
Any hope of chasing down St Mary’s meagre total was quickly dealt with by a familiar middle order collapse.
Although their batting line-up appears stronger this season on paper, Swan Hill are still yet to show it on the scoreboard – and will need to start posting a minimum of 130 each week if they want to give their bowlers a score to defend.
Alan Hatcher will return for the Swans this week and will add depth with both bat and ball, however the home side will likely lose fellow bowlers Harry Vick and Shane Roberts.
While Swan Hill are clearly finding their feet still under new the leadership of joint captains Noonan and Nathan Spicer, Wandella are also very much an unknown quantity to this point.
Equally adept with both bat and ball, the Bombers don’t rely on any one person to get the job done each week – and it’s this element of their game that may well prove too much for Swan Hill to overcome.
