AFTER some unexpected results in the McDonald’s T20 competition last weekend, we have a thrilling final Saturday of regular season games to determine who will make it to this year’s Grand Final.
The WDEA Works Saints, Beverford Tavern and Pizza Kitchen Tigers all head into tomorrow’s double-header locked on 24 points.
One of these powerhouse sides will miss out on the chance to claim the first piece of silverware on offer in the 2022/23 season.
With the Tyrell Cricket Swans having the bye in the day’s opening round, all three sides vying for the GF spots will be on the park staking their case.
In a quirk of the fixture, they’ll all be facing the bottom three sides on the ladder.
The side with the most to gain will be the Demons.
With a bye in the last round guaranteeing them six points, they know a victory against the winless Phones R Us Blues will confirm their place in the final at the Showgrounds next Thursday night.
They’ll head into the contest as firm favourites – after a slow start to the season, the Demons have gone four from four across the past fortnight.
Young star Charlie Boulton has been superb at the top of the order hitting a 58 not out and 53 in his past four knocks.
However, what would please skipper Ben Shadbolt most was his superstar Joel Walsh’s return to form with the bat on the weekend.
Walsh has been in good touch with the ball in hand but finally found the middle of the bat with a remarkable display of big hitting, creaming the then-undefeated Tigers attack for 82 off 31 balls in a stunning blitz.
The Demons bowling cartel is looking to be hitting its straps as well.
They contained the high-power line-up of the Tigers to just 9-127 last weekend, with spinner Cooper Andrews returning to the side with figures off 3-29 from 4.0.
Of the three sides, the Demons are most likely to be in the top two following this weekend, but they know a Blues line-up featuring the likes of Ben Hallam and Ryan Hinton is never an easy beat.
For the Tigers and Saints, they will also be expected to comfortably account for Autopro Wandella and the Sthil Shop Roodogs, respectively, in their first contest of the day when they take them on at their home grounds.
Should these results go as expected we are set up for a contest between the sides in the second round of the day at Ken Harrison Reserve that would, in effect, be an Elimination Final.
These two know how to put on a show in the T20 competition – highlighted by the Saints’ thrilling super over victory in last year’s final.
The Saints were stunned by a young Swans side last weekend, whilst the Tigers ran into a firing Demons outfit.
It leaves no room for error for either side tomorrow.
The battle between the two sides’ gun-opening batsmen will be an intriguing one.
Jake Foster (124 runs) of the Saints and Cooper Fox (117 runs) of the Tigers have been in terrific form in this competition.
If one of them can get firing, it will go a long way to ensuring a berth in the final for his side.
Both sides’ bowling attacks are hard to get away and bowl a tight line perfectly suited to T20 cricket.
So far this season it has been the Saints bowling attack who’ve been the most impressive the competition.
Their seam attack of Robin Sebastian and Nathaniel Holmes Brown are leading the T20 competition wicket columns with seven apiece.
Another point of difference for the Saints is their renowned frugalness and attack in the field, which might prove important against the older bodies of the Tigers.
In the weekend’s other contests, the Swans will face the Roos after the bye in the first game.
Last weekend proved the Swan’s improvement could be translated to the win’s column, and whilst it would be the most unlikely of berths, there is still a mathematical chance of them reaching the final if things fall their way.
The Bombers and Blues face off in a dead rubber in the final match of round seven.
