RED ball cricket is finally here in the Swan Hill District Cricket Association (SHDCA) and it brings a warm welcome, with temperatures potentially into the 40s.
In the final Kookaburra Cup round last week, Wandella confirmed their spot in the grand final against St Mary’s-Tyntynder even though they were thrashed by the competition’s in-form side in Nyah.
But it’s time for the proper stuff now, where the pretenders get separated from the contenders.
There’s no hiding in red ball cricket, where your every weakness can be exposed and utilised by the opposition.
Games will now be 50 overs a side with no restrictions on bowling or fielding.
Swan Hill vs RSL
Same time, same place, different colours for these two sides on Saturday.
Rescheduling required after the wet weather earlier in the season means Swan Hill and RSL will again be doing battle at the Showgrounds – this time in whites and with a red ball.
RSL proved too strong for the Swans last weekend in a 34-run victory.
It was the Blues’ first win of the season, and another here will have them brimming with confidence and right in contention to sneak into finals.
For the Swans, their improvement and competitiveness compared to last season is obvious, yet it doesn’t change the fact they went 0-3 in the Kookaburra Cup.
They were in all three of those contests and perhaps should have pinched a win, but they are still learning to find that killer instinct which will come in time.
For now, the Blues will go into this contest as favourites.
The Swans will need to find a way to get early breakthroughs and dismiss one or both openers, Ben Hallam and Ryan Hinton.
Their opening partnership is the Blues’ strength and if the Swans can get a few early ones, they’ll feel confident they can expose a Blues middle order that hasn’t had much to do in the last few games.
A major issue for the Swans is one that’s been troubling them for a few years now, the inability of their middle to lower order to make any runs.
They’ll be hoping to get a few players back this week as it’s clear their depth isn’t great, but either way, a rejuvenated Blues side will head in as favourites.
Woorinen vs Ultima TUF
Ultima TUF stunned Woorinen last weekend to send them packing in the Kookaburra Cup.
However, the Tigers will be confident they can reverse that result when they return to their home ground on Saturday.
They’ll be hoping to get a few crucial inclusions in Gurmander Singh, Robert Rush and Cooper Fox.
The Tigers have lost their last four matches across all competitions and desperately need a victory.
Their form suggests they aren’t at the level of St Mary’s or Nyah this season, but if they lose they run the real risk of being in a dogfight for a spot in the finals.
Bowling is the big problem for the Tigers.
They are one of the more powerful batting line-ups in the competition but have consistently failed to keep the opposition to low scores this season.
If they are to improve, they’ll need to find a way to be more frugal with the ball and should do so this week if two of their best bowlers return in Rush and Singh.
On the Roos’ end, they’ve been hard to get a read on this season.
They have snuck their way into contention for finals after their win over the Tigers, yet it feels like they need to make another statement to prove it wasn’t a one off.
If they put in a team performance like they did last weekend, where most of their batsman got a score, there’s no reason they can’t defeat the out-of-form Tigers again.
Wandella vs Nyah District
For the first time in 2022/23, the nomads Wandella will be playing a match at home.
Even after their nine-wicket loss to Nyah last weekend, the Tigers’ loss meant the Bombers reached the cup grand final.
However, they will need to improve dramatically over the next fortnight before the final on January 26 if they are to be any chance against St Mary’s.
They’ll get a chance at home to show last week was an aberration when they take on the mob that dismantled them last weekend in the Demons.
The Demons are the form team in the SHDCA and are currently favourites to defend their crown.
Joel Walsh has been a superstar as usual, but the performance of Dean Harrop across the last few games has been X-factor the Demons were crying out for earlier in the season.
Harrop was man of the match in the T20 grand final and hit 42 not out against the Bombers last week.
Drew Lloyd is another who has found his best recently. He has now taken nine wickets at an average of 13.44 this season.
With such firepower across all lines, the early season troubles for the Demons are in the rear-view mirror, and it’s hard to see how the Bombers are going to be able to turn around such a large loss against the same side in the space of seven days.
They do have one chance, though, and that’s if Gregory Dickson returns.
The Bombers skipper has hit 225 runs at an average of 75 in 2022/23, but the issue is he’s only played in four games.
They are a far better side when he plays, and if they are any chance to beat the Demons, he’ll need to be there and score big.
