NYAH District will have to overcome key outs to seal a top-two berth on Saturday in their heavyweight clash with St Mary’s Tyntynder.
The loss of Joel Walsh (unavailable) and Dean Harrop (ankle) was set to test the Demons’ top and middle order against the league’s premier bowling attack.
All-rounder Walsh scored 136 runs in his last four matches, being dismissed just once.
Harrop was the match-winner when these two teams last met, the Demons’ T20 grand final win, belting the Saints bowlers all over the park in an unbeaten 68 off 41 balls.
While the pair’s absence is less than ideal, captain Ben Shadbolt told The Guardian it would provide an opportunity for the rest of the batting order to find form ahead of finals.
“It’ll be a good game regardless and one we’re very excited to be a part of,” Shadbolt said.
“‘Walshy’ out is a bit of a blow, but we know we’ve done it before without him and we’re in a pretty good space at the moment as a side – we’re just really excited to take on the best team in the competition and, with a couple of weeks before finals, it’ll be a good test for our batsmen.”
A possible grand final preview, the match also has immediate finals implications.
Victory for the Saints would guarantee them top spot on the ladder, while a Demons win would lock away a top two finish for both clubs.
Following their outright victory over Swan Hill, St Mary’s Tyntynder – with the competition’s deepest batting line-up – will go in as favourites.
Saints skipper Nathaniel Holmes-Brown couldn’t wait to resume his team’s battle against Nyah District.
“You always want to challenge yourself against the best and it’s always a good tussle between the two teams,” Holmes-Brown said.
“These games are what we play cricket for – we all want to be challenged and test ourselves and have fun doing it and that’s what we’re all looking forward to.
“We feel like we’ve got something pretty good building at the moment – we’ve played pretty good cricket all year, with the exception of that one T20 game, but we feel like we’re doing something right at the moment.
“We’ve got plenty of great cricketers, which always helps – if Corey (Daniels) doesn’t fire we’ve always got three or four other batsmen that can play a similar role to him.”
Corey Daniels notched unbeaten 126 last week, while Jake Foster, Bailey Codling, Riley Daniels, Charlie King and Jack Shannahan have all won games off their own bats at various stages this season.
The Saints will also be at full strength, with Shannahan set to return after missing last week.
Shadbolt was mindful of his opponent’s many options.
“There’s 11 players in their side who could all legitimately win the game for them, even off the back of Corey’s century last weekend,” Shadbolt said.
“Jonty (Chaproniere) is the one that worries me, he hasn’t really fired yet since he’s come back and he just has the ability to rip a game from you very quickly.
“He’s the one we really need to watch, we have to take our chances with him, limit his scoring shots and get him out early, or else it could be a long day for us.”
The difference could come down to the two teams’ bowling line-ups.
St Mary’s Tyntynder’s settled attack of Holmes-Brown, Daniels, King, Robin Sebastian and the combination of off-spinners Austin McKerrow and Dom Violi is always a constant threat that never lets up.
Nyah District won’t back away from that challenge however, and are likely to provide a stern test themselves, with Drew Lloyd, Charlie Boulton, Shadbolt and the underrated off-spin of Cooper Andrews set to do the bulk of the work.
Ultima-TUF v RSL
ULTIMA-TUF will drop out of the top four if they don’t defeat RSL at Alan Garden Reserve.
A 63-run loss to Wandella last week left the Roodogs vulnerable to both the Blues and Woorinen, the two teams on the cusp of the top four.
With Woorinen’s bye meaning a guaranteed six points this week, an RSL win could really shake up the ladder.
Making the home side’s job easier will be the return of key batsmen Ben Shepherd and Kyle Symons, strengthening the top order – although Mitch Seton-Stewart and opening bowler Sam Hinton will both miss.
Ryan Hinton’s return will be a welcome sight for the Blues, but this will be offset by the absence of captain Ben Hallam.
The battle between RSL’s top order of Hinton, Brenton Caldwell and last-start centurion Paul Munro with in-form Ultima-TUF opening bowler Jordan King – coming off a five-wicket haul – and underrated off-spinner Cassidy Sibley will be crucial.
Wandella v Swan Hill
SWAN Hill venture south to face a Wandella outfit shifting to finals preparation mode.
The Swans were no match for a rampaging St Mary’s Tyntynder last week and suffered the embarrassment of being bowled out twice in a day, suffering an outright defeat.
A loss to the ladder-leading Saints is no disgrace, but the manner in which they capitulated with the bat should sting some very proud cricketers and will hopefully produce a much better contest against the Bombers.
Andrew Clark will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder and his absence will no doubt with both bat and ball. Cal Noonan and Ian Schodde will take on the bulk of the work.
Wandella are building nicely and were impressive against last week, with both Bohden McKnight and Ryan Barnes finding their best form with the ball.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect would have come from their performance with the bat, after finding a way of getting to a competitive score thanks to McKnight (44), Daniel Higgs (29) and Ethan McKnight (28).
