MURRABIT will be out to make an immediate impact when they make their SHDCA debut against Woorinen in a fortnight’s time.
The Blues, along with Barham-Koondrook, will play in the SHDCA this season after the Northern District Cricket Association disbanded during the off-season.
Murrabit will come into the new competition full of confidence having won back-to-back premierships in the two seasons since their reformation in 2021.
Adding to their club’s belief is the addition of several recruits ahead of their debut SHDCA season, with former Barham-Koondrook all-rounder Leigh Sobotnicki the key piece of the puzzle for the Blues.
Sobotnicki will slot into an already-strong batting line-up as the longer format of the game is expected to play to the Blues strengths, according to Murrabit secretary Tim Millard.
“I think we’ll have a competitive batting line-up,” Millard said.
“We may not have a team of stars but we’ll bat right down the order to eight, nine, 10.
“Our batting depth will be the key, especially in the longer formats of the game which I think will suit us a bit more.
“We have the ability to bat out our overs and bat through the innings and put good, solid totals on the board.
“The longer format will play to our strength with our batting depth as there weren’t a lot of times where we were bowled out in the 40-over format last year, so I think the extra 10 overs will suit us really well.
“We’ve got a good mix of older and younger players and a lot of the older cricketers are used to playing the longer form of the game where we used to play 70 overs.
“We’ll have a lot of cricketers who have experience in batting for time, as opposed to the change in the game where you’re batting for runs over 20 overs.
“We should hopefully have the batting depth to bat those extra overs out and put on a good tally.”
Along with Sobotnicki, Murrabit will also lean on veteran batsman Nathan Henry, who was the Blues’ leading run scorer last season.
Brent McKnight, Simon Ettershank and Millard are also more than capable with the willow.
Murrabit will also be hoping for a big season from Blake Watts, who has taken on the A grade captaincy for the first time following a strong 2022-23 season in which he top-scored for the Blues with an unbeaten 77 against Koondrook.
The challenge may come with the ball, however, as Murrabit will potentially be a little light-on for wicket-taking options.
They will have a point of difference to that of most SHDCA sides, however, in the form of leg spinning duo Simon Kelly and Zeb Hein, the Blues’ top two wicket takers last season.
Along with Archer McKnight, who will return from injury, Millard is both confident and excited about what lies ahead for his club
“We’re really excited, obviously with having both an A and a B grade side,” Millard said.
“There’s a really good atmosphere around the club.
“The club’s in great shape and we’re excited, and in terms of the club as a whole we’re travelling along really well.
“We’ve picked up quite a few new players which will help us fill our B grade, and while the new competition may perhaps be at a higher standard, at this stage our goal is to just be competitive.”
MURRABIT FAST FACTS
WORD FROM THE CLUB
TIM MILLARD
“Hopefully we can make a bit of a mark on the competition but we’re just looking to be competitive at this stage. Hopefully we’ll be able to compete with both bat and ball, but as long as we’re competitive and enjoying ourselves, that’s our main aim.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Nathan Henry – Having been Murrabit’s leading run scorer for the past two seasons, Henry shapes as being the key to the Blues having a successful 2023-24 season. An experienced batsman who is comfortable across all formats, Henry will be hoping to make a statement in the SHDCA.
IN – Leigh Sobotnicki (Barham-Koondrook), Brad Hein, Archer McKnight
OUT – None
