AFTER making it through to last year’s grand final, Wandella will be hoping to go one step further and win their first Swan Hill District Cricket Association A grade premiership this season.
The Bombers had two opportunities to take the silverware south last season, making both the grand final and the Kookaburra Cup final, but both times ran into a rampaging St Mary’s-Tyntynder who ran over the top of them.
Regardless of their performances on the big stage, Wandella certainly made a statement to their opposition that they would be one of the teams to beat from now on, and six months on from grand final day that doesn’t appear to have changed in the slightest.
Opening bowler Ryan Barnes will take the reins as captain this season, with Greg Dickson staying on to provide support to the first-year skipper.
While 2023-24 will be Barnes’ first season in charge of the Bombers he’s no stranger to the captaincy, having led the team on several occasions in Dickson’s absence.
Wandella’s new captain aims to take his team to the very top.
“We’ll have a very similar team to last year,” Barnes told The Guardian this week.
“We’ve got a good bunch of blokes here and everyone gets along really well, which makes it an enjoyable team to be a part of.
“We’ve been in the competition for two seasons now and we’ve been in a semi-final and then the grand final last year so we’re tracking upwards year on year and hopefully this season we can finish the job.
“Hopefully we can build on our performances from last year and take that final step.”
For Wandella to take that next step and challenge the reigning premiers their improvement is expected to come from within as several young players are expected to take their games to new heights this season.
“We had a couple of good young fellas come through the team last year, and with another season of cricket and more experience under their belts, I believe they’ll be ready to step up further this season,” Barnes said.
“Young Bohden (McKnight) has picked up another yard of pace and looks as though he will be a real handful again.
“He’s probably the key for us.
“If he plays to his ability and reaches the heights we know he’s capable of then we’ll be right in it.
“We’ll be strong with the ball once again but there were a few games last year where we were a couple of runs short and that’s probably where our focus needs to be.”
While there are high expectations on Bohden McKnight, who is just as damaging with the bat as he is with the ball, the same can be said for his brother Ethan McKnight, who led the Bombers’ bowling attack in last year’s finals series with two three-wicket hauls in the semi and grand finals.
But while the McKnight brothers, along with Barnes, who led Wandella’s bowling last season, will keep the Bombers in most games, it’s with the bat where they will win them – and where they also need to find consistent help for former captain Dickson.
Patrick Oliver could well be one of the players who takes his game to the next step as the young top-order batsman is expected to improve after a year developing at the top of the order.
Luke Murray was a consistent contributor in the top order and can be so again, as can Kaine O’Connell, who is expected to be a more regular feature in the Bombers’ side this season.
One player who won’t be out there, however, is Kyle Hodges after the first-change bowler suffered a knee injury which is set to rule him out for the entire 2023-24 season.
But while Hodges will be a loss that could test Wandella’s depth, there is no doubt that the red and black should be thereabouts at the pointy end once again.
WANDELLA FAST FACTS
A GRADE CAPTAIN – Ryan Barnes
LAST A GRADE PREMIERSHIP – 2014-15 (Northern District CA)
2022-23 FINISH – Runners Up
LEADING RUN SCORER – Greg Dickson – 443 runs @ 36.92
LEADING WICKET TAKER – Ryan Barnes – 32 wickets @ 14.53
WORD FROM THE CAPTAIN
RYAN BARNES
“Hopefully we can go one step further than last year. We’ll have much the same side again this year and if we continue to improve, I can’t see why we can’t be thereabouts again.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Greg Dickson – Wandella’s leading batsman last season will likely have a big say on how deeply they progress in 2023-24. Without the responsibility of leading the team, Dickson can concentrate on scoring runs, which he is more than capable of doing at either a steady tempo or a quick rate, depending on the situation.
IN – None
OUT – Kyle Hodges (Injured)
