RSL v Swan Hill
RSL will be aiming to continue their undefeated start to the season when they host the winless Swan Hill at Gurnett Oval this weekend.
Saturday’s match would appear to be a mismatch at first glance, but the reality is quite the opposite if the first three weeks of the season are any indication.
While the Swans will go in as underdogs, they are not without a chance of causing an upset after strong performances over the past fortnight against Woorinen and St Mary’s-Tyntynder.
After consecutive victories, RSL will be full of confidence, but having played both Murrabit and Ultima-TUF – two teams who have also started the season without a win – there is still a question mark over exactly where the Blues sit.
Blues veterans Stuart Patterson (101 runs @ 50.50) and Ryan Hinton (88 runs @ 44.00) have started the season in ominous form with the bat, and will be key wickets for the Swans if they have any plans of causing an upset.
The other player in form for the Blues is leg spinner Oscar Hier, who looks poised for a breakout season, having claimed eight wickets from his first two matches to lead the league’s wicket takers.
Swan Hill have shown significant improvement, with Ammar Khalid proving to be a welcome addition to the Swans’ top order alongside Lachlan Edwards and Jacob Hatcher.
While Hatcher’s five wicket haul against the Tigers last Saturday showed how capable he is with the ball as well, the biggest challenge for Swan Hill will be to bowl out RSL to give themselves a chance of victory.
Murrabit v Ultima-TUF
One of either Murrabit or Ultima-TUF will put the first notch in their win column when the two teams clash at Murrabit.
While Murrabit have shown they have enough firepower with the bat, their Achilles heel over their first two matches has been their ability to contain their opposition with the ball, with both Woorinen and RSL scoring in excess of 200 runs.
Taking consistent wickets isn’t the issue, as Blake Watts and Toby Gray proved against RSL, but more their ability to bowl tight and contain runs– which will need to be a very real focus against Ultima-TUF, who are a team who traditionally score at a quick rate.
It hasn’t played out that way so far this season for the Roodogs, who have struggled with the bat.
After scoring 101 against St Mary’s-Tyntynder in round 1, they were then bowled out for 94 in less than 26 overs against RSL last Saturday, in a performance that would have been much worse if not for a half century from Josh Waldron.
While they were without Kyle Symons, Ayden Symons and Mitch Seton-Stewart, the Roodogs will require a vastly improved effort on Saturday with the bat if they want to bring home their first win, especially when 150-plus can be expected to be a par score.
