A MOUTHWATERING clash between second and third highlights the last weekend of local cricket this year.
Autopro Bombers are up for the challenge of taking on the in-form Beverford Tavern Demons in the McDonald’s T20 competition.
The Bombers will be buoyed by the return of opening bowler Peter Moore, re-introducing the main threat to their already impressive bowling displays.
They took 10 wickets in both of their matches last weekend, against cluBarham Raiders and winless Tyrell Cricket Swans.
Bombers captain Ryan Barnes said his side hadn’t played to the expected level last week.
“We weren’t quite playing to our best, but we were still able to find a way to come away with the wins,” he said.
“We know we’ll be faced with a quality side in Nyah, this game will definitely show us where we are at as a team at the moment.
“They’ve got Joel Walsh back from his injury, who is a quality player with bat and ball, and in-form batsman Dean Harrop made a big score against Barham-Koondrook last week.
“I think it’ll be a very good game. I think both teams match-up quite well.”
Barnes said Moore’s return meant the Bombers, who only play one match this weekend, should be back at full strength.
“We know that we can put all of our energy into this one game, we don’t have to reserve any of it for a second game later in the afternoon,” he said.
“If we can put the runs on the board, then I’ll back our boys in that we will perform well with the ball.
“It’s just a matter of chasing down the runs or putting a good score on the board.
“It’s about finding that balance between not bringing the run-rate down too low, but also not going out there and just throwing our wickets away either.
“On our day, we can bat down to No.11, but we’ve all just got to click on the same day.”
Demons captain Ben Shadbolt was also hopeful of a full-strength side for a weekend they must also face ladder leaders Are Able Bulldogs.
Shadbolt said the Demons were looking forward to seeing how the squad gels with the return of key players.
“At the start of this year we had to deal with a fair few injuries, that was to the likes of Joel Walsh, Josh Domaille and Dean Harrop,” he said.
“That’s three pretty important batsmen in our line-up, so having them come back and being able to put together our best side these past couple of weeks has been pretty handy.”
The Demons this season have showed their depth with both bat and ball.
Making competitive totals has been key, finding runs from lower down the order from the likes of Tristan Dalbon and Justin Toomey.
Shadbolt said his side hoped to focus on the bowling side of things to take some pressure off their batsmen.
“We’ve been a little bit more expensive than we would like in recent weeks,” he said.
“Our bowling depth has been pretty strong, especially with Walshy back on the park.
“Young Max Thompson has been incredible with the ball, Charlie (Boulton) is starting to find a bit more of a rhythm and our overseas recruit Alex Wilson is starting to adjust to the conditions.
“With the side we’ve got now, it’s a bit younger, and we think we should be able to run around a bit more in the field and restrict those runs where we can.”
With both sides looking to finish 2023 off with a win, Shadbolt said his side wouldn’t be taking the Bombers lightly.
“I think that Wandella are still a bit of a dark horse, they sort of just go under the radar a bit,” he said.
“We’ve seen over the last couple of weeks that even if they lose a couple of early wickets, they can still get a good score.
“Obviously early wickets are key in any game, but you can’t afford to drop off.
“You’ve just got to keep the foot down the whole time.”
