WANDELLA CRICKET CLUB – 2024-25 SEASON PREVIEW
SHDCA FAST FACTS
A-GRADE CAPTAIN – Ryan Barnes
LAST A-GRADE PREMIERSHIP – 2014-15 (Northern District CA)
2023-24 FINISH – Semi Finalist
LEADING RUN SCORER – Peter Moore – 281 runs @ 31.22
LEADING WICKET TAKER – Ethan McKnight – 33 wickets @ 16.21
WORD FROM THE CAPTAIN
RYAN BARNES
“We will have a very similar team to last year, with the exception of a couple of changes. We were maybe 50 or 60 runs short in the semi-final, but we we’re more than capable on our day to make a better total than that and we’ll be hoping to go one better this season.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Samuel Copland – Underrated youngster who looks set to take the next step with his cricket after a breakout 2023-24 campaign. Scored 201 runs last season, including 97 against Murrabit at the top of the order, but is also more than handy with the ball, taking 14 wickets @ 11.64. Will be one of the players the Bombers hope continues his upward trajectory to help push them deeper into the finals.
IN’S – None
OUT’S – Ethan McKnight
WANDELLA will be out to avenge last year’s semi-final defeat to Nyah District when the Bombers begin their 2024-25 campaign against the Demons this Saturday.
Having played finals in all three seasons since joining the Swan Hill & District Cricket Association, the Bombers will also be desperate to claim that elusive silverware.
The biggest challenge for Wandella will be returning to the top of the ladder without last season’s leading wicket taker Ethan McKnight, who will be missing from their line-up in 2024-25.
It wasn’t just with the ball where McKnight did his damage, but also with the bat, having scored the second most runs (232 runs @ 23.20) last season.
Compounding the Bombers woes could also be the absence of fellow all-rounder Peter Moore, who is yet to confirm his availability this season at the time of writing, with Moore scoring the most runs last year (281 runs @ 31.22) for the Bombers.
If Moore doesn’t return, the pair of all-rounders will leave massive holes to fill, with Wandella expected to provide more opportunities to some of their talented youngsters, according to captain Ryan Barnes.
“It would be good to get him (Moore) back, but he’s a bit unsure at the moment,” Barnes said.
“He has great knowledge about the game and is obviously super talented, but we’re just waiting on an answer at the moment.
“A few of our younger ones will play a bit more A grade this season however, especially Nick Oliver and Laing Waddingham.
“Laing was super impressive late last season when he got his chance, not many guys bowl Ryan Hinton for a duck and take five-for on their debut like him and Nick is a highly talented left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner.”
With Barnes (28 wickets last season), Bohden McKnight (21 wickets), Daniel Higgs (21 wickets) and Samuel Copland (14 wickets) still at their disposal, as well as Waddingham and Oliver, there’s little doubt that Wandella’s big strength will be with the ball.
But it’s with the bat where they will be looking for improvement, with Barnes acknowledging his team’s need to give his talented bowling attack a stronger target to defend.
“A few of the games last year we just came up a bit short with the bat,” Barnes said.
“If we had of been able to get to 150 or 170, our bowling attack is more than good enough to defend it, we just have to have something on the board to work with going forward.
“I still believe we have a pretty strong bowling group, especially with the likes of Laing Waddingham and Nick Oliver coming through and I think the red ball cricket will suit us best as a result.
“Those younger guys who come into the team will be able to bowl a few overs and take a bit of pressure off some of us older blokes hopefully.
“There’s a definite desire for us to go all the way. We’ve been in the league for a few seasons now and we’ve made finals each time, we know we have what it takes. We just need to play our best cricket on the day and that means putting the runs on the board which has been our Achillies heel at times in the past.”
With Ethan McKnight and potentially Moore out of the Bombers batting line-up, much of that responsibility is likely to fall to veteran Greg Dickson who amassed 158 runs @ 17.56 last season.
Wandella will also be hoping for big seasons from Luke Murray, Daniel Higgs, Kaine O’Connell and Copland, who are all more than capable of winning a game with a devastating stint at the crease, with Bohden McKnight also capable of scoring quickly and freely.
Copland will be expected to start the season at the top of the order alongside Patrick Oliver in the Bombers opening round match against the Demons, which could well be the perfect motivation Wandella needs to get their campaign off to a flyer.
