ULTIMA TUF’s Kookaburra Cup hopes will go on the line this Saturday afternoon when they host reigning premiers and ladder leaders Nyah District in a must-win clash for both clubs.
The Roodogs need to win if they are any chance of staying in the hunt for this year’s one-day title, while the Demons will also be chasing the six points after having their colours lowered at their last outing against Woorinen.
With both teams desperate for victory, Saturday’s encounter shapes as an intriguing one, with the pressure now coming on the Nyah District bowling attack after allowing the Tigers to chase down 207 a fortnight ago.
It was a performance that disappointed Demons captain Ben Shadbolt, with his side also set to be without star all-rounder Max Thompson.
“We can’t afford to drop one now and it’s not going to get any easier for us as (Ultima TUF) are starting to come into their own,” Shadbolt told The Guardian.
“They have picked up a couple of players, their kids are developing nicely and they’re definitely a better side.
“The next two weeks are massive for us, if we drop another game we’re not safe, so we’re going in with the mindset that both games are finals and we have to win both.
“We know we have the depth, we just weren’t good enough against Woorinen. The boys we have are more than capable of doing a job, just need to work a bit harder and not expect it to just happen.
“After scoring 200, we should have never put ourselves in a position to lose that game and that’s taking nothing away from Woorinen either, they really showed us how to approach a high scoring run chase.
“But in saying that, we were as equally bad as they were good, but hopefully we’ve learnt from our mistakes in the field and with the ball and we can come out firing this week.”
Ultima TUF will regain the services of pace bowlers Jordan King and Lleyton Purcell, who both missed last Saturday’s 20-run win over St Mary’s Tyntynder.
That result should fill the Roodogs with a great deal of confidence, although skipper Kade Benfield was also strong in his acknowledgment that his team would still go in as underdogs against the reigning premiers.
“We know we’re going up against the best team, or at least they are in my opinion,” Benfield said.
“We’ll just go out there and give it everything we have, it’s a long season and if the result doesn’t fall our way, we’ll learn a lot of lessons.
“We need to take our catches and field well. The last couple of seasons from my perspective have really proven the old saying that catches win matches is a lot more relevant than people think.
“We have to take our chances, especially against the better teams like Nyah because they give you less and less opportunities chances.”
The other key factor in the home team’s chances of success will lie in taking early wickets according to Benfield, with openers Mitchell Grinham (166 runs) and Charlie Boulton (116 runs) getting the Demons away to a flyer in two of their past three matches.
“(Nyah District) have an ability to get away to a fast start with the bat, they have had some really good opening partnerships this season and it seems to have really set up their innings too,” Benfield said.
“It’s really hard to get that momentum back and even when you do breakthrough, they have plenty of talent in the lower order that can come in and capitalise as well when the pressure is off.
“We need to take those early wickets and make inroads into their batting order early.”
For Nyah District, the key will lie with not only their top order, but with everyone contributing with both bat and ball according to Shadbolt.
“We’ll have to work hard for our runs as the pitch at the Alan Garden isn’t always the easiest to score on, plus (Ultima TUF) have good depth with both bat and ball now,” Shadbolt said.
“We just need to try and restrict them with the ball and then when it’s our turn, try and score off their fourth and fifth bowler.
“But they have a lot more depth and not many passengers in their side, so they will be a tough outfit to face.”
