Picture: THOMAS MILES
WEST Gambier will be out for redemption when it gears up for day one of its round nine Barber Shield meeting with South Gambier at Malseed Park tomorrow.
The Roos suffered a heavy loss to East Gambier last week in the pink stumps clash, which awarded the Bulldogs their first win of the season.
On the ladder, South sits one win above West in third place, with a victory this round a must if the Roos are to stay in touch.
Just one win separates them from the Bulldogs, who until last week were the wooden-spooners of the competition.
If the hosts are to remain in the top four and stand a chance of taking it to the top teams come finals, they will need to assert dominance on this match from the start.
Played in the two-day format, West will need to hit hard in day one, whether it be with bat or ball.
However, South will also be out to impress, as it attempts to bounce back from a dismal batting performance last round.
The Demons posted a meagre 41 runs against North Sportsman’s in last week’s limited-overs contest, with the top scores two eight-run stints from Dane Pople and Josh Thompson.
They will need to step up this round and prove there is still some fire in their belly, or risk another embarrassment.
South will hope to see the likes of Luke Zadow, Robert Drenthen and Thompson stand up with the bat, should the Demons take to the crease tomorrow.
Dylan Clough will also be eager to make runs, as he has struggled to have an impact since his impressive century back in round three.
With the ball Camron Jorgenson will want to find his form from round seven, which saw him claim six wickets against Mil Lel, while David Vine, Daniel Loupos and Clough all claimed scalps last week.
For West it will also be a matter of finding some run-makers, as that is one area the Roos have struggled with this season.
Jack Geddes opened to score a team-high 31 runs last week, while Ben Hentschke (23) and Alex Hill (19) tried to steady the ship down the order.
However, the side fell well short of the desired total of 181 set by East, only just making its century with 102.
West will also rely on its ball use to quell the flow of runs, in what could be a low-scoring encounter.
Sam Willis, Richard Crute and Niall Easterbrook all took two wickets last round and are capable of making runs on their days.
They will be looked to again for a consistent performance tomorrow, whether it be with bat or ball.
Both teams have plenty to prove and it could all come down to who wins the toss and starts the round off on their terms.
