Mil Lel v West Gambier
MIL Lel faces a tough task when it hosts West Gambier at Frew Park tomorrow for Round 3 of the Mount Gambier and Cricket Association Barber Shield season.
The home side will need to pull something big out of the bag if it is to set up a victory in the two-day match against the undefeated Roos.
The decision to bat or bowl on day one of the competition may be a deciding factor in the final result.
However, if Mil Lel will stand a chance it will need to bring its A-game into both days, with West in hot form in the field or at the batting crease.
The Roos reached 210 runs in its win over Penola last week, with Jake Blackwell the major contributor.
Blackwell fell just shy of a century, with a total of 97, while Sam Willis was the next best with a credible 41.
They were joined by Richard Crute and Niall Easterbrook, who recorded 28 and 21 respectively, with Ben Hentschke rounding out the double-figure scores on 10.
With the ball it was captain Easterbrook who performed for West last week, finishing with impressive figures of 5/27.
Bowen Hosking also bagged a couple of wickets, while giving up 43 runs and Crute claimed a single scalp.
With Mil Lel’s highest score of the season so far of 167 runs, if West’s batsman and bowlers can replicate their Round 2 performances it will spell trouble for the home team.
In order to be competitive, Caleb Bachmann will need to stand up with the bat again, after he scored a game-high 57 runs against South Gambier last week.
Carey Megaw managed 19-not-out against the Demons and will be another player Mil Lel looks to for runs.
But with the recent form of West’s bowlers, the Mil Lel batsman will be faced with a brick and will likely rely on a number of contributors down the order to reach a desirable run count.
Todd Carpenter, Tom Nieuwerkerk, Justin Taylor and new recruit Jarryd Burston each made double figures in the last round, but they will need to lift their game if their team will have any hope of matching West’s pace.
Taylor led the way with the ball for Mil Lel against South with 3/41, while young-gun Ben Thiel demonstrated his talents with two wickets off 35 runs.
They will both be looked to for solid back-up performances against West, while Jack Miller and Bachmann will look to better their single wickets from Round 2, whether it be in the first or second day of the clash.
The match-up will most likely see West hit hard in day one and leave Mil Lel to play catch up next week, but if Mil Lel can make the most of its home-ground advantage it may be able to stay in the contest.
However, based off what both teams have brought to the table in the opening rounds, West will be the sure favourites to take the points.
