WITH last week’s games called off due to heat, both Mil Lel and East Gambier will be eager to come away from tomorrow’s Round 7 Barber Shield cricket clash with a win.
The Bulldogs have had far from an ideal season, with the side yet to record a win in 2017-18.
It is a similar story for Mil Lel, as its Round 4 victory over East remains its only success to date.
However, tomorrow’s one-day clash may see Mil Lel with the advantage, as it travels to Scott Park to face an understaffed opponent.
Captain Dion Stratford and Alex Hentschke will be absent from the side due to state commitments, leaving East without two of its more experienced players.
In the last meeting with Mil Lel, Hentschke led the way for the team at the crease, finishing up with just 24 runs to be the Bulldogs’ highest scorer for the game.
He also claimed two scalps and his contribution with both bat and ball will be missed this round.
The next highest score for this match came from Darren Whitehorn with 13 runs, indicating East will have to lift its batting game if it wants to claw its way to a win this week.
Simon Golebiowski and the young Luke Allen joined Hentschke with two wickets each in Round 4 and they will be required to step up once again.
Nathan Gore has been quiet with the ball since his second five-wicket haul back in Round 3, but if he can find his previous form it could be a deciding factor in the game.
With the bat, Patrick Glynn excelled in the previous round, falling agonisingly short of a century, with 97 not out in the second innings against West Gambier.
He will be back with a vengeance tomorrow, as he aims to join the 100-run club.
On the other side of the pitch, Mil Lel will be hungry for its second win of the season.
Jonathan Allcock was the top scorer in the previous meeting with the Bulldogs, posting a solid 55 runs.
He was joined by Todd Carpenter with a credible 41, while the next best was Daniel Justin’s 30 not out in the second innings.
Each of these players will be out to hit the scoreboard again tomorrow, while Josh Jantosh has also proven capable of making runs and will look for another big score.
With the ball, Ben Thiel and Jack Miller were the standouts in the Round 4 match with East, claiming three wickets each.
Thiel has been a consistent performer in the senior side despite his young age and Mil Lel will look to him for another solid game.
Tom Nieuwerkerk is another talented junior in the lineup, with his latest haul seeing him with three scalps against Penola in Round 5.
If Mil Lel’s bowlers can hit hard and deny the Bulldogs easy runs, tomorrow’s match will likely go the way of the guests.
However, with some power also in the East bowling lineup, it could all come down to the toss and which team begins Round 7 at the crease.
