Mil Lel v Penola
MIL Lel will be on a mission to better its position in finals contention when it takes to its home venue of Frew Park against Penola tomorrow.
The Eagles sit in third place on the ladder with four wins for the season, while Mil Lel have only had two victories so far, but reside in fourth.
Despite being yet to challenge the top two teams in the competition, the Eagles have soared through their games against the bottom-order sides.
The previous meeting between the clubs saw Penola with an easy win in the two-day clash, with Mil Lel’s score of 94 in the second day no match for the Eagles’ opening 223 runs.
Mil Lel will need to step up and bring its A-game if it wants to better its position on the ladder, especially with it taking on the might of North Sportsman’s next round.
Coming off the back of last week’s easy win over South Gambier, the Eagles will bring confidence into tomorrow’s match.
David Somerfield was the top scorer against the Demons, making a solid 82 runs.
The next best was Mark Smith on 33, while Michael Waters (21), George Kidman (13) and Jack Schulz (10) rounded out the double-figure scores.
Waters also excelled with the ball, claiming three scalps for the day, with Curt Evans contributing two.
If Penola can reach these kind of figures with bat and ball again this week, Mil Lel will have a task on its hands.
Justin Lamont led the way at the crease for Mil Lel last round, finishing his day with 47 runs.
Captain Craig Lock also contributed, bagging 29, while Todd Carpenter and Caleb Bachmann scored 26 and 21 respectively.
Each of these players will look to back up their performances tomorrow, while the likes of Jonathan Allcock, Josh Jantosh and Daniel Justin will also be looked to for runs.
Allcock will be out to perform across both disciplines, after claiming a wicket last round, but it will be Justin Taylor who will want to back up his performance with the ball tomorrow.
He bagged three wickets against the Bulldogs, giving away 29 runs in the process.
Joined by the likes of Jack Miller, who claimed two last week and Ben Thiel, Mil Lel’s bowlers will need to be on the ball to hold back the might of the Eagles.
West Gambier v East Gambier
WEST Gambier will go into its Round 8 Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association Barber Shield clash against East Gambier with confidence.
Following its victory over ladder-leader North Sportsman’s last week, tomorrow’s one-day meeting with the bottom-placed Bulldogs should be an easy win.
Captain Niall Easterbrook led by example as his impressive 119 runs carried the Roos to their eventual tally of 198.
He will be out to repeat this effort against the struggling Bulldogs, who are yet to record a win for 2017-18.
Jake Blackwell (22) and Jack Gosling (18) were the only other double-figure scorers against the Tigers, so West will no doubt be looking for a more wide-spread input tomorrow.
Along with the mentioned batsmen, Bowen Hosking and Tye McManus are also among the batting hall of fame for the season, having both shown they are capable of making runs when it counts.
With the ball, Richard Crute and Easterbrook claimed a scalp each last round.
Both players have proven capable of taking wickets this season and will be joined by the likes of Hoksing and Gosling as they look to muzzle the Bulldogs’ batsmen.
Despite its loss to West over two days back in Round 5, East showed solid form when it returned to the crease for its second innings.
Patrick Glynn scored 97 not out, while Alex Hentschke was caught on 47.
If the Bulldogs are to stand a chance tomorrow, these will be the kind of performances required.
With Hentschke returning to the side from last week’s Australian Country Cricket Championship commitments, he will be out to make an impression with both the bat and ball.
He is capable in both disciplines, with his last match seeing him with a credible three wickets against the Roos.
Nathan Gore will also be one to watch with ball in hand, after claiming two scalps against Mil Lel last round.
Luke Allen also bagged two wickets last week and the young-gun will be out to back up his performance against the Roos.
However, with West in good form it will take somewhat of a miracle to see East claim the points for the round.
With this round the last one-day match of the season, only two rounds remain before finals, played over four weeks in the two-day format.
With both Mil Lel and South Gambier sitting on two wins, it will not be impossible for the Bulldogs to make finals, but with the side yet to show much improvement this will be an unlikely scenario.
South Gambier v North Sportsman’s
NORTH Sportsman’s will look to bounce back from its first loss of the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association Barber Shield season when it travels across the city to tackle South Gambier.
The Demons will also look for form after losing their top four position to Mil Lel last round after going down significantly to third placed Penola.
The Tigers will welcome back the trio of Nick McInerney, Joshua Fidler and Matthew McInerney this weekend after missing two games due to state commitments.
It is the final minor round one-day format game for the 2017-18 season and both sides will look to get on top early.
South has shown promise in recent rounds and has an opportunity to again return into finals contention, but it will need to test itself against those above it on the ladder.
Dylan Clough has well and truly led the way for the Demons.
And his absence was felt in last week’s clash against Penola where South’s top score was just 23 runs.
There were some positives to take out of the game, one in particular being Camron Jorgenson’s three wicket haul.
However, the Demons will need to dig much deeper if they are to keep up with the competition front-runners at full strength.
