A CLOSE battle can be expected at Blue Lake Sports Park tomorrow, when South Gambier hosts East Gambier for Round 3 of the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association’s Barber Shield competition.
The Demons fell short against West Gambier in the season opener, but fought it out until the end for a Round 2 triumph over Mil Lel.
They will carry confidence from that victory into tomorrow’s game, while the Bulldogs will be out to prove again they have what it takes to be competitive this season.
East’s draw against Penola in Round 1 was a talking point of the season and despite going down to North Sportman’s last week, the match was far closer than the Tigers were used to last season.
A pair of half centuries from Ash Dumigan (59) and Alex Hentschke (52) put the Bulldogs in good stead, but in the end they fell 55-runs short of the target set by North at the end of their 40 overs.
The team has shown it has some firepower and South will be under no illusions going into tomorrow’s clash.
However, the Demons also showed some promise last week, off the back of a disappointing 80-run total against the Roos in Round 1.
They showed depth across the order against Mil Lel last round and the likes of Luke Zadow, Robbie Drenthen and young gun Adam Kuhl will all hope to make an impact.
With the ball, David Vine was in deadly form last week and finished his day with an impressive six-wicket haul.
The Bulldogs will need to keep their wits about them if they are to avoid falling victim to Vine, while also rely on the likes of Dumigan, Nathan Gore and Alex Hentschke to apply pressure with the ball.
The result of the match could weigh heavily on both teams as they look to improve on last year’s performances and chase a place in the top four.
