THE climax of the cricket season is approaching, as North Sportsman’s will host South Gambier in the first semi-final of the Barber Shield at Marist Park tomorrow and Sunday.
After hot weather denied the chance for the players to build form last weekend, both teams will be eager to perform with a grand final spot at stake.
North will begin the clash as favourites after the Tigers finished second on the ladder, with a large gap to the third-placed Demons.
However, it was South which won the last semi-final played between the two sides at this venue just two weeks ago, albeit in a Twenty20 contest.
The Demons’ recent short-format success against the Tigers will add extra feeling to what should already be a high-intensity clash.
But the two-day format is a completely unique form of the game and in the Barber Shield this season, North has been a class above South.
Their first contest was a washout which was dictated by the Tigers, however South will still have wounds from its crushing defeat in round eight to North at Marist Park, when the Demons’ batsmen was outclassed for just 41 runs.
The chief destroyer on that occasion was Nick McInerney who claimed the impressive figures of 5/11 from just 3.5 overs.
McInerney will be the major threat to the South batting line up as he hopes to continue his hot streak of 14 wickets from his last two completed games.
He will be joined by fellow pace bowlers Tim Young and Declan Kenny who both have 15 wickets to their names this season.
The strong pace attack is backed up by the Tigers’ leading wicket-taker this season, off-spinner Michael Johnston.
Johnston has claimed 16 wickets and with his finger-spin, combined with the pace of the fast bowlers, the Tigers have one of the most potent bowling attacks in the competition.
North also possesses one of the most damaging batting line-ups too, headlined by star opener Jake Schutz.
Schutz is the only man to score a double-century in the Barber Shield this season and has amassed a total of 639 runs at an average of 63.
After his solitary duck of the season, Schutz will be determined to bounce back with another big score.
Recently Schutz has opened with Johnston, who will be one to look out for with the bat as he has saved his best performances for the Demons.
Johnston has scored 82 not out and 61 from his two innings against the South attack and will hope to continue his impressive record.
Matthew McInerney comes into the contest with good form after half-centuries in his most recent red and white ball innings against Penola and South respectively.
To combat this formidable North batting order, South has the competition’s leading wicket-taker in Cameron Jorgenson.
Jorgenson has captured a remarkable 26 victims at an average of just 11 runs per scalp, including two five-wicket hauls.
He will attempt to break the 30-wicket barrier this weekend and joining him in the bowling attack are David Vine, Dylan Clough and spinner Daniel Loupos, who have also bowled well with the red ball.
If the Demons hold a major weakness in the armoury, it is their batting.
South has been bowled out for double-figure scores four times this season and were on shaky ground at 4/44 in the last effort against East Gambier.
Josh Thompson is the side’s leading run scorer with 197 and top scored with 91 in South’s last completed match.
He will be relied upon to be the rock in the middle-order, as the only other Demon who has raised their bat for a half century this season is Clough, who went on to smash 125 not-out, but has since been inconsistent.
With only two half-centuries from the Demons’ entire order this season, the South batsmen must collectively lift if they are to match their fancied North opposition with a grand final birth on the line.
