WEST GAMBIER v PENOLA
AFTER four weeks of misery, Penola will hope to bowl its first ball of the 2019/20 Barber Shield cricket season against West Gambier at Malseed Park today.
Poor weather has followed the Eagles every week and has led to last season’s runners-up yet to step on the field after three rounds.
Penola will have to shake off the rust quickly if it will beat a confident Roos’ outfit.
West is in form after two impressive hit outs against East Gambier and North Sportsman’s.
The Roos pulled off a fighting win over the Bulldogs in a tight one-day clash and were all over the Tigers before rain washed away any hopes of an upset win.
Their bowlers have led the way with the likes of Niall Easterbrook, Sam Willis and Josh Cornolo in fine form sharing the wickets.
Captain Richard Crute has been threatening and he remains powerful in all disciplines of the game.
Batsmen have struggled to score from his relentless bowling, while his batting has already turned heads this season.
Crute’s impressive 63 dug his side out of trouble and put West in a winning position against the Bulldogs.
His damaging capabilities with both bat and ball pose a major threat to the Eagles’ chances.
Penola captain Jase Bateman will hope to counter Crute with his key-bowler Michael Waters.
Waters has been in strong form with ball in hand for a number of seasons and he hopes to lead the attack by example without the services of David Somerfield.
Jack Mullan and George Kidman will also be needed to find a way through the Roos’ top order.
With no recent match experience to count on, the Eagles’ batsmen will have to concentrate even harder against West’s in-form bowling attack.
Mullan and Jack Schulz will likely take on the new ball, while the likes of Bateman and Mark Smith can offer support down the order.
Penola will have to be at its best against an inspired West side, which hopes to continue its strong form in home conditions.
MIL LEL v SOUTH GAMBIER
SOUTH Gambier will look to resume its lightning start to the Barber Shield cricket season when it travels to Frew Park for its round-four clash against Mil Lel today.
The Demons were unstoppable in their opening two matches against West Gambier and North Sportsman’s before rain slowed their momentum last week.
South captain David Somerfield has been a revelation upon return and he will be in the game from ball one.
Almost everything the new leader has touched this season has turned to gold with his ability to virtually win games on his own.
Josh Thompson has also performed with the bat, while the likes of Daniel Loupos, Adam Kuhl and James Dunn are in strong form with ball in hand.
The solid bowling combination is yet to concede more than 150 runs in 2019/20, which is all the more impressive with Cam Jorgenson and Robert Drenthan still to make a real impact.
With the intervention of Mother Nature, no rounds have actually been completed this season, with few sides gaining any real game experience.
The Demons have only played in the one-day format so far this season and Mil Lel will hope to use its experience with the red ball to full effect.
The home side lost its competitive opening game – the first of the two-day matches – against East Gambier, but would be pleased with a decent first-innings score with the bat.
Led by Todd Carpenter, many middle-order batsmen built a platform, but struggled to convert with a top individual score of 43.
After seven of Mil Lel’s top-eight batsmen all reached double figures on the first day, it crumbled to 4/44 in the second innings during a tricky 15-over period.
Captain Jack Miller will hope it is not a sign of things to come and his side will need to dig deep and find a way of compiling big scores to consistently challenge for victory.
After failing to capitalise on several chances, Mil Lel’s bowling attack of Ben Thiel, Jonathan Allcock, Tom Nieuwerkerk and Miller could count themselves slightly unlucky as Dion Stratford led the Bulldogs to victory.
The quartet will look forward to return playing in familiar conditions, but an in-form South outfit pose an even bigger challenge.
