James Murphy
BARBER Shield cricket was cancelled due to wet weather last week and Penola will now be eager to complete a full game when it hosts West Gambier for Round 3 on Saturday.
At this stage the forecast looks promising, yet the weather of late has been nothing if not unpredictable here in the South East.
Currently the reigning premiers are yet to complete a full round this season, with their opening fixture against North Gambier called short due to wet conditions.
As such the Eagles sit third on the premiership table with only a no result to their name heading into this week’s one-day clash.
West on the other hand completed their Round 1 match, with a solid victory over Mil Lel.
Justin De Jong and Jake Blackwell were the main run-makers for the Roos in that clash, with 69 and 63 respectively.
Trent Badman (24), Niall Easterbrook (16) and Ned Wilke (16) also breached double figures.
West will hope for a similarly diverse attack this week, as Penola boasts plenty of firepower with the ball.
Zac Zema and Paul Ellis both claimed multiple wickets in Round 1 and will look for strong performances again this week.
Of course, West has its own talent, with Badman entering the round off a four-wicket haul at the expense of just 19 runs, while Kyal Chapman managed 2/6 off three overs against Mil Lel.
Penola’s batting remains somewhat shrouded in mystery for 2022-23, having yet to take to the crease for a full innings.
Based on last season’s title success, Jack Mullan can be expected to stand tall again.
He averaged just shy of a half century a game in 2021-22, with 48.58 runs a match.
Mark Smith also featured in the top four Barber Shield batsmen based off averages last season, while Lewis March and Drew Clayfield were reliable throughout the year.
It is hard to predict the result for the round – should it go ahead – with so little to go off for the year so far.
However, the Roos will appreciate the extra time on the pitch as they look to topple the reigning premiers early.
