By Lachlan Onions
THE first of the two-day clashes in this season’s Barber Shield start this weekend and what better way than a battle between first and second on the ladder when West Gambier hosts East Gambier.
Both sides have won two from two and have been the standout sides in the opening fixtures.
The Bulldogs – who were runners-up last year – have continued where they left off last year, while the Roos have claimed two big wins and are on a high after a 58-run victory over the reigning premiers in Round 3.
Dion Stratford will be a pivotal player with the bat and West Gambier will need to limit his impact as he has the ability to put in a match-winning performance, which was evident in Round 1 when he scored an unbeaten century.
Stratford also picked up two half-centuries against West so the hosts will be well aware of his capabilities.
The Roos’ batting line-up will need to pay close attention to Liam Turley, James Sullivan and Alex Hentschke.
Hentschke is a proven lethal bowler in the Barber Shield, while Sullivan took four wickets against North Sportsman’s.
Sullivan turned the Round 3 clash on its head when he took three wickets in the space of an over and will be a player to watch in this clash.
For West Gambier, Bray Stephenson and Trent Badman will be the players to watch with the ball.
Badman took 4/19 in Round 1, while Stephenson ripped through Penola’s middle order to take 4/24 last weekend.
Jake Blackwell will be a player East Gambier will be eager to dismiss as soon as possible as he heads into the clash off the back of two half-centuries.
Justin DeJong scored 69 runs in Round 1 and is another who could have a major impact on the end result.
Another player to watch is West’s newest signing Nuwan Gunawardana, who is capable with both bat and ball.
The Roos and Bulldogs met three times last season and the Bulldogs claimed victory on all three occasions.
This most dramatic encounter was in the semi-final, where East claimed a nail-biting one-wicket win.
However, this season West looks like the team to beat and should be strong enough to claim what will be the match of the round.
