By Lachlan Onions
WITH just four rounds left in the Barber Shield before finals, this weekend’s clash between West Gambier and South Gambier will be vital for both teams and could have major ramifications for finals.
If West loses, then Penola could potentially bridge the gap between first and second and set up an exciting finale in the race for top-spot, while if South suffers defeat, then North Sportsman’s could move up to fourth and provisionally hold the last finals spot.
The Roos have been one of the strongest teams this season and lead the competition with four wins and one loss, while the Demons occupy fourth place with three wins and three losses.
Both sides have proven they are more than capable of taking it up to the best and an intriguing contest is set to take place at Malseed Park.
When these sides met in the reverse fixture at the Blue Lake Sports Park, the Demons claimed a 64-run first innings victory.
In a clash which was dominated by bowlers, Robbie Drenthen, Camron Jorgensen and Jakob Opie combined for nine wickets to bowl West out for 92 runs.
The Roos will need to keep Drenthen on a tight leash as he has impressed with the bat and ball this campaign and most notably took six wickets against Mil Lel in a spell which included a hat-trick.
Opie and Elwood Geary will also look to continue their impressive form with the ball as they both claimed three scalps in the Demons’ last game before the mid-season break.
With the bat, Daniel Loupos will be a player to watch for the visitors and will look to replicate his form from last season which saw him named in the Team of the Year.
West enters this clash full of confidence after it downed East Gambier in a top-of-the-table contest in the last game before the season halted.
Nuwan Gunawardana, Jake Blackwell and Justin de Jong will be players to watch with the bat as they have all shone on various occasions this campaign.
With the ball, Gunawardana is also a threat but the main players to watch will be Sam Willis and Bray Stephenson.
The fast-bowling duo have found themselves amongst the wickets on a regular basis and have combined for 25 wickets this year.
Back in Round 6, Mil Lel had no answer for Stephenson as he ripped through the batting line-up to end with figures of 4/10 off 5.3 overs.
The Roos head into this clash with the stronger side on paper but the Demons will be confident they can repeat their feats of earlier in the season and claim victory in what should be an exciting contest.
