CRICKET
CGCA
Trafalgar v Mirboo North
TRAFALGAR hosts Mirboo North in the Energy Australia Cup match of the round.
The Ships slipped up against Moe and Yallourn North and will be keen to earn a big scalp to rejuvenate their season, and there is no bigger target than last season’s premiers.
Will Cheatley looks to have found the rhythm and pace that made him one of the most dangerous bowlers in the TDCA last season, while captain Rhys Holdsworth is always good for runs.
Trafalgar needs bigger contributions from the underperforming supporting cast of Aiden George, Nathan Simpson, Klay Butler and John Assmussen.
Chris Robinson and James Blaser both hammered centuries in round one but have struggled since, averaging 2.6 and 0.5 respectively in subsequent matches.
Mirboo North meanwhile bounced back last week with a big win over Yallourn North.
Rob Phoenix struck an aggressive century and will be eyeing off more runs on the resurfaced Trafalgar Recreation Reserve.
Shane Peters also got back among the runs last week and is one of the most dangerous bats in the competition when he gets going.
Morwell v Moe
MORWELL’S season has stuttered so far with two wins and two losses, and its new signings are yet to fire.
Only Davin Charleston has enjoyed much success so far with eight wickets at 6.23.
David Embleton has been solid but has not torn through opposition batting lineups the way he was expected to.
Gavin Bailey has 11 runs from two innings and needs to turn his form around as soon as possible if Morwell is to push on from an indifferent start.
Moe has been gelling well and although Andrew Philip and Aaron Walshe have pulled them along at times, players like Luke Mulqueen, Nathan Lee, Joel Mitchell and Damon Bednarski need games to settle in at the top level.
Yallourn North v Thorpdale
YALLOURN North went down to last season’s champions at the weekend, dislodging it from top spot on the ladder.
The Bombers have been the surprise package of the season so far and with a big win over Thorpdale they could move back to the top, even if Mirboo North defeats Trafalgar.
Captain Patrick Spiteri has been in great form and Luke Nelson slotted seamlessly back into the side last week.
Josh Keyhoe and Aidan Vesty have remained inconsistent and Spiteri will be hoping both of them hit their straps at the same time.
With the ball the Bombers have been deadly, Rowan Kelly and Brandon Bailey have formed a lethal partnership and if the batsmen manage to see them off, Glen Sheekey and Lucas Fry wait in the wings.
Thorpdale gave Latrobe an almighty scare last week, and will be out to upset Yallourn.
Brothers Shannon and Travis Pickering will be the key bowlers if the Blues are to get a result in this match.
Newborough Bulldogs v Latrobe
NEWBOROUGH has endured a tough season so far and with Latrobe star Kaushik Aphale set for his first game of the season there will be no let up this week.
The Bulldogs have adopted a battling mentality and appear to be a unified unit.
Royce Colgrave continues to develop into a key for Newborough’s future, while the experience of John Murray and Mark Whitney is coming to the fore in partnership with Leigh Colgrave and Anthony Faltum.
Latrobe needs to get onto a winning streak to keep within striking distance of the top spot, and with Aphale back alongside big game players Anthony Bloomfield, Chris Johnson and Mitch Cowell, is rapidly becoming to fear.
New skipper Brendan Evans was back among the wickets last week in another bonus for the resurfacing Sharks.
