LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET
LVDCL
By LIAM DURKIN
RAIN drops, work stops.
If rain falls on your head, get in the shed.
Wet steel, no deal.
Wet timber, get on Tinder.
The Latrobe Valley District Cricket League resembled a worksite on Saturday, as persistent showers saw the majority of games abandoned.
While a total abandonment was not called on Saturday morning, most matches were eventually called after ground inspections by players and umpires.
With last Saturday scheduled to be the first day of Round 14 in Premier A and A Grade, games in those divisions will now revert to one-day conditions.
So, get the coloured clothes and pads back out, along with the white balls.
There will be leg side wides, free hits, and a high likelihood of cheap wickets between overs 45 and 50 caught on the fence.
Premier A
MATCH-of-the-Round sees third-placed Morwell take on top-side Moe.
Just four points separates the teams, and given there can no longer be outrights in a one-dayer (Trafalgar tried very hard once, losing 17 wickets in a day), the Tigers can go equal with the Lions if they claim victory at home.
Morwell defeated Moe in the previous one-day game just before Christmas, and could be looking to reference this performance.
That being said, the margin was only 17 runs, and a similar margin would not be all that surprising on the return.
For a side that is on top of the ladder, the Lions seem to be quietly going about their business.
The bowlers have been inflicting damage on opposition line-ups in the last two rounds; Callum Grant’s 7/37 and 5/13 from Rob Phoenix evidence of that.
Due to a combination of factors, Moe has needed to bat at a very slow rate in the couple of two-day games post-Christmas. In the match against Latrobe, they batted nearly 100 overs for 256, and in the previous game against CATS, went at just over two runs-per-over.
Without stating the obvious, the Lions can’t afford to bat like this in a one-dayer, and the challenge will be there for players to demonstrate their versatility switching back to the shorter format.
By contrast, this could be where Morwell looks to take the upper hand.
If the Tigers can keep their opponents locked in Test mode, they should be able to keep the scoring rate under control for the most part.
Morwell has players the likes of Blair Clymo who can rotate strike via deft dabs mixed in with the odd boundary, which could lay the foundation for Blake Mills and Brendan Brincat to blast the ball in the last 17 overs.
The Tigers have named former Churchill captain Brendan Mason in C Grade a few times this season, and interest will surround if he makes his A Grade debut for Morwell on Saturday.
Mason is coming back from injury, but could be a key addition for Morwell if he is fit to play in time for finals.
LATROBE can narrow the gap on the top four if it is successful at home.
The Sharks are playing Churchill – a side it has already defeated this season.
Latrobe won that encounter by 35 runs, helped in no small way by captain Benn Zomer, who scored 53 and took three wickets.
Zomer’s wicket of John Keighran went a long way to deciding the match, as the Cobras were 6/129 in pursuit of 186 when he departed for 43.
The Sharks will be looking to their skipper for further heroics at home, as they aim to stay on track for a finals berth.
By their own admission, Latrobe has probably let teams off the hook in the two games since Christmas, and will know the consequence of mistakes against any side that has Keighran in it.
Churchill new-ball bowler Kian Farnworth already has 24 wickets for the season, and should enjoy bowling on a Peter Siddle Oval wicket that, given its limited use this season due to factors outside the club’s control, remains something of a mystery.
Traditionally, opposition captains have been fooled over the years at Peter Siddle Oval, with the sight of grass causing them to immediately think ‘green top’, only for the locals to know full well it is going to play perfectly fine.
While there will surely be many factors determining this match, just how well Keighran reads the pitch might be the most pivotal.
CATS has some catching up to do.
Mathematically, the highest CATS can go at the completion of this round is fifth, which would still put them a game outside the top four with two rounds to play.
The equation would therefore seem relatively straight-forward.
CATS will travel to Yinnar for an assignment against Raiders, who conversely, could go 10 points clear in the top four if it wins and Latrobe loses.
It has been a fairly horrendous four weeks since Christmas for the reigning premier, who have lost outright, and failed to chase 123.
Raiders meanwhile have knocked-off Morwell and Churchill – teams both currently ahead of them on the ladder.
On that basis, Raiders should start favourite, but by the same token, will know the danger CATS possess, as well as the lottery element of one-day cricket.
Lovers of fast bowling could be in for a treat, with Cal Stewart in the CATS colours, and Madura Perera in Raiders’ sending down some thunderbolts for their respective sides.
The ball looks to be the element that will dominant this game, as both teams have shown a tendency to collapse at times this season.
Raiders only made a combined total of 210 over two innings in their last match, while CATS’ last four efforts has been: All out 108, 104, 75 and 71.
A Grade
TRAFALGAR and Centrals will vie for Take 2 at Racecourse Turf.
The number two looks to be a strong theme in this match – Centrals to make it two-from-two against the Ships, (and all but sew-up the minor premiership), and Trafalgar to stay on track for a top-two finish.
Only one win separates the combatants, although the Lions are a commanding 11 points clear on top thanks to consecutive outrights.
Strong percentage is a hallmark of both these teams, which would indicate they have been winning games convincingly.
Those who know sport statistics know percentage usually tells the full story. (Collingwood’s was only marginally better than Gold Coast’s last year).
The Lions won a last-ball thriller against the Ships in their last one-dayer in early December, and will no doubt have gained a lot of confidence from that.
Trafalgar’s fielding was deplorable in that match, but after addressing the issue, has tidied up that area of the game, and not lost a match since.
Likewise, Centrals has not lost a game since, meaning the winning streak of at least one club is going to come to an end on Saturday (barring a tie).
Tye Hourigan has been in good form with the bat for Centrals, and has 250 runs for the season so far.
However, his statistics against Trafalgar make for unpleasant, and somewhat confusing, reading.
Put simply – he just can’t seem to make a run against the Ships.
He has made 57 runs in 10 hits against them.
Trafalgar coalition bowlers Jackson Noonan, Zack Brown and Daniel Heathcote will be looking to keep this average where it is, but will be vary that Hourigan is well and truly due.
They will also be wary of South African Reghard Hefer, especially after he sent four balls literally into the carpark at Trafalgar Recreation Reserve the last time these two teams met.
Some of those sixes were big (emphasise the big as you say it).
Both sides were essentially marooned in possibly the worst place for a washout last Saturday, with the small Moe Racecourse rooms acting almost like solitary confinement.
With no food, no TV, and no pool table, it was the equivalent of bachelor hell.
Players will no doubt be eager to avoid such a repeat, and get onto the ground at all costs this Saturday.
WILLOW GROVE might all of a sudden be a sneaky chance.
The Wolves are hosting Jeeralang-Boolarra on the Willow Grove astro.
Both teams head in with just the one win combined, meaning this match could carry all the intensity of a final.
Had the game stayed as a two-dayer, the Panthers may well have been clear favourites, however, the nature of one-day cricket means Willow Grove could chalk up their first win as a ‘new’ A Grade club.
The home side showed it could bat a full day in a two-dayer last game; now the challenge will be two-fold: do the same in a one-dayer, but keep the scoreboard ticking.
Left hander Nathan Wheildon has a big enough shot range to do this, while the other Nathan, Nathan Weatherhead, could cause some issues bowling his right arm wobblers.
Jeeralang-Boolarra will want to put this result beyond all reasonable doubt as quickly as possible, and fortunately for them, they look to have a batting line-up probably more suited to the shorter format.
The Panthers certainly aren’t afraid to play their shots, and in a 50-over game, if they come out swinging, they can afford to lose two wickets every 10 overs provided every player is able to connect with a few.
The question will be whether or not they can balance this with sensibility.
This is where senior leaders Ben Heath and Ben McCormack will be called upon to provide the calming influence.
TRARALGON WEST may have been jumping for joy when they found out this week was a one-dayer.
The Eagles were the in-form one-day team of the competition up until Christmas.
A heavy outright loss that was virtually determined on the first day last round however, meant the side came crashing back down to earth.
Given the nature of that defeat to Centrals, there may have been worrying signs for the Eagles, but for now at least, they have a one-day game to win against Mirboo North at home.
The Tigers probably would have started favourite in a two-day game, but now that the situation has changed, the odds might have evened up.
The Eagles displayed a fearless approach to batting in their one-dayers before Christmas, and could implement a similar approach on Saturday.
Most in the Traralgon West camp aren’t overly concerned with how they look with the bat, provided they score runs, which might actually work to their advantage in more ways than one.
If the ball starts flying to places unplanned, the Eagles will not only succeed in scoring, but it could also frustrate the Mirboo North bowlers drastically.
With a four-point lead in second-place, Traralgon West captain Rob Wilkie might send the message to go down swinging.
Having played enough cricket to know what is going on, the Tigers’ experienced heads of Brett Pedlow, Jed Alexander and Dale Banks will be aware of the potential for any reverse psychology.
Patience is a virtue, and Mirboo North plays this game better than most.
Two worlds could be set to collide at Jack Canavan.
