THE development of young players and the recent return of a veteran has Mildura West primed for a rematch against Gol Gol this weekend, according to captain Greg Lewis.
Lewis said he’d seen tremendous growth in his team since the round one match-up.
“We’ve been building experience with some of the younger guys, we had a couple of debuts in round one and those guys are now really flourishing and building experience,” he said.
“The youngest of them all, Josh Driscoll, has been fantastic. He scored 50 against Setts and took his first division one wicket.
“Taj Hill had a good hit and has been bowling well without reward and Jack Probert has also been bowling some nice leg spin.”
West will hope to contain Gol Gol, as both look to secure second place on the ladder.
Lewis recalled the first round of the season which his side lost, a match where Gol Gol star Wade Hancock scored 103 not out.
“Gol Gol have some of the best batsmen in the league,” he said.
“They’ve proved that the last few years, really you’ve just got to perform at your best, hope for a bit of luck and take your chances.”
In the last match, the only player to score over 20 runs for West was Kian Burns, who fell just short of a half century.
“Kian Burns scored 49 last time and he was able to notch a century against Setts, so he will come in with a fair bit of confidence but it’s up to the rest of us to step us to the challenge as well,” Lewis said.
“I think performances with the bat will be the difference.”
While Lewis said the line-up had remained pretty consistent so far this season, he said the return of English veteran and three-time Innes Medal winner Chris Williams had been a huge boost for his side.
“Chris Williams coming in is a huge difference to any side,” he said.
“He came in and made 50 in his first game of the season last round, so hopefully he can keep going with that.”
Mildura West and Gol Gol will meet at John Hall Oval on Saturday at 1pm.
