MILDURA East coach Josh Berry wants his side to turn their new home at the Mildura Sporting Precinct into a fortress.
East sprung one of the early season surprises by knocking over premiership fancies Irymple by three wickets at the new venue last week, their first round 1 SCA victory since 2019.
Berry’s side will look to keep the momentum rolling against Nichols Point on the MSP surface on Saturday, before another home game against Coomealla Wentworth in the first of the two-day clashes.
The team will be strengthened by the return of last year’s English import Josh Bowyer, who was unavailable for the opening game.
“We hadn’t won a round 1 game for a while so it was nice to get a win first up, especially against such a talented side led by Mark Thomson and Bryson Lush, who looked unstoppable at times with the bat on Saturday,” Berry said.
“It was nice to see that a couple of guys who were newer to first division who did a lot of the damage. Zane Hunt has been in and out last year and Nick Dorman has made the jump up this year and they did a brilliant job bowling in partnerships.
“The way they helped our more experienced bowlers was fantastic.”
Berry said there was uncertainty as to how the pitch would play, but the coach was happy with the surface.
A fast outfield at the precinct means there is value for shots if batsmen can find the gaps.
“It’s probably the fastest outfield I’ve seen locally, it’s reminiscent of a few of the grounds we play on during Melbourne Country Week,” Berry said.
“Initially it felt quite soft under foot but as the game went on, it played really well. For both teams to score 150-plus was a great result and I reckon that deck will only get better as the season goes on.
“The vibe of coming out to the precinct has been really good, and when the boys got there on Saturday, it was almost like unwrapping a present on Christmas morning.
“We want to be able to turn this ground into a fortress so that when other teams play there, they know they’re in for a tough day.”
Berry said the first month was always going to be tough, but early wins against quality opponents could set them up for a good season ahead.
“These three sides have been pretty strong over the past few years, so it was always going to be a challenge early,” he said.
“To get that win over Irymple was huge but the Pointers are a massive challenge and Coomie have a really good bowling unit so hopefully we can keep that form going.
“Josh Bowyer coming back in this week will be great and he will open the batting with new UK import Josh Andrews.
“They both enjoy getting on with it so hopefully they can get some quick runs at the top of the order.”
The contest at the precinct begins at 1pm.
