Workers Gol Gol v Mildura Settlers
Alcheringa Oval
MILDURA Settlers have landed one of the biggest recruiting coups in years, coaxing former South Australian second XI player John Pratt out of retirement.
Pratt, who moved to Sunraysia this year as senior coach of South Mildura in the SFNL, has not picked up a cricket bat for six years.
But in his teens and early20s he was one of South Australia’s rising young cricket stars, captaining the Redbacks’ under-17 and 19 teams.
“I got to 20 or 21 and had to make a decision which path I was going to go down,” Pratt said.
“I was playing SANFL footy and district cricket with Prospect and at the time. I chose footy, but maybe I should have stuck with the cricket,” Pratt said with a laugh yesterday.
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Pratt had been sounded out by a number of SCA clubs since moving to the area, but had resisted the offers, with footy consuming too much of his time.
“Mark Cleary and Tarque Williamson convinced me to come down to training for a hit,” said Pratt.
“I played some second XI games in South Australia with Tarque years ago, but I probably haven’t played a competitive game of cricket for six years.
“To be honest, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed going down (to training) and having a hit.
“They actually came off (the bat) OK which surprised me, but I’m not sure how many games I’m going to play.
“The boys said they were a bit short this week so I was happy to help out, but as I said, I’m not sure how many games I’ll play, but it should be a bit of fun, they are a great bunch of blokes.”
A left-hand opening batsman, Pratt adds depth to Setts’ already talented line-up, but he is sure to be tested with Workers Gol Gol looking for redemption after last year’s grand final loss.
Workers have welcomed back Shac Thomas for another season and with Wade Hancock and Adam Thomson in support, this game should provide plenty of entertainment.
Merbein South v Mildura East
Kenny Park
A NEW season brings with it renewed hope and Merbein South and Mildura East will both be hoping to start on a positive note today in the opening round of SCA cricket.
The Saints are coming off a disappointing 2018-19 and know they need plenty of improvement if they are to press for a top four finish.
Mildura East are also looking to make advances this season and, with plenty of promising young talent, could be one of the sides to watch despite losing Shaun Mathews and Brad Thomas to Nichols Point.
Josh Berry has taken over the captaincy in a positive move for the club.
Berry is a great competitor and his enthusiasm will provide plenty of motivation for his young charges.
Merbein South will again be reliant on their local talent with last year’s two international players, Aaron Wright and Henry Cheal not returning and opening bowler Daniel Chapman heading to Nichols Point.
The Saints biggest inclusion is Englishman Cameron Grimwood and they will be hoping he can live up to the early hype.
Veteran Shane Trinick is again expected to carry of the workload with the ball and he will be hoping to start the season on a positive note with his 300th match looming.
Coomealla Wentworth v Nichols Point
Coomealla
NICHOLS Point have been touted as the SCA’s big improvers this season.
The addition of Shaun Mathews, Brad Thomas and Daniel Chapman adds batting and bowling depth, but, more importantly, also experience and leadership, something the Pointers have craved in recent years.
Thomas and Mathews have crossed from Mildura East, Mathews as coach and Thomas as captain, while Chapman returns after a brief stint with Merbein South to headline their bowling attack.
The return of internationals Glen Bridson and Kaushik Aphale further enhances Nichols Point’s chances this season, but today’s match against last year’s finalists Coomealla Wentworth will provide some insight into their improvement.
Coomealla Wentworth have made few changes to last season’s line-up and will again be relying on their strong bowling attack to lead the way.
Kobe Smith and Frank Nesser are two notable absentees – Smith playing in Melbourne and Nesser returning to Sydney.
Justin Freeman will again skipper the side and also shoulder much of the responsibility with the ball along with new coach Brad Woolley, who returns from England for another season with the Blues.
Irymple v Mildura West
Henshilwood Oval
MILDURA West head into today’s match against Irymple without captain and star all-rounder Chris Williams.
Williams is holidaying with his family overseas and his absence leaves a massive void in West’s line-up.
But despite his absence, Brandon Dixon believes Wests can start the season with a win.
A strong recruiting drive over the off-season has has added some much-needed depth and experience to complement their emerging junior talent.
Aaron Seroz and Will Parsons, who are Wests’ new English imports, are two of the new faces Dixon is hoping for big things from.
Seroz is an off-spinner while Parsons will bat in the middle and upper-order.
Matt Lee and George Woods will also make their debuts for Wests today.
Lee is a middle-order batsman from Tasmania, while George is an all-rounder who has moved to Sunraysia from Goondiwindi for work.
Than Rajapaske is another new face to land at the club, adding further depth to their bowling attack.
“We relied on Chris (Williams) so much last year – he is just such a great player and it does make it tough not having him this weekend, but it is going to be good to have a few more players around him to take a bit of the load off his shoulders,” Dixon said.
“We have a few more batsmen and a few more bowlers and with Than and Aaron it will allow Chris to bowl medium pace.
“So if he bowls seam it complements our seam and with a couple of quality spinners now we just have a bit more variety.”
Dixon also believes with more shorter format games his side will be better placed.
“We have a pretty young team, so I think fielding is going to be a bit of highlight and the shorter format is just lots of fun.
“I do think it will suit us. We have some guys who like hitting the ball pretty hard. We have five good bowlers who are all capable of bowling at the death and who all have good change-ups so, yeah, I think we should go OK.”
Irymple look very similar to the side which finished third last season and with players like Jordan Payne and Mark Thompson leading the way, they are sure to be among the top few come finals time.
