MILDURA West captain Shane Driscoll believes his side is only getting better with each game.
West have jumped into third place on the Sunraysia Cricket Association table following their 41-run win over Merbein South, with the skipper leading from the front.
After scoring a solid 21 with the bat, Driscoll made the most of a pitch that suited his “skiddy” bowling to take 5/33. his performance earned him the nod as the SCA Player of the Round and has moved him into eighth place in the MGA Insurance Champion Player standings.
While Driscoll was pleased with his performance, he praised the batting of Greg Lewis and Brandon Dixon, who made 73 and 32 respectively, sharing a 60-run partnership.
“We lost to Merbein when we played them before Christmas so to come back and play the way we did was fantastic,” he said.
“I was a bit shaky with the bat early but I spent a bit of time out there with Greg who set the game up with his 73. Greg and Dicko’s partnership was really important in setting the foundations for us.
“Greg’s our leading run scorer and he was cooked after his innings so to get out there and show the energy he did behind the stumps was great for everyone.
“The outfield was a bit slow so there was a lot of running twos and threes which definitely took it out of us. Then with the ball it was a bit up and down from this end (clubrooms end) so it was a bit of advantage to me as it was skidding a bit low.
“I try to hurry the batsmen along a bit more and throw in a lot of variations, especially on a pitch like that that was dry and staying low a bit.”
West welcomed the return of English spinner Aaron Feroz, who last played at the club as an import in 2019-20 when he took 40 wickets.
And with Chris Williams set to return this week against Nichols Point, and two-day matches also coming back, the side look to be hitting their straps.
“Having Aaron back is great, he tied down one end going for 18 runs off his eight overs, so bowling in a partnership with him, they were struggling to score,” Driscoll said.
“I actually think longer format suits our cricket better. There’s no massive hitters in our side we tend to work the ball around a bit more and I think 80 overs would work better for our batters and out bowlers, we tend to go for three runs or under an over which is really important in two-day cricket.”
As the SCA Player of the Round, Driscoll receives a $50 voucher from the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club.
