A FIRST-round win over reigning premiers Irymple will hopefully give Mildura Settlers some early-season confidence for the Sunraysia Cricket Association campaign.
Setts captain Luke Stanbook is also aiming for his young squad to take some momentum into a tough clash with Gol Gol at Alcheringa Oval on Saturday.
While the Swallows were not at full strength and awaiting the arrival of English import Scott Steel, Setts’ solid performance, especially with the ball and in the field, gave cause for optimism.
Off-season acquisition Tom Stokes impressed with 3/20 in his first game since joining from Coomealla Wentworth, while Richie Wyld (three wickets), Sam Farmer and Cooper Aldridge (two each) all shone with the ball.
Stanbrook himself top scored with 35 but a solid 24 from youngster Beau Kiel could be a good sign.
“It went well, we went into bat and gave young Beau Kiel a chance at the top of the order alongside Jason (Morrison), which I’m not sure he’s really done before, but it helped get us off to a good start,” Stanbrook said.
“We lost a few quick wickets in there which wasn’t ideal but the lower order did a great job, and with the ball we just hit our line and length pretty well.
“We started with Cooper and Muki Sharma, who were able to tie them down a bit, our spinners Sammy Farmer and Richie bowled well in tandem, and Stoksey cleaned them up afterwards which was a great performance
“We also fielded really well which meant we were able to put the pressure back on them.
“We know they had a few out and some more guys to come back in but still to be able to get one on the board early was fantastic.”
Stanbrook knew his side would have their work cut out for them against Gol Gol this weekend, but they were optimistic about their chances.
“We know how good of a side they are, they’ve been around the mark for the past 10 years or so. They have some gun batters and a really good bowling unit,” he said.
“Teams like Gol Gol, Irymple and Mildura East, they’re who we’re trying to follow.
“We can only control what we can control with a young group, but with a bit of luck we might be able to find ourselves 2-0, and the confidence we can get from that would be huge.”
The contest begins at 1pm Saturday.
