SUNRAYSIA CRICKET ASSOCIATION
Round 14
Two-day matches, day 1
Mildura East v Merbein
Mildura Sporting Precinct
WHILE sitting in third place coming into the final round of the home and away season, Mildura East are by no means safe inside the top four, with just over seven points separating them from fourth and fifth.
Last season’s grand finalists however are also in with a chance of pinching a top two position depending on how their final match against Merbein pans out.
It’s been another tough season for the Magpies, but valuable experience has been gained by their emerging crop of young talent who will hopefully lead the side into the future.
East’s Nick Dorman has continued his impressive form with the ball, taking 11 wickets in the past two matches to move to 30 for the season and second place in the competition.
Scottish import Liam Naylor passed 50 for the sixth time in last week’s win, while Josh Andrews and Brad Thomas show plenty of class with the bat.
For the Magpies, Mark East and Campbell Dunne showed the most with the bat in their loss to Nichols Point, while Dillon Furze and Angus Smith have been solid contributors all season with bat and ball.
Ethan Walder has also shown some solid form with the ball in recent matches.
Coomealla Wentworth v Mildura Settlers
George Gordon Oval
IF not for two matches that went down to the wire where the results didn’t go their way, it could have easily been Coomealla Wentworth playing for a spot in the finals.
As it stands the Blues will be keen to finish the season on a high, as will opponents Mildura Settlers at George Gordon Oval.
It’s been a strong season from captain Justin Freeman who leads his side in runs scored with 349 and is third in wickets with 18, while co-coach Jay Turlan has put together some great form in the back half of the campaign with 253 runs and 19 wickets.
Liam Freeman still leads their wickets with 22 which has him seventh in the competition.
Setts threatened to be the surprise packet of the season defeating Irymple and Gol Gol in the first two one-day games of the season, but have registered just one more since then.
Jason Morrison and captain Luke Stanbrook have unsurprisingly been at the top of the batting, while young spinner Sam Farmer has impressed with his team-high 15 wickets for the campaign.
Mukesh Sharma was outstanding last week with six wickets in their loss to Mildura West.
Mildura West v Irymple
John Hall Oval
WITH very little to separate themselves and Nichols Point in the race for the top four, Mildura West face a big test in their final home and away game when they host reigning premiers Irymple.
A great escape last week against Mildura Settlers ensured they kept their place in the finals positions, but it’s far from a sure thing.
Plenty of praise has been passed onto youngster Josh Driscoll and rightly so, his best batting innings (45) and bowling performance (6/38) in first division cricket saving West from a horror start at 6/12 to eventually defeating Settlers by 50 runs.
Jasper Presswell’s 37 wickets has him top of the leaderboard in the competition, and should West make finals, 50 for the season is not completely out of the question.
No doubt Irymple will want to avoid heading into finals on the back of two consecutive losses.
Riley Payne’s third half-century of the season last week has seen him cultivate an impressive season with the bat, 12th overall in the competition with 359 runs.
Bailey Anderson remains one of the most dangerous bowlers in the division with 27 scalps, while Mark Thomson and Scott Steel are big game players who know how to perform when needed.
A cracking contest awaits over the next two weeks.
Nichols Point v Gol Gol
Nichols Point Reserve
SIMPLY put, Nichols Point have to upset ladder leaders Gol Gol to ensure they play SCA finals, and potentially gain confidence ahead of a rematch in the semi-final should they do so.
While the calculators will need to be brought out no matters the result for Point and West, the easiest way to give themselves every chance is by a big win.
Nick Blacker (97) and Brad Rosenzweig (67) combined for a 112-run opening partnership and will need to remain on-song again, Riley Jobson has put together a fantastic all-round season, and spin twins Shaun Mathews and Jarrod Forrester have a combined 44 wickets between them.
Not forgetting leading run scorer Shannon Bowen who thrives on the big stage.
While leading all-rounder Shacaya Thomas has missed the past two games, Gol Gol reiterated their outstanding depth.
Wade Hancock is a standout, Sheldon Calarco and Adam Thomson have been in strong recent form, and Jeremy Barnes’ explosive hitting can take games away from the opposition.
Still plenty of bowlers who can take the wickets like openers Luke Hickey and Matt Cameron, spinner Than Rajapakse, while Jayden Brooks and Kain Berryman have each had big games.
