Sport
8 March, 2024
Four best teams face off
The four best teams in the Horsham Cricket Association will face off this weekend for a place in the A Grade Grand Final.
The four best teams in the Horsham Cricket Association will face off this weekend for a place in the A Grade Grand Final.
Following the forfeit of Lubeck Murtoa on Saturday, West Wimmera jumped Homers to land the top spot and will play the Tigers at Horsham City Oval.
The Warriors are coming into the final series on the back of the one-day championship win and a walkover, so will be pumped up to set things straight.
Warriors captain Jeremy Weeks said they are full of confidence.
"The team is pretty much sorted but with that said there are a couple of players knocking down the door in B Grade so there will be some tough decisions to make," he said.
"The Tigers are a quality team led by Tyler Puls and they did a number on us last time we played them.
"We will have to bowl better and take our opportunities and the boys are buzzing with confidence and ready to go."
The Tigers will be without Jake Durdin (suspension) and Levi Mock (unavailable) for the clash and captain Tyler Puls is confident they can cover their loss.
"We may be missing a couple of key players but that doesn't mean we can't win," he said.
"We will put up a fight and do the best we can. If we can do the simple things right and hold onto our catches, that will put us in good stead.
"We have to be able to create those chances to begin with and just have to contribute as a team with the bat. We are highly confident in our bowling attack and we will look to put pressure on them early."
The Homers, after being a dominant team all season enter the finals series on the back of the one-day loss but also a comprehensive win against the Horsham Saints.
They will host the Bullants at Dimboola Recreation Reserve and will look to assert their authority and will be confident as they have beaten them both times they have played this season.
They are a young team and are dangerous. Even though they had a disappointing game against West Wimmera, when you boast talents such as Patrick Mills and Logan Millar in the top three as well as the ever-consistent Adam Atwood and Chaminda Gamage, and a pinch hitter in Luke Duetscher that can go off on his day, you can see why they have been such a good team.
Their bowlers are quality led by Baxter and Gibson Perry who can pile on the pressure early.
Captain Adam Atwood said the bowling is the key.
"The important thing is that we need to have a tight battle with the opening bowlers," he said.
"When that happens, the second and third can come in and take wickets and you saw that on the weekend with Oliver Potter.
"Put the pressure on first and then when the next bowler comes in, they can keep the pressure on. It has worked so far this season."
Atwood is confident his young side can step up to the task.
"Our group is going in confident we can not only win this week but also win the grand final," he said.
"There is an understanding that we have to be at our very best to win. We need to be better in the field and we have let ourselves down in that regard in recent weeks.
"Even though we are young we have experience in the young kids playing rep cricket and they have played in the seniors for a few years now and we have an enthusiasm of youth."
As the forfeit by Lubeck Murtoa has disadvantaged them, Atwood said they will try not to let it get to them as they want to focus on finals.
"It's disappointing, but we can't focus on it now. We need to focus on the task at hand, and that is to win finals," he said.
The Bullants have a lot of experience in their lineup but will be without captain Matt Combe following a one match suspension. He was involved in an altercation in their match against the Tigers last week with Tigers' Jake Durdin also getting a one match suspension.
With Justtin Combe, Garrett Liston and Shane Oakley alongside Heath Lang with the ball, they cannot be underestimated and experience is key in high-pressure finals.