By Nick Creely
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
ROUND 2 PREVIEW
Casey South-Melbourne vs Ringwood
Saturday 8 October, 11am, Casey Fields #4
AFTER the Round 1 washout, both sides will be eager to get their campaign underway.
The young Swans outfit is brimming with talent and a one-dayer at home is the perfect opportunity to showcase their wares.
Last year’s runner-up, Ringwood, is still as strong as ever, while Casey will be desperate for an early season scalp.
On what is set to be a blustery, overcast Melbourne day, the quick bowlers may be the key.
Ringwood pace trio Ian Holland, Michael Topp and Matthew Fotia will look to generate pace and movement off the surface while Casey duo Nathan Lambden and Leigh Diston will be hoping to surprise the Rams.
The Casey boys are confident they can trouble the Rams, with a strong batting line-up featuring gun opening batsman Kasun Suriaratchie, while the ever consistent Devin Pollock and skipper Lachlan Sperling will be keen to get amongst the runs.
Young pace-bowler Jackson Fry will also be out to impress after a promising debut season in the 1st XI for the Swans, and will cause some trouble as he continues to improve as a Premier bowler.
Casey South-Melbourne
Round 2 1st XI: 2015/16 Premier First statistics
Ashan Wijayakumara, 7 matches, 46 runs, Avg.5.75, HS 19
Kasun Suriaratchie 12 matches, 473 runs, Avg.36.38, HS 106
Devin Pollock (WK) 14 matches, 297 runs, Avg.22.85, HS 72
Lachlan Sperling (Capt) 17 matches, 378 runs, Avg.19.89, HS 86, 4 wickets, Avg. 64.00, BB 1/13
Ryan Eaton 10 matches, 126 runs, Avg.12.60, HS 87
Michael Wallace 13 matches, 162 runs, Avg.13.50, HS 41
Dylan Hadfield 12 matches, 162 runs, Avg.16.20, HS 39, 5 wickets, Avg. 21.40, BB 3/2
Brendan Rose 15 matches, 140 runs, Avg.10.77, HS 30, 22 wickets, Avg. 24.18, BB 4/30
Nathan Lambden 15 matches, 129 runs, Avg.11.73, HS 39, 25 wickets, Avg.20.69, BB 7/65
Leigh Diston 17 matches, 64 runs, Avg. 5.83, HS 17, 24 wickets, Avg. 28.71, BB 4/24
Jackson Fry 12 matches, 21 runs, Avg. 4.20, HS 8, 13 wickets, Avg.22.85, BB 2/19
Players to watch:
Casey South- Melbourne spearhead Nathan Lambden looms as a crucial player against the Rams. Lambden is a much improved bowler and will need to take plenty of wickets for the Swans to get up. Gun opening batsman Kasun Suriaratchie will also need to fire on his home deck and appears as the cornerstone of the Swans batting line-up
New Ringwood skipper David King, who ploughed 916 runs last season at 57.25, is a crucial player for the Rams. The 26-year-old is a genuine gun and will look for a big season in the hopes of adding to his two first-class games for Victoria. All-rounder Ian Holland, who won the Ryder Medal in 2014/15, just seems to do it all. The Swans will need to limit their output to win this game.
Last year’s results mean little now, as Casey will back them in to give the competition an early shake-up.
One-dayers are about taking your opportunities, timing your run perfectly and executing the basics that make cricket sides great.
Cricket is a funny game and any side on their day can beat anyone.
That is certainly the case for the Swans, who go in underdogs, but have the chance to set their season up with a strong win against the Rams.
