By Nick Creely
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
ROUND 6 PREVIEW
Casey-South Melbourne vs Camberwell Magpies
29 October and 5 November, 11am Casey Fields
Ladder Positions: Casey (2-1, 5th) v Camberwell (2-1, 4th)
The Swans and the Magpies will swap their colours for their whites this weekend, as Premier Cricket transitions into its first lot of two-day cricket for the season.
It has been a difficult start to the season to read, as two complete rounds have been washed out due to rain.
The weather shouldn’t be an issue this weekend, with clear skies and sunshine on the forecast.
It looks like Saturday will be a great day for batting, and both sides will be eager to make their mark.
Both sides have had almost identical starts to the season, and this match is destined to be a crucial one in the make-up of the ladder.
The Swans have endured a strong start to the season on the back of some impressive bowling performances, but now the pressure is on to the lift their intensity with the bat.
At this stage, only one batsman has made a 50, suggesting the Swans Achilles heel is their batting.
However, there is talent within the group ready to fire, with the likes of Lachlan Sperling, Michael Wallace and Devin Pollock yet to get their game up and running with the bat.
Two-dayers provide the perfect platform to spend quality time in the middle; and the Swans will relish the challenge.
In a sense, that is a major positive that they have been able to be ahead on the win-loss ledger without making the most of their chances with the bat.
There are two changes to the Swans line-up from when they played two weeks ago, with batsman Chris Benedek replacing Kasun Suriatchie and young leg-spinner Cameron Dinger replacing developing left-arm quick Jackson Fry.
Camberwell are not glittered with stars, but possess a nice balance.
Players such as Thomas Russ, Thomas Rickerby and Chris Thewlis pose a threat to the Swans with their all-round abilities.
Magpies skipper Brendan Drew will not be playing this round in what will help the Swans further advance up the ladder.
Casey South-Melbourne
Round 6 First XI: 2016/17 Premier First Statistics
Ashan Wijayakumara 3 matches, 58 runs, Avg 19.33, HS 39
Devin Pollock (Wk) 3 matches, 45 runs, Avg 15.00, HS 19
Lachlan Sperling (Capt) 3 matches, 64 runs, Avg 21.33, HS 42
Chris Benedek First match of the season in the First XI
Ryan Eaton 3 matches, 69 runs, Avg 23.00, HS 64
Michael Wallace 3 matches, 60 runs, Avg 30.00, HS 28*
Dylan Hadfield 3 matches, 65 runs, Avg 32.50, HS 32, 3 wickets, Avg 29.00, BB 2/31
Cameron Dinger First match of the season in the First XI
Brendan Rose 3 matches, 7 runs, Avg 7.00, HS 4*, 6 wickets, Avg 14.33, BB 2/10
Nathan Lambden 3 matches, 15 runs, Avg 15.00, HS 11, 7 wickets, Avg 10.71, BB 3/40
Leigh Diston 3 matches, 1 run, Avg NA, HS 1*, 6 wickets, Avg 22.00, BB 3/46
Players to watch:
Casey South-Melbourne bowler Brendan Rose has enjoyed a productive start to the season and will be vitally important in the two-dayers. Rose has bowled with great control and pace at the start of this season. Middle-order batsman Michael Wallace is another that seems to be ready to make his mark, with a teasing start to the season with scores of 23, 28 and 9. Wallace is a clean striker of the ball and seems to relish a challenge, so a big score against the Magpies could be on the cards.
Camberwell All-rounder Thomas Russ is a player that can win a game off his own bat, and will be another player the Swans need to be wary of.
White-ball cricket is a different beast to red-ball cricket, and the Swans have a great opportunity to put into place their learnings from the off-season.
Batting must be the priority for the Swans as their bowling has served them well at the start of this season.
There is a different breadth of confidence within the group, and a win against the Magpies can do wonders.
They haven’t faced off since the beginning of last season, with the Magpies knocking off the Swans with precision.
But the Swans of this season have improved out of sight, and they will be looking to settle the score.
