Sport
Haisman Shield | Find out what the coaches and captains have to say ahead of round four
Cricket is finally back in full swing throughout the region, with a number of tantalising match-ups set to define an intriguing round four of Haisman Shield action.
The headline act sees Numurkah travel to Nagambie for what is set to be a season-defining encounter.
Similar to the way things began last season, the Lakers find themselves behind the eight-ball, beginning their campaign with two losses and a washed-out draw.
Now welcoming an unbeaten Numurkah side to town, nothing short of a win will suffice for skipper Mark Nolan and his troops as they look to stay in touch with the competition’s top sides.
The key for the Lakers will be putting together a consistent all-round performance, with a batting collapse the key to their loss to Northerners in round one and poor bowling the catalyst to last week’s shortcomings against Central Park.
Nagambie will be boosted by the inclusion of its first ever international import, with Sri Lankan spinner Jeewan De Silva set to add some much-needed experience and depth.
The Blues on the other hand will be looking to keep the good times rolling after two strong victories.
A side littered with star power, the likes of Michael Eckard, Dylan Grandell, Tim Arnel, Conor McElligot and Mitch Grandell have all started the season in ominous touch and will without doubt test this desperate Nagambie outfit.
What the captains said — Nagambie v Numurkah
Mark Nolan — Nagambie captain
“Looking on paper Numurkah is one of the top three teams in my books, so it would be nice to take a scalp on our home deck,” Nolan said.
“We’re a full-strength team which is nice and after finding a bit of form with the bat last week I am confident we can produce that complete team performance this week.
“We don’t want to slip to 0-3, so this match is incredibly important in the context of our season.”
Dylan Grandell — Numurkah captain
“We are very much looking forward to the challenge a road trip to Nagambie brings,” Grandell said.
“They’ve got some high quality throughout their team, so it is super important we are switched on for the entire game.
“With bat and ball we’ve managed to put together some strong partnerships, so the aim will be to replicate that and hopefully we can get the result.”
Northerners v Waaia, Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve, 12.30pm
Two teams yet to lose a game will do battle on Saturday afternoon, in a contest that is sure to provide plenty to think about.
Currently sitting on top of the table, Northerners are flying high, however with Waaia coming off an impressive win over Mooroopna they are sure to provide a tough ask.
Northerners coach Steve Allen said his side would put a similar side on the park to recent weeks.
“While we’ve had three wins we’ve been fairly inconsistent I suppose in our batting and bowling as individuals,” Allen said.
“It’s a really big game for us.”
Allen said the contest would provide a good opportunity for the side to measure itself against one of the competition’s stronger sides.
For Waaia captain Mitch Cleeland every game was important at this stage of the season.
“They (Northerners) are going along quite nicely as the results indicate so we’ll be cautious,” Cleeland said.
“They’ve definitely got a few batsmen who are consistent run-makers so it’s a matter of trying to curve their influence and when it’s our turn to bat making sure we don’t take any of their bowlers lightly.”
The Bombers will welcome Tim Belford and Brayden Summerville into the squad for the game, with Cleeland outlining consistent run scoring as something his side would continue to work on.
Shepparton United v Kyabram, Central Park Recreation Reserve, 12.30pm
Shepparton United will take to its temporary Central Park home for the first time at Haisman Shield level in what is set to be an intriguing clash with Kyabram.
United enters this clash refreshed and full of confidence, after defeating Karramomus in its last clash a fortnight ago.
Skipper Chaminda Vidanapathirana said his team was excited to take the deck at Central Park and challenge one of the competition’s top teams.
“We’ve had a couple of training sessions out in the middle at Central Park to try and get used (to it), but it will be a very new experience for our boys,” Vidanapathirana said.
“It’s a bit of a bigger ground which presents a few challenges, but we will just attack the game with enthusiasm and see how we go.
“Kyabram are a top quality side so it will be tough, but we go into the game confident we can put in a competitive performance.”
The Bombers got their season back on track last weekend with a powerful victory over Karramomus and will be looking to continue that momentum into this weekend.
“It was nice to get on the board last week, but this is a new week and we are expecting a very tough contest against an in-form United team,” Redbacks coach Jackson McLay said.
“Last week we put some different things in place to work on our batting and it paid off, so we will be looking to implement that game plan again and hopefully make another big total.”
On the selection front, Shepparton United will be without round two hero Wajhe Ali Bangash who is away for the next three weeks.
Kyabram has some big decisions to make with Jayden Tucker and Kyle Fitzgerald set to return to the line-up.
Old Students v Karramomus, Kialla Park Recreation Reserve, 12.30pm
Old Students will welcome Karramomus on Saturday in a must-win game for both clubs.
Speaking ahead of the contest, Old Students’ coach Gino Saracino said his side was seeing improvements on a weekly basis.
“We need to reward ourselves with a win this weekend and that’s the aim,” Saracino said.
Identifying facing spin and the side’s middle order as areas of improvement, the Students’ mentor said it would take time for the side to get everything right.
It is a similar situation for the Students’ round four opposition, with Karramomus needing to click into gear in order to a secure a win.
Euroa v Central Park-St Brendan’s, Euroa Friendly Society Recreation Reserve, 12.30pm
Central Park-St Brendan’s will be looking to keep the good times rolling as they travel south to take on Euroa.
The Tigers have been firing on all cylinders, but for coach Tyler Larkin, who enters this clash with scores of 63, 59 and 107 not out from his three digs, he understands the importance of not underestimating a dangerous opposition in the Magpies.
“Obviously they’re a team that are still finding their feet a little bit, we’re not going in underestimating them, they’ve got a couple of older guys who will definitely put up a fight,” he said.
“We’re focused on not letting it slip, we lost two games last year and still didn’t finish on top of the ladder, it just shows how tight the competition is.”
In team news, the Tigers are waiting on the fitness of Rhiley Lau, while Connor Holland comes back in after returning from a hockey camp.
Tatura v Katandra, Frank Howley Oval, 12.30pm
Katandra heads to Tatura’s Frank Howley Oval on Saturday afternoon with redemption on its mind.
Flying high with two strong wins to begin the season, the Eagles are on a roll behind all-rounder Jedd Wright’s scintillating patch of form.
The Bulldogs on the other hand have had a tough time of it in the early stages of the season, losing all three of their matches to be sitting last on the ladder.
But having lost to Tatura last season, Katandra skipper Ben Clurey knows his team cannot afford to take this fixture lightly.
“We lost a game to Tatura last year so we’re pretty keen to rectify that,” Clurey said.
“It was one of those games when everything went against us, we were pretty ordinary, and they were the much better side on the day.”
On the personnel front, the Eagles will lose Andrew Riordan and Joshua McKinnon, while talented all-rounder Ray Ireland comes back into the side.