West Gambier v Mil Lel
Top of the ladder West Gambier will face fourth placed Mil Lel in the semi final of the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association Barber Shield at Malseed Park this weekend.
Coming into this game West has swept Mil Lel this season, winning both games easily.
Mil Lel will have to improve from its recent form of five straight losses.
Jack Miller will play a big role, as last time the sides met Miller and Thomas Smith combined for nine wickets.
It will be crucial these two have big games in this match up.
On the batting side Mil Lel’s Nick Walters and William Rowland will have to be playing at their best.
Both batsmen have been in good form over the past couple of weeks and the team will need them to show up in the semi.
For West Justin De Jong has been in great form and has played a big role in the success of his team this season.
De Jong will be looking to cap off a memorable season with a win over Mil Lel and a trip to the grand final.
Another player for West who will prove crucial is skipper Bray Stephenson.
Stephenson has been doing it all for West, serving as a reliable run scorer and wicket taker for the Roos this season.
With West being the team to beat, only losing one game this season, Mil Lel will come into this game as underdogs with nothing to lose.
West should be feeling good heading into this game, having home field advantage will play a big role with the Roos only losing once at Malseed Park this season.
East Gambier v North Sportsman’s
Second placed East Gambier will face third spot North Sportsman’s in the semi finals at Allan Scott Park.
These two sides finished the season with very similar records, both with seven wins but unfortunately North had a no result game against Penola earlier in the season.
This has affected their overall record because East finished the season on 87.3 points whereas North finished on 86.8.
East will have the home ground advantage, which has proved tough for other sides this year, who have struggled to make big run totals at the park.
Alex Hentschke and Emerson Mark will be key players for East, having contributed big with the bowling and the batting this season for the Doggies.
Dion Stratford has been another important player for East with the bat this year, consistently putting up good numbers every week.
North Sportsman’s bowling team has been a force all season with Declan Kenny consistently taking wickets over the past few weeks.
Skipper Elliot Fisher has been in great form with the bat lately, making 191 runs last week and will look to put runs on the board against the East bowlers.
Nick McInerney has also been very impressive with the bat, having proven he can be a reliable run scorer and a big threat for opposition.
This game is up for grabs with both sides having defeated each other this season.
Last time the two sides played each other in round 9 East came out on top, with that game being played on its home turf.
