The grand final rematch between premiers North and West promises to pack a punch as A Grade cricket in Broken Hill returns with a couple of crash and bash T20 games.
Both sides are full of talent and there will not much be separating the two sides in the early Barrier District Cricket League game at the Alma Oval, starting at 11.30am.
Last year’s Denis Watts medallist, Ben Jurd, will have a big say in the outcome with both bat and ball in hand, along with potential contributions from Tobias Hack, Codie Howard and Austin Wilson.
West does have an even lineup, not relying on one or two players to shoulder the workload.
In saying that, Mackenzie Attard and Max Everuss form the backbone of their batting, and if either get going it’s sure to be exciting for spectators.
Lawrence Hebbard and Casey Ferguson, with their swing bowling, will keep the North batters wary of their wickets.
With plenty on the line for both sides and the T20 final only a month away, a loss here for either team will see them chasing the pack to make the decider.
The second T20 game, starting at 2.30pm, has South and Central going head to head.
Central will be out to make amends for last season, missing the grand final due to the semi-final being washed out.
New co-captain Sheldon Hall had changed his game to a more aggressive mindset and it is paying dividends for himself and the team.
Throw in Jarred Paull and Riley Elvery, who scored 69 in B Grade last week with the bat, and the ever reliable David O’Malley with the ball, and this Central team is primed for a big season.
South will be looking to rebuild after a poor season last year.
Much will be asked of Tristen Smith, Paul Nicholas and Matt Gray to lead from the front and help South secure some early wins this year.
Consistency will be something that South will be looking for this season, keeping the same 12-15 players on the park each week and building from there.
B Grade cricket this week has Warriors taking on South at the Norm Fox Oval, while over the hill at the Zinc Oval, North go up against Central.
Warriors will be looking to bounce back after last week’s loss to West, and this situation could be dangerous for South as rarely do the Warriors drop two in a row.
The key will be limiting the impact of round 1 centurion Shane Dalby.North, coming off the bye, will be looking for their first win of the season against Central to kick start their premiership defence.
North’s first game of the season didn’t go to plan, being bowled out for 60 a fortnight ago.
Central had a good win over South last week with Ayden Pettitt and Damon Pettitt chipping in with 33 runs each, while captain Ethan Kelly and Leigh Sultana took three wickets each.
Women’s cricket on Sunday is from 10am with North playing South at the Fox and Central meeting West at the Zinc.
South’s game was washed out last week, so their first game of the year will be a tough one against North.
North dominated last week against Central scoring 3/161, with Steph Balman scoring a quickfire 48 off 26 balls before taking taking 2/6 off two overs.
Stephanie Wylie holds the key for South to set a defendable total.
West also missed out on a game last week, and their season opener against Central should be a competitive game.
The contest between Sasha Harrington from Central and West’s Phoebe Knell is worth the trip to the Zinc Oval.
