By Marcus Uhe
Narre South and Buckley Ridges will square-off for the first time on Saturday since last summer’s incredible preliminary final in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 competition.
A crunching cut shot from Wes Nicholas put the finishing touches on an incredibly hot and taxing weekend of cricket at Park Oval that was captivating from first ball to last, as the Tigers came just eight balls and two wickets shy of upsetting the Turf 1 status quo.
They’ll meet again at the very same venue that broke Lions’ hearts on Saturday, but without key contributors from the aforementioned contest.
Centurion, Harsha de Silva, has departed the Lions den, along with seamers Alex Cruickshank and Jawed Hussaini, who combined for seven of Narre South’s eight wickets in Buckley’s batting innings.
Buckley Ridges, meanwhile, remains almost entirely intact, bar a few minor changes.
There’s pressure on the Lions to perform, having turned in one of the more disappointing performances in the season’s only round so far, slipping to 9/90 in pursuit of Beaconsfield’s 204.
Their bowlers held up their end of the bargain, combining for nine wickets – with none from spearhead Callan Tout – before coming completely unstuck with the bat, as three of the top five failed to get off the mark.
Buckley Ridges is one of the last side’s you would want to face when eager to kick-start a campaign, but they were shaky in their own right in round two, just getting over the line against Hallam Kalora Park.
Familiarity of their home wicket should give the Bucks an edge, a side that’s traditionally very difficult to beat at Park Oval.
If Buckley Ridges is not the worst side to take on when the pressure is up, their arch rival in Springvale South is the side most likely to unseat them from the mantle.
Berwick welcomes the Bloods to Arch Brown Reserve on Saturday in a contest that will say plenty about their prospects of success this year.
The Bears struggled to beat the sides above them on the table last summer, with the Bloods battering them twice in brutal batting displays from Jordan Wyatt.
The Wookey Medal winner made 77 off 46 deliveries in a one-day contest at Berwick and 118 off 90 in a stunning display of power and aggression in whites at Alex Nelson Reserve.
Restricting him will be the key, and a new challenge for left-arm quick James Trodd, whose express pace impressed at Dandenong West in round two.
A win over Springvale South will do wonders for Berwick’s confidence and legitimacy as a finals contender this season, but the Bloods look as strong as ever.
In Turf 1’s other contests, the fighting Tigers of Beaconsfield head to Hallam Kalora Park to take on the Hawks, and Dandenong West welcomes North Dandenong to Greaves Reserve.
Tips: BUCKLEY RIDGES v Narre South, Berwick v SPRINGVALE SOUTH, DANDENONG WEST v North Dandenong.
