EXIES captain Marc Tucker plans to turn the screws and test Leagues Club’s temperament when the teams battle for the Griffith District Cricket Association two-day premiership this weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The defending champions were the first side through to the decider and watched on as Leagues Club edged out Hanwood in last week’s preliminary final.
Tucker was one of the onlookers and believes he identified a few weaknesses Exies can exploit.
“Leagues, put a bit of pressure on them and they can crack a bit,” Tucker said.
“We’ll look to build a heap of pressure and then let them make the mistakes. That’s what they did on the weekend.
“If we bowl well and also bat out our 85 overs, we’ll be hard to beat.”
With players such as paceman Josh Shaw and keeper Jacob Breed not part of last summer’s triumph, Tucker doesn’t believe motivation will be a problem.
“We’ve got some younger players,” he said.
“And hopefully we’ll have enough experience with guys like Duane Ashcroft, Warren Bock and others like myself, Phil Burge and the Winklers, who have been playing for four or five years.”
Leagues Club also have plenty of experience and have shown a knack of performing when the pressure is on. The Panthers had to survive two sudden-death games – starting with Yenda a fortnight ago – to make the decider.
Leagues Club captain Paul Plummer said that tough run had hardened his players’ resolve.
“I think playing two games like that gets us ready to play finals cricket,” he said.
“I don't think you could ask for a better way to prepare. To come from behind and to be put under pressure and still win is pretty good.”
The Panthers won the one-day trophy earlier this month, and Plummer would love to finish the summer with two titles.
“The one-day final, I think it was the first time since 1996 that Leagues had won a trophy and before that it was the early 80s,” he said.
"A lot of the old boys who were part of the club come down and watch us play, and I think it would mean a lot to them if we got this one.”
In other finals, association Twenty20 champions Coleambally take on Leagues Club in second grade, while the Coro Cougars battle Hanwood in third grade.
Umpire appointments
First grade: Exies v Leagues at Exies 1 – Don Coleman, Ken Cunningham.
Second grade: Coleambally v Leagues at West End Oval – Gordon Browne, Doug Cattanach.
Third grade: Hanwood v Coro at Exies 2 – Richie Alvaro, Garry Tucker.