Murrumbidgee Rangers coach Peter Learmonth has opted for a team full of agility and strength for the Plan B Regional Big Bash match against the Wagga Sloggers on Sunday at Exies No. 1.
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With a lot more time to plan his side this year, Learmonth used it wisely and studied available players’ form and picked his side from there.
“[I’ve gone for] hard-hitting batsmen and elite fielders,” Learmonth said when asked what the side was made up of.
“It was a rushed process last year and a lot of clubs and leagues didn't know what the process was.
“This year I went through the mycricket sites to see who’d made runs and that sort of thing and gone from there.
“I think the side is 10-15 per cent better than last year.”
Learmonth hasn’t studied his opposite side in detail but he remembered only too well the impact Josh Thompson had on the match.
“Thompson made 60 against us last year – he was the difference to us winning,” he said.
“He was crashing them over mid-wicket, he really set the game up for them.”
And how does Learmonth plan to contain the batsman?
“We’ll vary our pace, our line and length and mix it up with a few blokes who take the speed off the ball,” he said.
Whilst last year’s match saw Wagga win by 51 runs, Learmonth expected Sunday’s match at Exies No. 1 to be a much tighter affair.
“It’ll be a close and exciting game,” Learmonth predicted.
“It’ll be very entertaining having the best cricketers from Northern Riverina out on the field.”
Adding to the excitement in this year’s match will be the new ‘Maxi-Over’ which allows the batting team to choose one over in which scores are doubled.
If all things go to plan for Murrumbidgee, the innings could explode from the get-go with the big-hitting pair of Brendan Hicken and Al Edis opening the batting.
Learmonth said it was a must-see day for cricket lovers.
“If you’re into your cricket, you’ll want to come along,” he said.
“I hope the Griffith community comes out and supports the day – the girls game should be good too, it’ll drag a bit of interest.”
There will be entertainment during the innings break – which will happen between 4pm and 4.45pm – that will include a high catch competition for children up to 16 years of age. There will be a cash prize for the winner.
CanAssist “Grill on the Hill” will be operating all day selling sausages. All proceeds goes to CanAssist Griffith branch.
There will also be collectors going around the crowd gathering donations for CanAssist throughout the day.
The men’s game starts at 2.30pm.
MURRUMBIDGEE SIDE
Haydn Pascoe, Al Edis, Dan Bozic, Brendan Hicken, Jessie Hampton, Jarrod Cahill, Brent Lawrence, Jacob Anderson, Billy Dickinson, Nathan Lanham, Liam Greenaway, Nathan Carn.