Winning belief has a Peel for Kookaburras
A WIN to the start the season does incredible things to belief, according to Inverleigh allrounder David Peel.
Inverleigh managed to secure the victory last weekend via a final-over thriller against Little River — two sides that conjured just three wins between them last season.
Peel, 63 not out, was at the non-striker’s end when teammate Locke Perrett found a gap, after a flurry of wickets fell around him.
He looms as the most important player for his side this season, capable with both bat and ball.
“Obviously coming into the Bellarine (competition) for the first time last year we found it a little bit trying at times playing against some pretty good cricketers,” Peel said. “We fancy our chances for at least a finals berth this year.
“For us at the moment it’s just about winning a few games and getting that momentum and a good feeling around the club. And then later on in the year, if we’re in that position to possibly move up it’ll give us a bit more of a chance to recruit players.”
Peel is hopeful today’s clash against Winchelsea — the highest-ranking team to come down from last year’s A-Grade — will bring out a more decisive Inverleigh.
“We spoke (after the Little River match) about how we didn’t bowl as well as we could have and probably didn’t bat as well as we could and still got away with the win,” he said.
With a top six capable of making runs, it is the inexperienced bowling outfit, according to Peel, that holds the key to restricting sides to under 150 in these early one-day matches.
It will be just the second season of consistent high-level cricket for opening bowlers Jasper George and Murphy Walker — two players critical to helping Inverleigh reach a sustainable level of success.
“We have a couple of young fellas who are 16, 17 who open the bowling, so if those two boys can gain a bit more experience and start taking a few wickets then that’d be the key for us,” Peel said.
“We’ve struggled to bowl sides out. We’ve been good at restricting scores but if we can start to take those 10 wickets in matches then that can set us up pretty well.”