CRICKET PREMIERSHIP DECIDED TODAY
Weekend showdown for TCI title
CRICKET: Last weekend they were the hunted but today the boot will be on the other foot when Metropolitan-Easts looks to chase down Northern Brothers Diggers for this year’s TCI two-day premiership.
Diggers and the Trojans meet at Heritage Oval this weekend in the 100-overs-per-side final.
The Dragons qualified for the decider after finishing on top of the two-day ladder while Mets held reigning premiers Wests to a draw in their semi-final to win through as the higher-placed team.
But this weekend it is do-ordie for Mets who must roll the Dragons to claim the title.
Last weekend’s semi-final was played on a flat batting track and Mets’ captain Matt Dennis is expecting similar conditions when he leads a reshuffled line-up into the clash.
“It was a fantastic batting deck here last week and I’m not expecting much change this weekend,” Dennis said.
“But our job this time is to get 10 wickets.”
All-rounder Peter Reimers is one of three players missing this week for Mets but a familiar name will make a return.
“We’ve got Paul Toohey coming in,” Dennis said.
“He has a lot of experience and is still one of the premier spin bowlers in Toowoomba.
“He can do a job for us especially when the ball gets a little bit older on a pitch like this.
“We’ll be missing Lyle Teske and Jaidyn Teske as well.
“But we’ve got another young keeper, Ben Hancock, coming in along with our medium pacer Mace Gaffney.
“Diggers bat long and have got good, steady quicks.
“We’ll have our work cut out for us but we’re going to back our guys to get the job done.”
Diggers are at full match strength and kept their momentum ticking over in a practice match last weekend.
Captain Louis Reen is confident the Dragons have the necessary team balance to lift The Chronicle Cup.
“Our big game experience is a plus,” Reen said.
“We’ve got a lot of blokes who have played in grand finals and won grand finals before which is going to help.
“We’ve also got four or five young blokes there for the first time and they’re itching just to get out there.
“So I think we’ll have a good mix of energy and experience which can go a long way towards a win.”