Wests look to cap off the perfect TCI season
CRICKET: Western Districts’ season of dominance in Toowoomba can finish on the right note in the weekend’s TCI Agrade grand final at Heritage Oval.
The Harding-Madsen Shield victors have carried that form throughout the two-day competition, going through the regular season without suffering a loss.
Their hard work to get to this point can come unstuck at the hands of Northern Brothers Diggers, who progressed to the decider after claiming a rain-affected semi-final win over University.
While acknowledging the strides they had made over the course of the season, captain Luke Neale said they had to continue applying pressure to cap off the year.
“It’s been a very good year for us so far. We haven’t dropped a two-day game and it would be a shame for this to be the first,” he said.
“That form doesn’t mean anything come this weekend through, so we will have to be at our best.
“In saying that, grand final week is always exciting, and there is a buzz around the group.
“We haven’t had our full team on the paddock for a lot of the year, so we’ve been able to build on that at training, and everyone’s really looking forward to ripping in.”
Northern Brothers remains the only team that Western Districts hasn’t beaten throughout the two-day season, however it could be argued they were well on their way to achieving that.
In their solitary meeting for the season, Chris Gillam and Brian May both scored tons as Wests declared their first innings at 7/384, the highest score of the two-day season.
In response, Diggers were able to hold on, finishing the day at 7/176.
They won’t be able to play for a draw this weekend however, with the side requiring at least a first innings victory to lift the silverware and secure back-to-back A-grade titles.
Neale said he was wary of the dangers the bowling attack of Diggers possessed.
“We’ve had success batting against them so far, but they have a few strike bowlers we have to be wary off,” he said.
“We’re not being too confident. We have to get through the hard work early.
“I watched a bit of their game (against University) and because of the various rain delays they weren’t able to get a heap of momentum. They didn’t bat as well as they would’ve liked, but they bowled really well to keep the batsmen under pressure.
“Dane (Hutchinson) has been in pretty good form and had six wickets last week. Aiden Watterson will be back bowling, and Kane Bradford is dangerous on his day, so we really have to get on the front foot against them.”
With the status of the pitch not known until tomorrow, winning the toss will be crucial to how the weekend will play out.
As well as the prowess Wests have with the bat, Daley Martin is coming off securing the only 10-wicket haul in the twoday competition this season, form Neale is hoping he can bring over the weekend.
“Without seeing the pitch, we’d probably bat first. Getting runs on the board in a final is always good and a strong total would be a helping hand,” Neale said.
“If it is a green top we’d have a bowl. Our bowling has been a strong point for the past few years, and we’re hoping the likes of Daley (Martin) and Shaun (McCarthy) can keep up their great form.”
The TCI A-grade final starts at Heritage Oval at 10.30am tomorrow and Sunday, with final sessions scheduled to finish at 5.30pm on each day.