Cobras brace for star’s absence

COLLENDINA will take on Barrabool without star allrounder Andy Higgins when they meet for a one-day clash tomorrow.

Higgins, who has averaged almost 32 with the bat and taken six wickets at 12 this season, is set to miss the next two games due to work commitments.

He will be replaced by the returning Jye Hearps.

The veteran mediumpacer will likely be the sole inclusion for the reigning premier ahead of this weekend’s shortened game, with batsman Ben Ricardo set to fill the No.3 spot left vacant by Higgins.

“We just get Jye Hearps in and we lose Andy Higgins for a couple of weeks,” Collendina captain-coach Corey Walter said.

“He’ll be a big loss, but we’ve got a bit of depth.

“Everyone might just slot up one, or we’ve been using Benny Ricardo at five this year so he might just slot up to three or four.

“He’s one of the best batsmen in the comp, so he’ll come up and fill that void for us for a couple of weeks.”

Sitting in third with five wins and one loss this season, Collendina will be eager to cement its position in the top four with a win over ninthplaced Barrabool as it builds towards a defence of its Agrade title.

But Walter isn’t expecting the match to be easy, with his Barrabool counterpart Kane Pickering providing a consistent threat with the bat.

The one-day format will also change the dynamic of the game.

“We’ll approach (the oneday game) a little bit differently. Obviously it’ll be a bit more intense in the field and a little bit more strategic with batting and bowling changes so it should be a good challenge,” Walter said.

“Obviously Kane is one of the best players in the comp so he’s always dangerous, you’ve got to get him out early.

“But they’re young, they’ve got some really good young kids and we saw that last year, so we’ll have to be at our best and play well to get the result at home that’s for sure.”

All BPCA matches have been reduced to 50-over games after last week’s round was called off because of the heat.