Tigers keen to take on star O’Neill

SKIPPER Luke Ford says Grovedale will welcome the likely inclusion of East Belmont’s reigning Jack Sing medallist Sean O’Neill as the teams lock horns today.

O’Neill was named in the Lions’ first XI, having belted 117 and snared 5-37 in the second XI last Saturday in his return from a wrist reconstruction.

Keen for his side to take on the best, Ford was hopeful the hard-hitting East Belmont opening batsman would take his place in the two-day match.

“You want the best players to play, so I want Sean to play and I would hope everyone wants Sean to play,” Ford said.

“You don’t want to be playing against a lesser side, as such. You want the best players out there to see how you cope and Sean is obviously a very, very good player, coming off the Jack Sing Medal and a premiership as captain.

“We want him to play well and we want our bowlers to be tested. In saying that, we also want to get him early.”

O’Neill bolsters an already powerful line-up, complementing the likes of Andrew Baars and Matt Lineker who have been in strong form.

“Their team doesn’t revolve around him (O’Neill),” Ford said. “They have some really good players … Baarsy is hitting the ball well, Lineker is back to his best and it’s good to see.”

Following back-to-back losses to Leopold ( T20 and two-day cricket), Ford said his players were desperate to make amends.

“We want to bank wins early, and if you don’t do that, it can make it harder after Christmas,” he said.

One plus for the Tigers is the form of wicketkeeper-batsman Jordan Moran, who has crunched 491 runs at 61.38 in 10 matches across GCA1 and Premier cricket at Greenvale.

“It’s good for Jordan,” Ford said. “Last year didn’t go his way on and off the field. He had some things going on and it spilt onto the cricket field and the luck just didn’t go his way. He seems to have sorted most of it out so far this season and it’s a great thing for him because he’s a very nice guy and he helps everyone.”