CARLTON MID PREMIER GRADE T20 FINAL PREVIEW
Darwin v Southern Districts at Gardens Oval 1 (Thursday, 5.30pm)
This is it folks. Following NT Cricket's detailed announcement of the Top End T20 Series taking place in August, tonight will be the last chance for Darwin & Districts Cricket Competition fans to watch some quality Twenty20 action for the next six weeks. Darwin are the surprising top seed following an interesting journey to the Final, whilst Southern Districts have been slowly building towards this fixture without dropping a game.
The Eagles have bolstered their top order to support Jacob Dickman with the inclusion of in-form opener Jordan Rossi (75 and 84 in his last two ventures to the crease) in an otherwise settled lineup, whilst the Crocs have brought up Kane Donald and Daniel Padula from B Grade to fill a couple of gaps. Dean Fry is a big loss after his matchwinning hand against PINT in the Knockout, whilst red ball skipper Tim Garner's experience shall be sorely missed in those big moments.
Districts fans have packed out Gardens over the last fortnight as their beloved team overcame the spirited Greens in a finals classic on the final ball of the game, before a dominant bowling performance rock and rolled the Tigers for 108 in what was a one-sided showing. The Eagles shocked most except coach Darren Treumer and his charges as they demolished a flailing Nightcliff the week before in the Qualifier to book safe passage and condemn the men in yellow and black to an eventual straight sets departure.
CROCS BATTING NEEDS TO STAND TALL
If the Crocs are to climb Everest tonight and complete their white ball resurgence after being one ball away from packing their bags in the Knockout, then the middle order need to stand up against the spin pairing of Smit Raval and Ronak Bedi. The Eagles have figured out a containment plan for opposing top orders in the Power Play with variation coming from Aidan Brasher and Kris Denby in particular, but it will be the expected eight overs in tandem between the tweakers that will attempt to expose some vulnerability. After a slow start to his first foray in Darwin, Raval leads all comers in this format with eight wickets at 10.63, while Bedi's unique action has provided a stable economic factor from his two games to date (conceding 13 and 16 respectively). Lachlan Bangs will be keen to atone for his unexpected form slump of late and will enjoy facing the legspin as a left-hander. Jackson Isakka has a massive role to play without his usual partner Fry at first drop, so if Darwin can knock over those two and ACT import Nic Broes with the newish ball, the spinners could run riot and it may be curtains for the Crocs.
SPIN TO WIN (YET AGAIN) FOR THE CROCS
We keep saying it game after game, but the embellished displays of the liquorice all sorts Districts have at their disposal will definitely play a part in the spin bowling department. No Garner hurts, but Matt Hammond, surprise packet offspinner Andrew Bourne and captain Dylan Mullen will have 12 overs between them to make a difference. Dickman is obviously key, although the big man has simply dominated this season and will go very close to winning the Ralph Wiese Medal later on in the year. Hammond v Dickman in the Power Play will be box office entertainment, whoever wins that mini-battle will give their side the ascendancy and also the early momentum. Chris McEvoy and Pat Nagel provide some accurate seam bowling that suits the sluggish Gardens track. If the Crocs spinners get a hold of a accumulative batting order including Artharv Deshpande, Mitch Jamieson and Daniel Kerber, it should make for a cracking contest. That said, those aforementioned players get on with it and certainly will not let the slow men settle into their spells. Watch out for those square boundaries.
BUG ON A WIRE
With both teams essentially evenly matched despite a slight tipping point on the bowling scales, it is the batting ability against spin that wins the game tonight. Dickman will be highly aggressive if Districts serve up some fruit for him early, and if Darwin get off to a good start they should get the job done. However, Broes has threatened to tear an attack apart as his opposing number, without posting that big score that really puts an opposing attack to sleep. He looked very good against a shellshocked Nightcliff in the Challenger en route to an unbeaten 54 off 44 balls, also demonstrating some power when the spinners and medium pacers erred in length. This direct battle up top will be highly influential towards each respective player's collective fortunes tonight.
PREDICTION:
Darwin. The Eagles look solid after some early teething problems with their imports, since they have settled they look a strong side and are at full strength for the Final. Districts have the bonus of an extra T20 game under their belt where they were able to rediscover their best. Couple of key matchups to decide this one.