Sport
Who might be the difference-makers in this year’s Haisman Shield finals series?
March is here and that means one thing: total whites out.
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Cricket Shepparton’s Haisman Shield has cranked up a gear, with six sides going full throttle towards the finish line from Saturday onwards.
Each of those half dozen outfits have done the legwork over five months to get here, but in the most crucial block of them all, who will flip the dial to 11 and go bang in the pointy end?
The News had a stab at reading the tea leaves and predicting which players will turn it on in finals.
Kyabram — Billy McLay
When Kyabram needed a hero in last season’s grand final Billy McLay stood up.
After the Redbacks’ opener smacked a game-high 51 in the 2023-24 decider, it’s clear he’s built for the big occasion and his 335 runs and seven wickets in the Haisman Shield this season show he’s in handy shape.
But will ‘‘Billy the Kid’’ hit the ground running first up against Waaia?
A quick-fire 31 against the Bombers in the short format followed by 16 in the ensuing two-dayer sends mixed signals, but McLay’s ability to tie down an innings was evident in the campaign’s early sparring and could be vital against a bowling-heavy Waaia side.
Nagambie — Mitch Winter-Irving
Winter’s coming in more ways than one.
With Nagambie finishing in second, only behind Central Park-St Brendan’s, a favourite tag has to be placed on a Lakers side chock-a-block with talent.
Among the threats is Mitch Winter-Irving, who has proved all season he is just as good with a Kookaburra between his fingers as a slab of English willow in the palms.
His 130 against Euroa is among the biggest knocks witnessed in the Haisman Shield all season, yet he’s no one-trick pony.
Winter-Irving has amassed 370 runs at 30.8 and has taken 22 poles at 15.2, making him one of the more well-rounded stars in the current crop of Cricket Shepparton talent.
Central Park-St Brendan’s — Connor Hayes
The returning Tiger found his stride like few others in the competition could match throughout much of the season’s second half.
While his electrifying 144 against Pine Lodge will perhaps be considered his magnum opus on pure maths, Hayes has demonstrated he can more than turn a fixture off his own bat — just ask Kyabram.
The Redbacks’ 270 looked a tall ask to chase in the final round, but the long-haired dynamo embarked on yet another game-changing partnership with Tyler Larkin on his way to a tremendous 127 in a memorable win.
His form either side of the festive break has been near-unplayable and his wicket will be worth its weight in gold for Tatura.
Tatura — Chaz Cheatley
From one of the league’s most electric hitters to a bowler who will loom as an ever-present threat to snuff out Central Park.
Chaz Cheatley put the competition on notice with his staggering eight-wicket haul against Waaia in November and, while we haven’t seen those crazy sorts of numbers since, he’s always one to watch when he comes in to bowl.
He found his place comfortably in recent rep games against Bendigo and the Cricket Shepparton Internationals and Tatura will no doubt look to him to fill an end when (if, perhaps) the going gets tough.
He’s occasionally held up a role as nightwatchman as well, so don’t discredit him on day two if the Tigers bowl at the beginning.
Katandra — Andrew Riordan
In finals, every club needs someone who can make a difference with the bat or with the ball.
An X-factor player who can wrench back the momentum, take a wicket out of nowhere or raise your run rate a notch.
Out at Katandra, the Eagles have their trusty veteran Andrew Riordan — who seems to be ageing in reverse — to call on in times of need.
In his most recent match, Riordan struck 106 not out off 161 balls, before taking 5-25 the following weekend to be player of the match.
He finished tied second in the A-grade leading wicket-taker tally with 30 scalps at an average of 13.3, while with the bat he has struck just shy of 300 runs for the season at 36.8.
Riordan’s years of experience have given him plenty of cricketing wisdom and guile for his teammates to lean on, but will the star all-rounder be the difference-maker this finals series?
Waaia — Liam Evans
Cometh the moment, cometh the big name recruit?
Waaia all-rounder Liam Evans has had an up-and-down season.
While success has followed him with ball in hand (21 wickets at an average of 18.4), the same can’t be said for his form with the willow.
The gun all-rounder found some runs with the bat during the last round, belting 40 not out off 18 balls, but has averaged single figures for the rest of the A-grade season.
Evans came to the Bombers at the start of the season with high expectations of the influence he could have on their Haisman Shield premiership chances, so what will he produce with the time he has left?
With three rounds of finals left, Evans still has a vital role to play for Waaia and could be the difference between the Bombers falling out of the race, or lifting the shield come March 23.