Full guide to the battle for 2023 finals spots in SACA Premier Cricket
With only four rounds of two-day SACA Premier Cricket remaining the fight for top four is tight. We’ve taken a look at each club’s run home and unpacked what they must do to book a finals appearance.
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The 2022-2023 SACA Premier Cricket season has finally reached the business end and seven clubs remain in with a realistic shot at a finals spot.
With Kensington looking likely to lock down at least a top two spot on the ladder, reigning premier West Torrens, Adelaide Uni, Port Adelaide, Sturt, Tea Tree Gully and Glenelg will fight for the remaining three finals places.
Here is our guide to the remainder of the season for competing clubs.
KENSINGTON (first, 140 points)
Kensington looks all but certain to wrap up a top two spot through the last four weeks of play, the club sitting 20 points (one win) on top of second spot West Torrens and 40 points (two wins) on top of third place Adelaide Uni.
The Browns look highly likely to win their current two-day matchup with Prospect this weekend, but an exciting matchup against West Torrens in round 10 could either see them all but seal top spot, or relinquish it to the Eagles.
Record Premier Cricket run-maker Jake Brown said he was confident his side could consolidate a strong finals spot.
“We’re playing some good cricket at the moment after a bit of a slow start. We’re on top and batting really well now,” Brown said.
“We should play finals if we keep playing to our potential and then hopefully we can produce in the postseason – a lot of teams are pretty evenly matched at the top end.”
Kensington will play Woodville, Adelaide Uni and East Torrens after they take on West Torrens and will be favourites to win all three.
WEST TORRENS (second, 120 points)
West Torrens can go equal top if it finishes with a likely win against Northern Districts this weekend and follow it with a defeat of Kensington in round 10.
The Eagles will then play Adelaide (13th), Tea Tree Gully (sixth) and Southern District (12th) to round out the season, three games the side should win.
West Torrens remains SA Premier Cricket’s only undefeated team, with star batters Daniel Drew and Kelvin Smith both in hot form, while crafty spinner Daniel Fallins has kept his spot as the competition’s highest wicket-taker this season.
Two wins throughout the four final games will seal a finals berth for the Eagles, but whether or not they claim top spot could come down to the result of their match against current leaders Kensington.
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY (third, 100 points)
The Blacks had a four-game winning streak ended by Port Adelaide over the weekend as star Magpie quick Nick Benton took five wickets to go level with their opponent on the ladder.
Uni remains in third spot but would need to win at least three of its next four games against Sturt, Southern District, Kensington and Northern Districts to gain a shot at the top two.
Captain Will Bosisto and emerging gun Sam Kerber have both been a consistent threat for the Blacks with the bat and ball and will need to maintain their strong form to ensure their side builds momentum in the business end of the season.
PORT ADELAIDE (fourth, 100 points)
A round seven loss to eighth spot Prospect did not do Port Adelaide’s finals chances any favours but a key win over Adelaide Uni last weekend has propelled the club back into the top four by a game.
The Magpies have boasted one of the best attacks in the competition this season, led by paceman Nick Benton and star all-rounder Cam Valente.
Valente has been arguably the best player in the competition since joining Port Adelaide in the off-season, tallying 707 runs and taking over 20 wickets for the Magpies.
He will need to remain at his best throughout the next three weeks against Adelaide, Northern Districts and Sturt if his side wants to finish in the top four.
The club will have a bye in the final week of play, so will be hoping to top fifth place Sturt and sealing finals with wins over the Jets and Buffaloes before the last round.
STURT (fifth, 80 points)
Sturt faces a tough battle against East Torrens this weekend after a bye in round eight, with the Reds currently sitting at a total of 4/267 after day one.
The Blues are currently 20 points below Port Adelaide but have a game in hand on the Magpies, meaning a win over them in round 12 would be significant for the team’s chances of a finals appearance.
The Blues will face multiple challenges aside from that major matchup however, the team set to face Adelaide Uni in round 10, Glenelg in round 11 and Woodville away in round 13, the final round of the regular season.
Each match could influence the race for top four with every club but Woodville in with a shot.
Club captain Brad Davis has found form as of late, making a century in his most recent performance against Adelaide, while Matt Spoors has also managed to lift his production after a slow start to the season.
TEA TREE GULLY (sixth, 70 points)
Tea Tree Gully remains an outside chance at finals after stringing together two wins in a row against Northern Districts and Southern District in rounds seven and eight.
The Bulls remain in the midst of a bye and sit one outright full-innings win (worth 30 points) outside of finals.
The side will face Glenelg away, East Torrens away, West Torrens away and Prospect at home in its four remaining games, making a finals appearance seem relatively unlikely.
Last year’s grand finalists have seen a resurgence of top batters Matt Weaver, Zac Worden and captain Joe Gatting in recent weeks and would need to ride the momentum of the three big names to make the postseason.
Gatting and Ben Atkinson have also been impressive with the ball, taking 37 wickets between them this season.
GLENELG (seventh, 70 points)
Tied on points with Tea Tree Gully but with an extra game in hand, Glenelg remains a solid shot at a top four finish this season.
With a sure-fire win against Southern District all but sealed over the weekend, the Seahorses will face Tea Tree Gully at home in round 10 in a huge clash.
The side will then meet Sturt away, Prospect away and Adelaide at home to round out the season.
Considering the tough match-ups other sides in contention for the top four face, Glenelg would give itself a significant shot if it can defeat Tea Tree Gully and Sturt through the coming weeks.
Nathan McSweeney, Jake Winter and Liam Scott have all been in top form with the bat for the Seahorses, combining for nearly 200 runs against Southern District.
The side will also be hoping for continued consistency with the ball from McSweeney, Scott, Josh Croom, Liam Thompson and Jack Pudney to support its batting line-up as it closes the season out.
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