Expert analysis of VSDCA North-West and South-East group grand finals
Can Kew join the immortals as undefeated premiers? Will Ormond’s fairytale run finish with a premiership? Get expert analysis of each VSDCA grand final here.
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It’s business time in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.
It’s grand final weekend and Kew, Werribee, Ormond and Caulfield will be battling for premiership glory.
GET OUT OUR GROUP GRAND FINAL PREVIEWS BELOW
Kew are looking to finish the North-West season as undefeated premiers but Werribee have surged to the grand final from fifth and will be looking to cause an upset.
It’s a similar story in the South-East with Ormond to host the decider after finishing fifth against perennial powerhouse Caulfield hoping to flip the script from the qualifying final.
NORTH-WEST GROUP
KEW V WERRIBEE
WHERE & WHEN: Victoria Park, Kew, March 27 from 12.30pm
LAST TIME: Kew (4-240) def Werribee (184), Round 6 at Victoria Park
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WILL SHERIDAN (Kew): Suffered a groin injury in the semi-final win over Brunswick and only bowled one over. Kew can survive without Sheridan’s bowling but if the injury affects his batting it will be a major blow. Sheridan has taken rival attacks apart on a regular basis this season and leads the entire VSDCA with 684 runs. Scored one of his four centuries against Werribee in Round 6.
WILL SIST (Kew): With Sheridan injured Sist picked up the slack and helped bowl Kew to victory last weekend with match-best and season-best figures of 3-23. Behind John Hastings, Tom Chalkley and Sheridan, the young paceman doesn’t get a lot of limelight but has 18 wickets this season at 18.33 and ensures rival batsmen don’t get any respite.
SHAUN DEAN (Werribee): The classy right-handed opener is the backbone of the Tigers batting line-up, having racked up 552 runs at 46 this season. Hit 64 in his side’s semi-final victory over Plenty Valley and has a century and four half-centuries to his name in 2020-21.
JONATHAN BURTON (Werribee): The paceman has quietly put together an impressive campaign and has made major contributions in Werribee’s back-to-back finals wins, collecting hauls of 3-44 and 2-27. Has proven damaging with the new ball all season and taken plenty of big scalps, grabbing 22 wickets at 13.6 apiece.
TIP: KEW
Can Kew join the VSDCA immortals and finish the season as undefeated premiers. Since the league’s creation in 1908-09, only 11 teams have achieved the feat, the last being Caulfield in 2017-18. The addition of Will Sheridan, John Hastings and Matt Brown this season have been enormous while Andrew and Tom Chalkley and Alastair Burge picked up from where they left off last season. Add in veterans David Wildsmith, Nathan Chamberlain and captain-coach Chris Weeks and youngsters Will Sist and Jacob de Paiva and there’s hardly a weak spot. Weeks, Wildsmith and Chamberlain played in Kew’s 2017-18 grand final defeat to Williamstown and will be telling their teammates of the pain. It would take a brave punter to tip against them. However, Werribee are certainly not without hope. The Tigers’ 184 in Round 6 was one of the highest totals conceded by Kew this season and with talent like Shaun and Matt Dean, James Freeman Tim O’Brien and Jonathan Burton there’s plenty of weaponry to cause a boilover. Werribee were denied a shot at premiership glory last season due to the newly arrival coronavirus and will be determined not to miss another opportunity. The western powerhouse have knocked off second-placed Brunswick and third-placed Plenty Valley on the road to the grand final so are battle hardened and beating the minor premier would complete the set.
SOUTH-EAST GROUP
ORMOND V CAULFIELD
WHERE & WHEN: E.E Gunn Reserve, Ormond, March 27 from 12.30pm
LAST TIME: Ormond (6-148) def Caulfield (144), qualifying final at Caulfield Park
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BEN SPEAKE (Ormond): the first-year Ormond skipper has been the bulwark of its batting this season, hitting 432 runs at 36. He started in the opening position, went to the middle division and returned to first-in after the Round 12 loss to Caulfield. The right-hander hit 62 not out against the Fielders in the qualifying final, escorting his team home in a run chase, and 30 last week against Brighton.
BLADE BAXTER (Ormond): The former Premier fast bowler showed his matchwinning qualities in the semi-final against Brighton when he tore through its top-order, capturing 4-12 off eight overs. At 6-18, there was no coming back for the Tonners. Baxter had bowled well against the Caulfield the previous, taking 2-16 off eight overs. The new-ball attack of Baxter and Rodney Bird will present clear and present danger to the Caulfield batsmen. Baxter is also more than capable of swishing some runs down the list.
JACOB THORNE (Caulfield): with bat and ball the Caulfield captain has performed with distinction this season: with 425 runs at 38.6 and 29 wickets at 12.7, he might even pull off a fifth Val Holten Medal as competition best and fairest. He’ll come out at No 3 and he’ll bowl his intelligent off-spin, pushing one through, throwing one or two up, always testing and teasing the batsmen. Thorne is in his sixth season with the Fielders and this will be his fifth grand final. He’s enjoying a superb Sub-District cricket career.
GRAEME RUMMANS (Caulfield): coming off his spectacular, Holten Medal-winning 2019-20, the legendary left-hander has been handy this season with 300 runs at 30, dropping down the order as the Fielders develop young right-hander Josh Agar as an opener. But “Rummo’’ is a player who performs best when the stakes are high, and if the squeeze is on in the grand final, you’d back him to make runs. If the Monders get him cheaply, you’ll hear their shouts from North Rd.
TIP: CAULFIELD
The Monders are on a rollicking run, qualifying fifth for the finals but pulling off wins over Caulfield and Brighton to bring the grand final to The Gunn, the scene of their memorable 2014-15 premiership. They’ll bowl well, with Blade Baxter and Rodney Bird taking the new ball and Brendan Barry, Nick Oaten and offies James Wild and Tom Buchanan coming in behind them. But their batting is less convincing. Speak up, batsmen: who can support Ben Speake? Will it be Wild, a veteran these days but still an experienced and accomplished player. Or will it be Buchanan, who went in at No 3 in the qualifying final and whacked 52 off 51 balls as a wildcard? There are no such questions about Caulfield’s batting: Agar and the powerful David Tantsis-Hall will open, to be followed by Thorne, Rummans and the much-improved Jono Aikins. Then there’s Dale Denny, a two-time recipient of the Jack Sheehan Medal as player of the grand final. Denny will also be change bowler after the opening burst of quickies Andy King and Lachie Graf. Young Jayden Banks and Thorne complete a strong attack. Banks claimed three wickets in last Saturday’s comprehensive win over Oakleigh, when the Fielders hit back after a disappointing loss to Ormond at home. It’s on a bat’s edge, but Caulfield appeals as the more balanced team and is entitled to be a slight favourite. Whatever the result, let’s hope the rain stays away and it’s a grand grand final at The Gunn.
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