By Nick Creely
DDCA TURF 1
PRELIMINARY FINAL PREVIEW
SPRINGVALE SOUTH (2nd) v BUCKLEY RIDGES (4th)
WHERE: Alex Nelson Reserve, Springvale
WHEN: Saturday 14, Sunday 15 March
CAPTAINS: Ateeq Javid (Springvale South) and David White (Buckley Ridges)
LAST TIME: Round 12 – Buckley Ridges 5/168 (J Hobbs 58, D White 53, J Jones 31) defeated Springvale South 166 (N King 44, T Ford 36*, W Nicholas 4/26)
KEY PLAYERS: Springvale South will need players to dig in with the bat and create a huge platform, and someone with an abundance of patience and plenty of class in their strokeplay is Ryan Quirk. Quirk opened the batting – the position he has been known for at Premier Cricket level – for the first time this season, and compiled a brave 58 not out off 170 balls to almost help the Bloods pull off the chase against Berwick. With the talented batsman in strong form, he will once again be the key at the top of the order. Nathan King – despite a rare failure with the bat in the semi-final – is just such a dangerous prospect for the Bucks with bat and ball and will be one of the main threats once again.
As one of many unsung heroes in the Buckley Ridges line-up, Wes Nicholas was once again vital for the Bucks with a tidy 3/19 with his tweakers in the semi-final. But, the ever-loyal Nicholas seems to lift to another gear against the Bloods, and has already snared 4/26 in a one-day clash this season. In last year’s grand final, Nicholas bowled a devastating spell late on day two to nab 4/38, and was also vital earlier in that finals campaign. Buckley skipper David White is probably in his leanest trot since joining the club last season but is bound to explode, and his recent record against the Bloods is frightening. Who could forget his glorious hundred in last year’s Turf 1 grand final?
THE FINAL WORD:
Springvale South and Buckley Ridges’ modern day rivalry has brought about many games that will be remembered for a long period of time.
From last year’s Turf 1 grand final, to the recent Twenty20 grand final on Shepley, the two proud – and fearless clubs – will once again meet in the crunch time of the season, and this time, it’s for a spot in the big dance against a rampaging Berwick side sky-high on confidence.
Both sides were in the midst of incredible semi-finals last weekend, and while the Bucks found itself escaping a last ditch push from Narre South and the Bloods falling short in a tense clash at Arch Brown Reserve, both teams are still – in many ways – still searching for its very best cricket, that which if all clicks is as devastating as anyone.
The recent history between the two powerhouse clubs is fascinating – in the last seven clashes between the two teams, Springvale South has prevailed three times, and each time this has been on their home deck.
In the other four clashes, the Bucks have prevailed, but two of those clashes – including the recent Twenty20 final – have been in neutral venues for big finals.
Just how much the Alex Nelson Reserve home ground advantage will actually have a say in the contest will only be determined once the weekend is over, but one thing is for certain – the Bloods are one extremely difficult prospect on the home track.
But the Bucks – and as skipper David White recently quipped – his side know all too well that to defend the 2018/19 flag glory, it would have be done the long way, and that everything needed to now go right.
Now is the time to find another gear, because there are no second chances.
Both sides possess very few – if any – weak links, and with the clubs blessed with an abundance of starpower, and the potential to produce monumental finals performances, it’s certain to be yet another modern day classic with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
