Buangor will be a chance to win back-to-back Grampians Cricket Association A Grade premierships when it faces Swifts-Great Western in the season decider at the weekend.
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Both teams will go into the match confident of getting a win with Combine finishing the season in top spot while Buangor was in second position.
Both teams have got an evenly balanced team with both bat and ball with Buangor also having Chris Jerram who has shown his spin bowling can cause headaches for teams during the season.
The season decider will be played at Stawell’s Central Park with fine conditions forecast and no rain expected across the weekend.
Swifts-Great Western captain Sam Cocks said the team will be treating the game the same as any other.
“We don’t put on any extra pressure on ourselves but obviously we don’t want to lose,” he said.
“I am confident that if we play our best cricket, we can get the win.
“It has held us in good stead so far this season.”
Cocks said he will be looking for another even effort from his team, with each player aware of the role they will need to play to contribute.
“All the bowlers we used last week all chipped in with a wicket which was good,” he said.
“If we can get early wickets and put them on back foot early, it certainly helps,” Cocks said.
The Combine team will not underestimate the reigning premiers with the Buangor team likely going into the match unchanged.
Cocks said Buangor is strong in both areas of the game and Combine will need to be at their best to win.
“They are pretty good all-round, they bat relatively deep and have a few handy bowlers,” he said.
“We will just be playing the same style of cricket, it has held us in good stead so far this season.”
While the toss can be important, Cocks said he does not believe it will decide the match at that moment.
“There is a hell of a lot of cricket over the three days, so it is not really going to matter what you do first regarding batting or bowling,” he said.
Buangor captain Chris Jerram said while his team was defending the title, he does not think the team has extra pressure ahead of the grand final.
“Swifts-Great Western finished on top and they have been the best side all year,” he said.
“We are just treating it as another game, I reckon the pressure is on them.”
Buangor has not played at Central Park much this season but Jerram said it should not matter.
“We have thought about it, we know it is quick, the deck is usually alright and we are pretty confident we can do well,” he said.
The Buangor team has good depth in its squad.
Jerram said the team’s balance is settled and everybody knows what they need to do. “We have batting depth and also have a good variety of bowlers,” he said. “We all play our own individual game, we discuss our roles and if everyone can play their role, we should do well.”