Plenty Valley faces crunch time when it meets top‐of‐the‐table Mt Waverley in the final round of the Victorian Sub‐District Cricket Association north‐west division this weekend.
A shock loss to Kew on Saturday saw the Bats slip to third, behind Mt Waverley and Brunswick.
A win in the final round will ensure the Bats finish in the top two, with the reward of a home final, while a loss could see them slip to as low as sixth.
Bats playing coach Michael Sheedy said no one was more disappointed with the loss to Kew than the players themselves.
“We’ve been left a little wounded and more than anything we have a point to prove to each other,” he said.
“A lot of individuals have to prove they are worthy of a finals spot. We want to at least finish top two and also win the club championship.
“Finishing top two goes a long way in finals. If we win and Brunswick falters we can still finish on top.”
Sheedy said the player who needed to step up the most in the last round and in finals was himself.
He has only one score past 30 for the season and is averaging just 18.89.
“It’s time I stood up and delivered,” he said.
“It’s what I’m employed to do and it’s up to me to do that.
“When your leaders perform, other players will follow.”
After making only 125 themselves the previous weekend, the Bats were after early wickets when Kew resumed at 4‐35.
“We were confident that if we could get two early wickets in the first seven to 10 overs we could build pressure,” Sheedy said.
“We weren’t able to get any chances. Juzzy [Justin Graham] batted the house down and batted well with youngster Marcus McMahon.”
Kew reached the target with three wickets to spare, with Graham making 49 and McMahon 18.
Sanjaya Chathuranga took three wickets and Sean Ayres two as the Bats turned to the spinners to do the job.
MEANWHILE, Plenty Valley has secured its leadership group for next season.
Brad Mitchell has been reappointed as captain for next season and Sheedy’s coaching contract has been extended for another two seasons.
“We don’t want to be hunting around for coaches and captains,” Sheedy said.
“The club are proud of creating a culture where people want to stay at the club.
“We had the hiccup [when we failed to get into] Premier Cricket and now with myself and Brad reappointed we want to be the best club in Sub‐District.”
