Everything has fallen perfectly into place for Plenty Valley on the eve of Sub-District cricket’s north-west group finals.
The Bats are primed and ready to take aim at the premiership that has eluded them for the past two summers.
A penultimate round “speed hump” loss to Melton is firmly behind the Bats, who claimed a fourth win in five matches with a nine-wicket drubbing of Williamstown in Saturday’s final round one-dayer at AK Line Reserve.
The Bats can be considered premiership favourites, despite qualifying for the finals in second place.
They have their top-liners in form at the right time of the season and priceless finals experience to draw on. The premiership window is well and truly open.
“We’re understanding of our group and what we’ve got ahead of us,” Bats captain-coach Michael Sheedy told Star Weekly.
“We’ve obviously done very well in the last two years to make it to the big dance against Oakleigh two years ago, in what was an amazing grand final, and to go through undefeated and lose in the semi last year, so as a group we’re hungry for it [a premiership].
“It’s all about March for us, isn’t it?”
Plenty Valley has been trying to fit square pegs into round holes most of the summer with injuries striking time and again.
But all of a sudden the Bats are ominously back at full strength, following the return of Lorenzo Ingram from an emergency overseas trip.
“We’re more comfortable now we have got some guys in good nick at the right time of the year,” Sheedy said.
“Thursday night was the first time this year that we’ve had a full squad to choose from.”
The win against Williamstown was so critical to Plenty Valley’s premiership chances.
The Bats clinched a home qualifying final against Yarraville, an advantage they were desperate to grab in what is shaping as a tough finals series to predict.
“We had everything to play for,” Sheedy said.
“We know sewing up that home final is so important for us and we potentially have two home finals should we get over the first week.
“You shouldn’t lose at home and we understood that was on the line.”
Veteran Sean Ayres was superb against Williamstown, batting the full 37.2 overs and blasting 111 not out as the Bats made 1-173 to cruise past the Seagulls’ 8-170.
Finishing with 505 runs at 56 and 28 wickets at 11 after the home-and-away rounds, Ayres will be one of the leading contenders for the Val Holten Medal for the competition’s best and fairest, an honour he won last summer.
“He’s got to be in the top three or four favourites,” Sheedy said. “No doubt he got another three votes today.”
Pacemen Justin Jaensch (2-29) and Michael Croxford (1-25) had a big impact with the new ball, while the spinning trio of Ayres (2-26 off eight), Joshua Durrant (0-27 off five) and Ingram (1-25 off nine) kept it tight and could be the Bats’ x-factor in the finals.
“If you’ve got good, tight spinners, who are disciplined, you’re going to win a lot of games and it again showed today,” Sheedy said.
