ALL Blacks captain TJ Smith has promised a shake up of his team ahead of this week’s clash against South West Rocks at Athletics on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There will be no shortage of hunger from the sides as they each search for their first victory in the Macleay Valley Cricket Association first grade.
Smith said he plans to make changes following last week’s lost to Rovers.
“I’ll probably tinker with the batting and bowling line up and try a few different options,” he said.
“It’s not panic stations for us yet but it is important we spend some time out in the middle and see what works best for us. We still have plenty of time to get things right and it is a pretty even competition at the moment so we just have to play a good game.”
Their opponents are coming into the game on the back of a five wicket loss against the top placed Nulla.
Despite also being winless, there are positive signs for the Rocks with a strong turnout for last week’s game.
Captain Mark Smee said his side will not be taking the All Blacks lightly and know what they have to do to in order to improve.
“Our performances have been a bit scratchy so far but we have the resources to field a competitive team which is encouraging,” he said.
“We need to work on our individual games if we are going to get better. The All Blacks have always been a quality outfit and I am sure they will be in the mix next March.”
KEMSPEY Heights know their ability to contain Brody Clarke will play a significant role in whether they will be able to achieve victory in tomorrow’s clash at South Kempsey.
The Nulla captain has been in scintillating form with the bat for his side, amassing 167 runs in his last two innings.
Kempsey Heights captain Scott Witchard said an early dismissal of the Clarke was key to their chances in the match.
“He has obviously been a stand out performer for them and someone who can turn games around with his batting,” he said.
“You always want to bat first playing at South Kempsey so if we win the toss, we will try to put a big total on the board and hopefully be able to dismiss him early.”
Kempsey Heights are coming into the game on the back of a bye last week and will be missing batsman Todd Giddy for tomorrows match.
Witchard said the week off had very little impact on his side, many of whom still played last weekemd.
“A few of our players had representative cricket on Sunday so they were able to spend some time out in the middle even though we didn’t play,” he said.
“We have a few bowlers who we haven’t used yet so hopefully they will get a go tomorrow.”