TPL Round 8 preview
TPL Round 8
After a week in hiatus as the rep teams played and everyone enjoyed some 110 over club cricket, we re-join the TPL competition this weekend in Round Eight.
Leaders Car Company Stoke Nayland head out to Richmond to take on WTTU at Jubilee Park. The home team are in something of a slump with a loss to lowly Wanderers/Motueka last Saturday while Stoke Nayland demolished Wakatu. There is no reason why the form book should be reversed here as the visitors have plenty of batting firepower at their disposal while Darius Skeaping took six wickets as well last week. More of the same is forecast as the playing through champions are just too strong.
The only other game on this side of the hill will see ACOB travel just around the corner to play Wakatu at Victory Square. Wakatu were annihilated last week and would need a huge improvement in all departments to be competitive against a well balanced ACOB team. Jake Milton is playing some steady all round cricket for ACOB who will also welcome back the rep players, Josh Simpson and Thomas Zohrab. They both had decent performances for Nelson Pine Griffins in the Chapple Cup last week so would be hoping to bring that form back to their club.
The Nelson College 1st XI are on the road to Blenheim to tackle the Dolphins at Horton Park. The Dolphins are strong and the schoolboys have Finns Raxworthy and Restieaux away with CD Under 19 duty plus Jarrod McKay in the CD “A” squad. Their strength will be severely tested here, but coach Garry MacDonald is always bringing players through, so they should be capable.
Likewise, there will be interest in the ability of Wanderers/Motueka to follow up on their maiden victory last Saturday. They also travel to Horton Park in their clash with the Falcons. The combined teams bowling attack looked much improved and a gutsy batting performance iced the victory for them. The Falcons though are no easy beats and they have plenty of firepower.
There are also a couple of catch up games on Sunday with Wakatu hosting Car Company Stoke Nayland and ACOB playing Nelson College at Botanics. All matches begin at 11:30 am.
BOOK-A-NET
