After a thrilling two-wicket win over Katamatite to open their Murray Valley Cricket Association season, the Deniliquin Rhinos A-grade side now turn their attention to a tough away fixture against Tocumwal this Saturday.
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The Bloods finished seventh on the ladder last season, but have long been a formidable opponent for the Rhinos.
“Toc have always played really well against us,” said Rhinos A-grade coach John Arthur.
“They’ve beaten us a fair few times, so we know we’ll need to be sharp from ball one.”
The Rhinos will be missing two key players this week, with fast bowler Rory Bartlett away on a planned holiday and all-rounder Charlie Paton unavailable due to school commitments.
Bartlett’s absence will be particularly felt after his strong showing last week, where he claimed two crucial wickets and contributed with the bat during the tense run chase.
“Without Rory, we’ll be leaning heavily on our spin and slower bowling options to get the job done,” Arthur said.
On the batting front, the Rhinos will be looking to their top order to set the tone.
Brad Todd, who opened with a brisk 36 last week, remains a key figure, while Andre Hogan’s experience and aggressive strokeplay will be vital in the middle overs.
Harry Hillier, Griegan French, and Bodie Arthur are also expected to play important roles with the bat.
Arthur was full of praise for Lachlan Holloway, whose unbeaten 38 last week sealed the win in dramatic fashion.
“He was just brilliant, and I’m hoping the bat carries over this week.”
Tocumwal will be eager to make a statement at home after falling short against Barooga in round one.
Chasing 260, the Bloods were restricted to 8/167 from their 45 overs, despite a fighting 58 from Rodney Meloury and a steady 28 not out from Cooper Harris.
“We want to win again. It’s important to win these early games,” Arthur said.
B-grade
The Deniliquin Rhinos B-grade side will face a major test this Saturday in Nathalia - last season’s B-grade Murray Valley premiers.
It’s shaping up to be a clash of champions, with the Deni side a reinvention of last year’s C-grade premiership winning tream.
Coming off a dominant win over Katamatite, where they bowled out the opposition for just 44 runs, the Rhinos will be looking to carry that momentum into round two.
With a couple of outs in A-grade this week, B-grade may lose two players to senior selection, though final decisions were still pending at the time of writing.
The squad’s depth will be tested, but last week’s performance showed plenty of promise, especially from younger players stepping into senior cricket.
Tomorrow’s B-grade match at Nathalia will begin at 1pm.
Juniors
The Murray Valley Cricket Association Juniors competition is set to start this weekend, with the Rhinos under-15s taking on Berrigan/Finley in Finley tomorrow.
The under-13s competition is also coming together with the competition set to start next Thursday, October 23. The Rhinos will play in Berrigan against the Saints.
