This weekend will feature the final round of the Stribley Shield on Sunday, and the Yass Yabbies will play in a must-win clash against Cootamundra.
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As both teams have won one match and lost one match, the winner of this weekend will make it through to the grand final, where they will play Wagga.
If Yass were to make it through, it would be a rematch of last year’s final, which Yass won in an upset result.
To make it through, the Yabbies will first have to contend with a tough Cootamundra side, who very nearly beat them last season in a match at Victoria Park which came down to the wire.
Yass captain Dave Field is well aware this his side will be in for a serious fight this weekend, and playing in Cootamundra won’t make life any easier, particularly considering that Yass haven’t played in Cootamundra for a some time.
“It’s normally a pretty good wicket [in Cootamundra],” Field said.
“I haven’t been there for a couple of years now, but it’s pretty good to bat on. It’ll be a good deck.”
The Yass team is still being finalised, but Field is sure that he will have the firepower in the top six to take advantage of a track which has historically been good to bat on.
“It’ll be a pretty strong team, a pretty good batting side hopefully,” he said.
There is certainly no shortage of firepower available in the Yass district at the moment. There are currently six batsmen averaging over 45 in A and B Grade, the standout of which is Brent Poidevin, whose staggering season has produced 342 runs at an average of 114.
The only question ahead of Sunday’s clash is one of availability, as many sides this season have fallen victim to talented players being unavailable for crucial games, something that the Yabbies can ill afford this weekend.
Yass’s most recent win, over Goulburn at Victoria Park in December, assured Field that his team was on the right track.
“Yeah, it gave us a bit of confidence I think,” he said.
“We’re going alright, hopefully we can get the job done [against Cootamundra] if we play well.”
Yass’s match against Cootamundra will take place at Albert Park from 10.00am, and will be a 50-over per side match.