The Western Stars Men’s 1 and 2 teams will travel to Coffs Harbour on Saturday to compete in the NSW Country Indoor Cricket Finals.
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The Men's 1s side, the top division team,. is playing in the inaugural NICL (National Indoor Cricket League), with the winner from this weekend set to take on the other regional winners from across Australia.
The NICL Finals will be played in Melbourne in September, with a team from NSW Metro and Country, South East and North Queensland, ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and two teams from Victoria, adding some extra incentive for the Dubbo team that has won the Mens 1s title in seven of the last eight years.
The Stars finished as minor premiers after the round games but will be without skipper Steve Skinner (ACL injury), young gun Brock Larance (outdoor cricket commitment) and the experienced Dan Horrocks.
The Stars still have plenty of capable players up their sleeve, with Dan Holland and Justin Knudsen called in to fill the gaps.
Both of these players have been part of quite a few previous premierships with the Stars, so it is a luxury to have them on hand.
Master blaster Jordan Peacock will again be very important, as will Aidan Bennewith and Mat Skinner.
Youngsters Tom Atlee and Bailey Edmunds, fresh from National championships in Mackay (Atlee, 17 boys, NSW Country; Edmunds, 21 boys, NSW Blues) will also line up in the top grade, with both being strike bowlers and powerful batsman.
The Men's 1 side will take on Newcastle Steel in the major final, while Coffs Cougars and Maitland Panthers are in the minor final.
In their two previous encounters, Stars defeated Steel 108-78, before the game of the year in Dubbo saw Steel bounce back with a tight 37-35 win.
The Men's 2s have remained relatively unaffected by the unavailabilities in the top grade.
Chris Russo will skipper a young team that has played some extremely strong cricket throughout the season which resulted in the Stars finishing as minor premiers.
Adlai Shipp and Tom Nelson have impressed with the bat all season, while Shipp’s fielding has been a highlight.
Tom Barber will be a key to the team’s success. He was also part of the Under 21s NSW team which finished fourth at Nationals.
Jackson Peacock and Mitch Lincoln have been solid all year and deserve their spot, while the big improver has been Mitch Russo, with his all round versatility and nimbleness around the court crucial.
The Star’s 2 team takes on Coffs Cougars in the major final. Coffs knocked off Dubbo 86-77 in round one, while Dubbo rebounded later with a 108-91 victory.