LJ’s Randy Petes Preview Round 3 vs Gordon + Metro

Following a disrupted round against Sydney Uni, which saw poor weather and some disappointing performances land the Randy Petes just one win, we look to hit the ground running this weekend against Gordon. Last season against the Stags we won just two of five games, and we will be hoping to improve that result over the next two Saturdays.

Metropolitan Cup start their two dayer campaign this round, with the Green team also travelling to take on Gordon and the Gold team taking on the renamed Blacktown Mounties.

1st Grade is at Coogee Oval: 

A rain-affected draw against the Students last weekend will have to suffice, but a win is vital this round against Gordon for 1s. Jamie Hemphrey comes into the side after starring in 2s big win last weekend, with Ryan Ninan missing out.  Last year we thrashed the Stags in this grade, winning outright and cementing our winning record that has seen us win 11 from 20 clashes over the years, as well as one draw.

Skipper Jason Sangha has been striking them well lately, scoring a nice 44 last weekend and backing it up with a crucial knock in the T20 fixture on Sunday. He is the ace here for the RP’s and if he can fire with the bat, it will go a long way to winning us this game.

2nd Grade is at Chatswood Oval:

A massive win in Round 2 over Sydney Uni holds us in good stead here and will give the lads plenty of confidence going into another tough game. Docos and Everett proved a strong partnership at the top of the order and will be hungry for runs again, while Doug Loth comes up and adds plenty of experience. Over the years, the Randy Petes have won 9 games from 16, giving us a positive record. While we lost last year, we have won four of the past six encounters and there is no doubt we are capable of improving on that in the next fortnight. 

Rav De Silva hasn’t fired just yet in the 2019/20 season, but a big score is never far away. With so much quality around him, we expect to see Rav rise to the occasion against Gordon and get his campaign flying.

3rd Grade is at Kensington Oval:

Round 2 was certainly one to forget for the Randy Petes 3s – but all can be forgotten if they can bounce back here. The in-form Josh Segal makes his debut in this grade, while Ross Elliot, Ryan ‘Giggsy’ Miskella and Alex Deller all come in. In 15 clashes between the two sides, Gordon have the wood with 8 wins to our five – but the recent history is on our side after a good win last season. 

Mitch O’Loughlin will be required to step up this weekend in the absence of Doug Loth, and the youngster will be better for the run last game after missing Round 1 through injury. ‘Pooey’ is part of a young pace attack that also includes Alex Deller and Hayden Fox and they will all need plenty of poles between them.

4th Grade is at Killara Oval:

It was a tough loss in Round 2, but a fresh line-up here could change things quickly. Sean Rushton, Sayem Sultan, Neale Crawford, Mitch Winslade, Anis Bugti (after finishing last season as the club’s leading wicket taker) and myself all come into the 4s side for the clash with Gordon. The Randy Petes have emerged victorious nine times against the Stags in 4^th Grade, but have also lost nine meaning this should be a fairly even clash on paper. We have however won three of the past five. 

Will Hutchinson is a player with plenty of upside – but this weekend he is the leader of the pace attack with a few players missing. His variation and consistency will be required to give the Randy Petes an edge over their opponents.

5th Grade is at Snape Park:

It’s a very different 5s side than we have seen previously this weekend, with four debutants (Will Deller, Deakin Antaw, Angus Beaumont and ‘youngster’ Alan Willmore) and some players who have largely been in Metro Cup. Pratulya Kashyap comes in and will be an important part of the bowling attack. In 18 matches over the years in this grade, we have won half of them – and a draw last year gives us a slight positive record. 

With plenty of inexperience in the XI for this round, skipper Fabian Heaton will need to step up and score plenty of runs when required. His glovework is always top notch, but it is his work with the stick that has to be on-song against Gordon.

Metropolitan Cup Preview by Jeremy Jastrzab:

After some mixed results and gradual improvements across the course of the one dayers, the Metropolitan Cup draw catches up with Premier Cricket and moves onto two day matches. Green got the wrong rub of the green last round with the unfortunate end of a rain delay, but will look to bounce back strong in the coming round. In a considerate move, they too will take on Gordon at Beauchamp Park Oval, which was unavailable last season. Gordon are the reigning premiers, following a season where they forfeit a game before Christmas, before storming into the finals with a post Christmas blitz, and are a constant force to be reckoned with in Metro, so the Greens will certainly have their work cut out for them. Through an odd scheduling quirk, this is the first time that a Randy Petes Metro Cup team will play away at Gordon since 2015/16.

Gold have had a week of sunshine and are sure to enjoy a more amiable Marrickville Oval when they host the Blacktown Mounties over the next two weekends. The side from Sydney’s west will be relieved to know that their nemesis from last season, Charith De Silva, will be heading to Willoughby instead, but won’t get any respite from a young side hungry to prove their credentials. Several Green Shield squad members will take the field, some playing their first game for the club. Randy Petes teams had a mixed record against Blacktown last season, but have generally been on the positive side of the ledger more often than less.