Season 10 CricSim Herald Team Previews

Pumas:
Last Season: 2^nd<o></o

Biggest Strength:<o</o
Undoubtedly the Pumas major strength lies in their top 4. In the Miokovic brothers, Armstrong and Flack, the Pumas arguably boast the best top order batting in the Shield.

Biggest Weakness:<o</o
While the Pumas may hold an edge in their top order batting, their pace bowling attack is extremely weak after the exit of Wilkinson and Choco Man. The Pumas will look to rely on Lover returning to the form of season’s past and Izett continuing his career renaissance after a good season 9.

Key Player:<o</o
Scott Flack will be looked to like never before. Not only is he the Pumas star batsman but he will also be tasked with taking early wickets in a spin strong attack.

Best Gain:<o</o
While most of the recruitment news has been doom and gloom for the Pumas, the signing of young gun AJ Son is definitely a step in the right direction. He enjoyed a brilliant season 9 averaging over 50 in both ALC and Bannerman Shield and will be looking at season 10 being the springboard to a great career in the shield.

Biggest Loss:<o</o
It’s hard to split the losses of Choco Man and Jake Wilkinson, but for sheer shock value, Wilkinson gets the nod. He was not expected to go and his loss really takes this side from genuine challengers to more than likely also rans.

Rookie to Watch:<o</o
With a career boasting a grand total of one first class game, LE Schaw will be thrown into the deep end as the Pumas keeper come round 1. While his beginnings in ALC were shaky, many good judges have commented on his strong work ethic and ability behind the stumps.

Likely Team:<o</o
1. DR Armstrong
2. NG Miokovic
3. TA Miokovic
4. SA Flack
5. B Olsen
6. AJ Son
7. LE Schaw +
8. L Lover
9. AD Hunt
10. AJ Izett
11. PF Oz

Predicted Finish:<o</o
After seasons of under-performing, the Pumas spent last season in the unusual position of title contenders. Unfortunately, despite an all –star pace attack, they fell at the final hurdle. This season, they will be faced with the prospect of returning to their natural position in the bottom half of the ladder after the loss of their two key fast bowlers. CH predicts that the Pumas will end up finishing 7^th.

 

Ravens:

Last Season: 4th
With a consistent squad performance last season, the Ravens came within Robert Cribb’s cat’s whisker of a finals berth. With a significantly better bowling lineup and good retention from last season, bigger things are expected of the Ravens in Season 10.

Biggest Strength:
The allrounders are the great strength of the Ravens. In Rob Cribb, Gani Shriram and Marcuss Deane, the Ravens have three men that would more than likely make the side on batting alone and give them the strength to bat deep and still cover the spin needs of the side.

Biggest Weakness:
The quality of the Ravens batsman looms as the big question mark over this club’s premiership credentials. While Downpipes and Lewis are representative stars, the Ravens top 6 includes relative rookies in Deane and Taylor as well as Cribb and Erschoff, who have both struggled to average above 40 in the Bannerman Shield in recent times. However, the Ravens cover this shortfall reasonably well through the appearance of Gani Shriram and Travis Webber at 7 and 8, two men that could easily be batting one place higher.

Key Player:
Robert Cribb looms as a key figure for the Ravens this season. He will not only be tasked with the role of leading spinner but he will also need to stay solid at the top of the order to allow the rest of the lineup to flourish against the older ball.

Best Gain:
After a breakout season last year, Jason Denton will add considerable spark to an already under-rated fast bowling attack. He returned a tally of 80 wickets last season and will be looking to double the dose this season as part of a far more deadly attack.

Biggest Loss:
The most impressive thing about the Ravens is that they have managed to retain almost all of their first eleven from last season. The one major loss which could hurt them given their lack of quality batsman is Ed Ames.

Rookie to Watch:
While Damien Taylor has been around for a couple of seasons, it wasn’t until last season that he really reached the potential that was obvious to all and sundry. He scored over 1200 runs to average 65.32 in ALC. If ever he was to make it in the Bannerman Shield, the time is now.

Likely Team:
1. RG Cribb (4)
2. RST Downpipes
3. DW Lewis
4. DK Erschoff
5. DRP Taylor
6. M Deane (5)
7. G Shriram (6)
8. TJL Webber (wk)
9. AD Funkotron (1)
10. AJ James (2)
11. JR Denton (3)

 

Stingrays:
Last Season: 5<SUP>th<O</O</SUP>
Biggest Strength:<O</O
Undoubtedly, the Stingrays biggest strength for the upcoming season is their bowling attack. Four of their five man bowling attack will be key men for their respective Provinces in what looms as a very busy season. In Ged King, Alex Farnsworth, Gareth Weaver and Hayden Bots, the Stingrays have the stars in their bowling lineup to force a result on even the flattest of pitches. Who the fifth bowler will be is still a matter of conjecture. The Stingrays have three fine fast bowling candidates in Robinson, Yates and Cambridge to call upon as well as the allround talents of Bob Borisc, Chris Golding and Sam Logan.
Biggest Weakness:<O</O
With the loss of Ben Hornby, the Stingrays could well struggle with the bat. With a proposed lineup including Weaver at 7 and Farnsworth at 8, the Stingrays will have to rely heavily on their top 6 to get the job done. Unfortunately for them, the Stingrays will have to rely on inexperienced names such as Morgan, Dafter and the out of form Bob Borisc to score heavily alongside the class acts of Adam Vago, Kelvin Fung and Zac Berkuta. The job could well be too much for them.
Key Player:<O</O
Gareth Weaver looms as the man to make or break the Stingrays season. Weaver had a brilliant breakout season 9 and will need to reproduce the goods with bat and ball this time around.
Best Signing:<O</O
The signing of Hayden Bots caught many people, including many Ray insiders, by surprise, but the prospect of facing two leg spinners with over 1000 first class wickets between them could be too much for many sides.
Biggest Loss:<O</O
Without any doubt whatsoever, the loss of Ben Hornby was a cruel blow for the Stingrays prospects. He has been arguably the Stingrays best batsman over their first two seasons and his loss will be hard to overcome for a team low on batting.
Rookie to Watch:<O</O
While he’s already played five first class games, Steven Cambridge is yet to debut in the Bannerman Shield. While his first season was under-whelming, season 9 brought rave reviews for the fast bowler, with a collection of 59 wickets at a tick under 26 in the ALC. Whispers from inside the Rays camp say that he has been training the house down and is a very big chance to push ahead of Yates and Robinson for first team action.
Likely Team:<O</O
1. DG Dafter
2. A Vago
3. BH Borisc
4. SM Morgan
5. ZA Berkuta
6. K Fung
7. GJ Weaver
8. AP Farnsworth
9. GEC King
10. HJ Bots
11. WD Robinson
Predicted Finish:<O</O
After winning the premiership in their inaugural season, the Stingrays experienced some down times last season and a late season form slump saw them miss out on the finals. They have retained most of their squad for next season and CH predicts that a finish of 5<SUP>th</SUP> is going to occur again as they are there or there abouts.

 

Gamblers:
Last Season: 8<SUP>th</SUP>
Biggest Strength:<OThe Gamblers biggest strength lies in their bowling outfit. In Wilson, Tyson and Man, the Gamblers have 60% of the test bowling lineup. On top of this, Ben Taylor came of age last season.

Biggest Weakness:<O</O
The aging nature and poor training attitudes of some members of the squad has come under question. The Gamblers fast men, Choco Man and Luke Tyson are of particular concern in this regard. Also said to be skipping training is Matt Hayes, who many Cricsim outsiders label an absolute shit **** in all aspects of life. Possibly of most concern to the Gamblers though, is the lazing about of Alex O’Driscoll, who’s form in recent seasons with both bat and gloves has left a lot to be desired.

Key Player:<O</O
Seldom a season goes by where Scott Wilson isn’t pin-pointed as the key man for his team’s chances of premiership success. He is easily the best bowler in the game and must live up to the tag once again.

Best Signing:<O</O
Obviously it is Wilson yet again. However, the signings of Tyson and Man are also very impressive and give the Gamblers a massive boost.

Biggest Loss:<O</O
Make no mistake; the loss of Dave Armstrong is a big one. In an all star top 4 last season, he was possibly forgotten a little but he will be missed.

Rookie to Watch:<O</O
Maroon Faithful won’t start the season in firsts, and performed fairly poorly in his limited opportunities in ALC last season but word is that he has been training the house down and is set for a massive season.

Likely Team:<O</O
1. BJT Manera
2. MC Burridge
3. D Davis
4. BJ Gemmell
5. MR Hayes
6. L Popovic
7. AJ O’Driscoll
8. L Tyson
9. BJ Taylor
10. SB Wilson
11. C Man

Predicted Finish:<O</O
The Gamblers were the fresh face of Season 9 and came out with claims of premieship success from very early on. Instead, what happened was a capitulation, finishing the season in dead last. With a renewed confidence, the Gamblers have spent big in the off-season, signing key players that could push them from the cellar to the penthouse. CH predicts that while on paper, they might look flash, the dwindling of their veterans will see them only scrape into the finals in 3<SUP>rd</SUP>.