CH: Stingrays v. Vipers Semi final Preview

eThe Vipers mark 1, the Lions, the Ravens, the Pumas. Besides making up four of the six new teams to have competed in the Bannerman Shield since season 3, they all share one other thing in common. All of these sides failed to make the finals in their first season. yet, here we are awaiting the semi final of the season 8 Bannerman shield and what sits before us is a match up between the two new teams of the competition - the two best performed new clubs since season 3.

Without a doubt, the Stingrays have been the standout performers of this season along with the minor premiers, and runners up from last season, the Cyclones. Their quotient is from all reports a record and their many demolitions of the teams below them on the ladder have left many experts of the game calling for the mercy rule. This club is very much a mix and match between the experienced and the raw. While the club entered the competition boasting the services of five current State of Origin players, the players surrounding them where mostly reserve graders or players in their first or second season of first grade. Such names as Farnsworth, Shriram, Hornby, Big Man and Berkuta were blinks on the radar at the beginning of the season, and today, they stand as players to be feared by the opposition.

While the Stingrays entered the comp with controversy and the glitz that comes with so many rep players being jammed into the one team, the Vipers quietly reassembled their lineup after a few seasons in hiatus. What came together was a very solid bunch of first graders, without a real star. This criticism would not go away as they struggled through the first half of the competition. However, two stars emerged in the second half of their campaign to guide them like beakons. First, there's the Englishman, Jake Luffman, in only his second season in the competition, who has taken an unassailable lead as the highest run scorer in the competion, pealing off hundreds like it's nothing. The second part of the puzzle came in the form of Eggman. Spending time in the ALC through the first half of the competition, he has given the bowling attack a spearhead to follow.

Handling Pressure

For all of the Stingrays massive innings', and all their demolition jobs on opposition batting lineups, they are yet to show that they can handle the pressure. In the three biggest games of the season for the Rays, they lost them all. From the very beginning, it was clear that they along with the Cyclones were the ones that would battle it out for the minor premiership. Both teams, for the most part, took apart all those below them. On both occasions that these two met, the Stingrays could not match it at the crucial moments with their major rivals. In both these games it was the middle order that just could not hack the pressure of the situation. In the last round against the Ravens, when they knew that a win would guarantee them the minor premiership and a Grand final birth, it was their ever steady, all conquering bowling attack that cracked under the Ravens strong middle order as their dreams of the minor premiership evaporated before they even got a bat.

The Vipers on the other hand have shown that they can come up with the goods when put under pressure. Against the Cyclones and Stingrays they boast a 50% win record against both. Further to this, they showed in the last round, when they needed to at least draw to stay alive, that they could fight back from adversity, being forced to follow on and coming up trumps with a massive second innings.

Key Matchups:
Farnsworth v. Luffman:
These are the two men who Great Britain will be pinning the majority of their hopes on come the Provincial Championship. They came into the competition at the same time, for the same team, and then left for a new team this season. The similarities are almost endless. They also have become one of the key battles of this game. Farnsworth has had a fantastic season averaging 23 with the ball and 20 with the bat. Despite being the least experienced of the much hyped stingrays attack, he has more than held his own and shapes as the man most likely. Luffman has had a similar breakout season averaging over 60. He has lead the Vipers batting all season and could very well take the game away from the Stingrays in a short period of time.

King v. Gee:
Another battle between compatriots, Gee will no doubt want to get one up on his Queensland skipper before going into camp. Gee has been the rock that the Vipers have needed in their middle order. Having his best season since season 4, he's hit over 1000 runs at 43. King is also having his best season in a long time, some would say his best, averaging 20.83 with the ball and showing a handy knack to run through the middle order with six 5 wicket innings' this season.

Vago v. Eggman:
Eggman stands as the man to run through the Stingrays, and he'll have to start that with the new ball against the Stingrays star batsman. Both players having their best season ever, Vago, the Queensland star, is averaging 62.57 with the blade. With five hundreds this season, he's shown a knack to go big. Eggman has impressed with the ball since entering mid-season, averaging 21.92 as he has become the x factor of the Vipers.

Devonshire v. Shriram:
These two allrounders have gone under the radar a little for their two teams. Devonshire has had a brilliant season with the bat averaging 43.95 in the lower order whle chipping in with the ball taking 36 wickets at 38.42. Where Devonshire has let his batting take dominance, Shriram's bowling has been his main weapon. Forming the fifth man of the Stingrays attack, the four stars have taken most of the headlines while Shriram has slowly chipped away as a key partnership breaker averaging 26.45. With the bat he has also contributed, averaging 26.82 in the lower order.

Downpipes v. Bots:
Both these men have found themselves in foreign territory this season. downpipes is spending his first season away from the Allstars while Bots hasn't collected a wooden spoon. While Vago has been the man to make the big scores, Downpipes has been the consisten rock at number 3, averaging 51.29 with 7 half centuries and 3 centuries. Bots has also excelled, averaging 27.57 as he has ripper the heart out of many lineups.

Previous Encounters
These two sides have met twice before this season with differing results.
In round 1, the game was a close battle slightly in the Vipers favour up until Farnsworth ripped apart the lower order of the Vipers in their first innings as they fell short of the Stingrays total. From that moment on it was all the Stingrays as they amassed 4/680 declared and then bowled the Vipers out for 290 as they won by over 400 runs.
In round 8 they met again, with the Vipers batting taking the game away from the Stingrays before they even got the batting crease. Delonge compiled a century and Devonshire hit another in the lower order. The Stingrays responded with 300 to be 100 behind the Vipers at the halfway mark thanks to Big Man, who has controversially been left out of the side for this encounter. From there the ball dominated as both teams got bowled out for around the 200 mark giving the Vipers a 100 run win.

The Statistics:
Season 8 Batting Comparison

Code:

                 Rays   Vipers     
A Vago          62.57   34.23   DN Boland
DG Dafter       51.79   63.96   JRE Luffman 
RST Downpipes   51.29   35.23   T Delonge 
BL Hornby       41.47   43.46   R Gee
ZA Berkuta      53.55   34.68   DK Erschoff      
G Shriram       26.82   42.67   J Torres     
K Fung          21.71    34.95   BA Storer 
L Tyson         31.37   43.95   CJ Devonshire 
AP Farnsworth   20.59   10.07   HJ Bots 
GEC King        13.23   15.57   DA Eggman  
C Man           13.20   8.75    BOY Blunder

Season 8 Bowling Comparison

Code:

                 Rays   Vipers
G Shriram       26.45    36.00   BA Storer                       
L Tyson         35.65   38.42   CJ Devonshire                
AP Farnsworth   23.45   27.57   HJ Bots                           
GEC King        20.83   21.92   DA Eggman                   
C Man           23.23   38.94   BOY Blunder                  
 

What the Stingrays camp are saying:
"I'll be bitterly disappointed if we lose this match. We have clearly been the second best team all season and deserve a shot at the Cyclones for the title. Having said that, I've held the fear for a long time that we do not handle pressure well. We just seem to lose the big moments in big games, which is odd considering the amount of big match players we have. This match will be won by those big names if we do get over the line." Stingrays President and chairman of selector, Ged King

What the Vipers camp are saying:
"We at the Vipers all know that the Stingrays are favourites, but there's a massive sense of self-belief at the club which is infectious. We are opaying the best cricket of our life as a club and we know if some of our big players come to the fore against the Rays then we will have a good chance at getting ourselves into our first ever final." - Star Vipers batsman, Jake Luffman


Fearless Predictions - What the rest of the competition are thinking:
Callum Laing - Cyclones allrounder:
"Well this a tough one to call. Maybe it shouldnt be with all the stars in the Rays side but the Vipers grit this season has made it so. My head is telling me the Rays will win but I have a gut feeling that they will choke and the determination of the Vipers will push through and I have always been a fan of the underdog. So, for those reasons I am going to go for a Vipers win!"

Mate Perry - Grand final hero from last season - Ravens batsman. Clearly has had a few too many at Mad Monday celebrations:
"So what did you want me to do here?"
After clarification on the simple question at hand:
"Oh I see how it is. This is Vipers vs Rays right? Going to go Rays here. But tipping Gee to do well."

Scott Flack - Pumas President:
"I think the Rays will do it with a fair bit of ease, they've shown over the season that they're a team with plenty of quality players, while the Vipers seem to rely only a few players to get them wins over the better sides."

Brett Gemmell - Cyclones batsman - future President of the Gamblers:
"At the end of the day I dominate the **** out of the Lions with 192 and I average over 70 against them so they really would get embarressed in a final against me. The Rays have kept me contained and I only average 47 against them, so for a fair final I hope the Rays get up."

 

It'll be better if the rays win the semi. I'll be too gutted to write it if we're not there.

 

I've got a thousand parallels lined up if we make it.