MELVILLE has an opportunity to catapult itself back into finals contention when its squares off against Mt Lawley in Premier Cricket round 12 beginning this Saturday at Breckler Park.
The Storm is undefeated in 2017, reeling off three consecutive victories to surge up the ladder into eighth position – just four points behind sixth-placed Scarborough.
Two of Mt Lawley’s three wins this season have also come since Christmas and the Hawks, led by captain and wicketkeeper Shane Rakich, are no easy beats.
Mt Lawley opener James Newnham has three half-centuries and a 34 in his past four Premier Cricket digs and containing the prolific run-scorer will be a focus for the Storm.
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READ NOWThe Hawks also boast a fearsome three-pronged bowling attack that has seen Callum Taylor, Mohamed Ijaz and Justin Kandiah pick up 20 wickets each in their 10 outings this season.
Melville’s impressive start to the year has been driven largely by outstanding middle order batting performances from Drew Porter and Ryan Duffield, the pair combining for an incredible 388 in the Storm’s past three wins.
With the ball, Blake Reed has claimed nine scalps so far this year.