SEDGWICK will be striving for a bounce-back year in the Emu Valley Cricket Association following its absence from the finals last season.
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The Rams have been regular finalists in recent years, including finally breaking through for their drought-breaking premiership in their 2018-19 centenary season.
However, the Rams dropped off the pace last season, tumbling to eighth and finishing above only Axe Creek.
The only division one recruit for the Rams is bowler Kyal Rasmussen, who has BDCA first XI experience with Golden Square.
"Kyal is still fairly young, but he sends them down at a decent clip and moves it both ways, so he will be good for us," Sedgwick captain Jordan Ilsley said.
"He'll slide straight into the opening bowling slot now that Quinton Bentley has retired."
2018-19 premiership player Bentley has hung up the whites having spent the past four seasons at Sedgwick taking 56 wickets.
While Bentley has retired, the Rams are hopeful 2018-19 premiership captain and gun batsman Rick Ladson - who is now coaching Bridgewater in the Loddon Valley Football-Netball League - may play some games late in the season following an Achilles injury.
Ladson ruptured his Achilles in last season's Twenty20 grand final win over United in February.
Ilsley is embarking on his second season as skipper.
"We know we're not the standout side in the competition; we're a mid-range side and being all one-dayers, if we can potentially snag one or two more games that may not have gone our way in a two-dayer, that would be ideal," Ilsley said.
"The target this year is definitely to get back in the top four and to improve our batting.
"We were very unstable in our top five last season and just didn't have any consistency, so we're hoping that being able to have a consistent top order from week to week will help us be more settled and give us a crack at making some better scores."
The Rams only had five players - headed by gun all-rounder Greg Thomas' 439 - who made more than 100 runs last season.
In comparison Emu Creek, which won the premiership, and Spring Gully, which finished on top of the ladder, both had nine.
"As a team we probably averaged three or four changes a week through injury and unavailability... it was a bit of a revolving door, but our numbers have been better this year, so hopefully, we can settle on a 12 or 13-man squad we'll be looking at every week," Ilsley said.
One young player the Rams are hoping can show his wares is teenager Hunter Austin with the ball.
"He played a couple of games in the ones last year and offered a fair bit with the ball; he's very consistent with his line and length and will get a decent crack at it," Ilsley said.
SEASON FIXTURE:
ROUND 1 - November 13
v West Bendigo (a)
............................................
ROUND 2 - November 20
v Mandurang (h)
............................................
ROUND 3 - November 27
Bye
............................................
ROUND 4 - December 4
v Axe Creek (a)
............................................
ROUND 5 - December 11
v Spring Gully (h)
............................................
ROUND 6 - December 18
v Marong (h)
............................................
ROUND 7 - January 8
v Emu Creek (h)
............................................
ROUND 8 - January 15
v United (a)
............................................
ROUND 9 - January 22
v California Gully (h)
............................................
ROUND 10 - January 29
v West Bendigo (h)
............................................
ROUND 11 - February 5
v Mandurang (a)
............................................
ROUND 12 - February 12
Bye
............................................
ROUND 13 - February 19
v Spring Gully (a)
............................................
ROUND 14 - February 26
v Marong (a)
............................................
ROUND 15 - March 5
v Emu Creek (a)
............................................
ROUND 16 - March 12
v United (h)
LAST SEASON FLASHBACK:
Finished - 8th
Record - 4-10-2, 0.83%
Batting rank - 7th
Bowling rank - 7th
............................................
Leading run-scorers:
439 - Greg Thomas
329 - Jordan Ilsley
282 - Bailey Ilsley
229 - Rick Ladson
209 - Steven Stroobants
90 - Declan McMahon
............................................
Leading wicket-takers:
24 - Greg Thomas
15 - Bailey Ilsley
15 - Jordan Ilsley
10 - Quinton Bentley
9 - Lachlan Woodward
7 - Isaac Carracher
............................................
Leading MVP points:
979 - Greg Thomas
704 - Jordan Ilsley
582 - Bailey Ilsley
409 - Steven Stroobants
279 - Rick Ladson
248 - Lachlan Woodward
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS SINCE 2006:
v Axe Creek
Won: 8 Lost: 4
............................................
v California Gully
Won: 16 Lost: 5
............................................
v Emu Creek
Won: 12 Lost: 6
............................................
v Mandurang
Won: 7 Lost: 9
............................................
v Marong
Won: 9 Lost: 9
............................................
v Spring Gully
Won: 9 Lost: 9
............................................
v United
Won: 6 Lost: 11
............................................
v West Bendigo
Won: 10 Lost: 5
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