- 2 days ago
The Examiner's sports team Ben Hann, Josh Partridge, and Ryan Bentley discuss all things cricket, from Cricket North right up to the Australian Ashes squad.
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00:00Welcome, mine and all, to another episode of the Press Box.
00:11My name is Ben Hand, and you're willing to send me once again
00:13is Josh Partridge and Ryan Bentley for another episode of the Press Box.
00:18Episode 107 for you guys today.
00:20We are well and truly into the summer of cricket, basketball,
00:25we've got a lot of summer sports going along,
00:27and as well, of course, footy never sleeps,
00:29especially in this part of the world.
00:31But before we get into any of that,
00:32there's, of course, everyone's favourite segment, numerology.
00:38Boys, we'll get on to a little bit more of this later.
00:41Obviously, the Ashes Test Squad has been announced, the first test.
00:44Nothing gets Australia talking about cricket like an Ashes Test Squad.
00:48Everyone has their opinion, everyone has their say
00:50on who should be in, who should be out.
00:52It's one of the great parts about cricket, I like to think.
00:55And in that mould, I'm going with Bo Webster and Jake Weatherald,
01:00the two Tasmanian Tigers selected for this squad.
01:03Their highest scores so far in the Sheffield Shield cricket season.
01:08This summer leading into that first test, they're a little bit contrasting,
01:13but Jake Weatherald scored a 94 earlier in the season,
01:18and then Bo Webster, with a little bit of interrupted preparation to this test,
01:22has a top score of 13, which he scored yesterday before leaving the crease.
01:28Those two numbers, of course, add up to 107.
01:31That's just serendipitous.
01:33Isn't it? Isn't it?
01:34And that's what we look for in numerology.
01:37Not too much research, but it adds up to 107, so the bare minimum.
01:42We will, though, before we get on to too much more of that,
01:46head to local cricket, Cricket North, and a little bit of the CTPL,
01:50if you don't mind me asking, Josh, what's been going on in the last few weeks
01:54since we've last filmed an episode?
01:56Yeah, so we'll go to the CTPL first.
01:58The Great Northern Raiders, I believe, are undefeated.
02:00You'd know better than I, Ben.
02:02And they are through to the semifinal, which is played,
02:05the one-day semifinal, which we played on Sunday.
02:07So, yeah, they're flying at the moment at a rate of knots.
02:10And in Cricket North, we still have two undefeated teams.
02:14Westbury and Mowbray are both undefeated,
02:16having both lost a game due to weather at the moment.
02:19So they're both 4-1 and 0, if you want to count the no results.
02:24Launceston are just behind them at 3-2.
02:27Riverside are at 2-1 and 2, and South are 2-2.
02:31So the Cricket North ladder, while that's not really what the current part is,
02:36being the Greater Northern Cup, so it's combined with the North-West,
02:38the Cricket North ladder is shaping to be pretty interesting and pretty tight
02:41for the later half of the year.
02:43Yeah, I can't imagine there'll be much separation with the 5-1.
02:47Obviously, Launceston have taken a really impressive leap forward this season from last.
02:52I know they were really disappointed how last season turned out.
02:54So it's great to see, I suppose, all five clubs giving this year a really good crack.
02:59And even in the women, we're seeing a little bit more competitiveness across the board.
03:03Westbury recorded a really impressive win against Riverside a few weeks ago.
03:07So it's really exciting to see just how, I suppose, positive a start from a neutral standpoint
03:13that Cricket North has gotten off to.
03:16But that is obviously not the only levels of cricket that have been going on, Ryan.
03:20We've been seeing in the professional space some Northern Tasmanians, or Tasmanians,
03:25or adopted Tasmanians, no matter which category you fit into.
03:28So it's been not a bad time to be part of Tasmanian Cricket.
03:31Yeah, as you mentioned earlier in your wonderful numerology,
03:34Jake Wetherald and Bo Webster got named into the Test Squad.
03:37Wetherald, potentially a Test debut, is the only other specialist opener, I suppose,
03:44outside of Usman Khawaja, so by that logic perhaps he plays.
03:48But there's also been some chatter about Marnas opening, so who knows.
03:51But if Jake Wetherald does open like suspected, it means that there's probably a situation
03:57where it's one of Bo Webster or Cam Grant batting six, and as we are recording,
04:01Bo Webster has just ripped through the South Australian batting attack.
04:04He's got four, I think.
04:06So, it remains to be seen who gets picked for that.
04:09And then, I guess, at WBBL,
04:11MMH James made her WBBL debut, a bit different from the Spring Challenge,
04:16for the Sydney Sixers, and was involved in a somewhat controversial stumping
04:21with Sophie Devine of the Perth Scorchers.
04:25I'm not going to weigh in on an opinion or what, I think.
04:27But, hey, it caused a stir for the game, I guess.
04:31But she wasn't required with the bat, because the Sydney Sixers are good.
04:34And also in Sydney, Hayden O'Connor, he's a month away now from heading off
04:39to play for the Thunder.
04:41Without Ravi Ashwin, that was the big news.
04:44It was like, oh, Thunder, Ashwin, O'Connor.
04:47A great duo at the Thunder.
04:50Not to be, unfortunately.
04:52I think Ashwin did a little knee injury back in India.
04:55He could actually serve Hayden's chances of taking to the field a lot of good.
05:00And that actually leads us into what is definitely the landmark segment,
05:04the one that gets Northern Tasmania talking, and that is, of course, Hayden's hard hitter.
05:09So, boys, I'm very glad you didn't weigh in your opinion on the MX Chiefs or the Test selections here,
05:22because that is what the topic of conversation is going to be.
05:24As I say, it's one of the great parts of Test cricket, especially Ashes cricket,
05:28is talking about who should be playing, who shouldn't be playing.
05:31I, myself, am a massive fan of Brendan Doggett.
05:34Hopefully, he gets a gig, but that's not what the question is.
05:37Between Jake Wetherald, Bo Webster, and Cameron Green,
05:41who misses the first Test match?
05:43Josh, I'm going to start with you.
05:45Brilliant.
05:46It's a really interesting question for you.
05:48Let's see where your allegiances lie as a WA, former WA and now a Tasmanian.
05:54But I am going to give Cam Green the flick.
05:57I just think, well, there's a lot of things I think.
06:01But I think it's interesting that we're trying to mould our whole Test 11 around Cam Green at the moment,
06:07when he mightn't actually be able to bowl through a Test match.
06:11And Bo Webster, obviously, hasn't done a lot wrong,
06:14but that doesn't necessarily justify his selection.
06:17I think this forfeit that we're currently talking about,
06:20that might turn into more once this episode is released,
06:23might just push him in front of Cam, I feel.
06:26What about you, Ron?
06:28It's tricky. It's very tricky.
06:31I'm going to say Wetherald misses out in the first Test.
06:35They're going to go in Lavishane as the opener against his will,
06:39so they can get both Green and Webster in.
06:41Particularly, it's hard to know with what,
06:43because the WA game has just started.
06:45If Cam Green goes okay,
06:47I think it's going to be a case of they try and get both those two in there for the first Test.
06:51And Wetherald, unfortunately, misses out.
06:54I'm going to zag against both of you, guys.
06:57I think Slug is going to be one of the more unlucky Test absences in recent history.
07:04Jake Wetherald, I think, is selected in that Test squad because they intend to play him.
07:09I don't think they would have selected him otherwise, in my opinion.
07:13Cameron Green, whether he should be playing or not is another question,
07:16but I do think that they are wedded to the idea that he is a Test match batter,
07:21let alone an all-rounder.
07:22And, you know, he did perform, well, not the numbers, raw numbers wouldn't say.
07:28He dominated in the West Indies.
07:30He actually was probably Australia's most consistent and best batter over there.
07:33So, you can point to that and say he at least has shown some ability to play at number three.
07:40But I do think they are going to play Martin's number three and I think Cam will go down to number six.
07:46But, really, I think this is probably one of the few times in the last couple of summers
07:50where we've actually had a choice of batters.
07:52It hasn't just been, can we scrape together six batters?
07:55So, I suppose in a good way it is, in one way it is a good thing.
08:00But, yeah, obviously a big decision to make ahead of next week's contest.
08:06We'll just quickly switch over to footy before we end the episode.
08:10It's Devils, never far away from the headlines in Tasmania,
08:14the way that they structure things and sort of slowly release players and stuff like that.
08:19We've obviously had a few more.
08:20Bradcock Scudger, now officially a Devil.
08:23But, one thing that they have announced at the time of recording today,
08:28there will be a new membership package which will include potentially a seat at the 2028 first game,
08:37which obviously is going to be a hard one to cap because I can imagine the demand will outweigh the supply quite significantly.
08:44So, they'll be interesting to see what happens.
08:47And then, obviously, the re-sale, I suppose, of the Foundation Jumper with the new New Balance Apparel sponsorship.
08:58So, there's still plenty going on with the Devils and it'll be really exciting to see how that all shapes out.
09:04But, before we do anything else, it is, of course, the segment that keeps the whole thing tied together.
09:11And that is, of course, Josh's Local Hero of the Week.
09:18This week's Josh's Local Hero of the Week, we've kind of sat in the traditional sports frame for a little bit here.
09:23So, I'm going to just go slightly outside it.
09:26We have a Launceston sailor currently attempting to sail around the world in Tristan Gourlay.
09:30So, Tristan Gourlay, you are the Local Hero of the Week as you try and rate your father's solo around the world record of 179 days.
09:40It's dot, dot, dot.
09:41It's some, some, something.
09:42But, no, Tristan has just set off from Hobart on the weekend and is now heading towards the bottom end of New Zealand and all that kind of gear.
09:51So, congratulations, Tristan.
09:53Hopefully, you can watch this on your boat and enjoy the fact that you'll be Josh's Local Hero of the Week.
09:58And you've obviously done very well because I think Josh himself is quite unlucky to not be the Local Hero of the Week.
10:05For those who are unaware, Josh scored a 99 not out.
10:10Yes, one of the most bittersweet scorelines you can ever manage, but a great effort from Josh and very unlucky second in the Local Hero of the Week.
10:18That is all the time we have for this week.
10:21We'll catch you guys for the next one.
10:35Ready?
10:36Yeah.
10:37Bye.
10:38Now, have you got that map?
10:39Whatever you asked.
10:40Yeah.
10:41Then, tell us something in the 87,000.
10:46Yeah.
10:47There's a map of the state of Nevada.
10:48Report out of that.
10:49Okay, here we are.
10:51We there are, never, never.
10:53However, you could Sharp Lightheart.
10:55Perhaps like a rubber company as well.
10:56You can just speak well, and, you know, except for teams that happen like a little one.
11:00I worry about that.
11:01Well, it's up right now.
11:02That's a backup module for this collection.
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