The Great Southern Cricket Association (GSCA) season gets underway tomorrow with eight teams vying for ‘A’ grade premiership glory. There are also eight teams in ‘B’ and ‘C’ grade while nine teams are involved in the one-day competition which commences on October 19. Senior Colts and Junior Colts competitions will commence on 19 October while the Under 12’s and Under 10’s start on 25 October.

Reigning premier Noarlunga will be one of the favourites for the flag again and has picked up 2016/17 premiership player Sam Trapolino who has returned from Yankalilla. Cameron Bullard has returned to SACA Premier Cricket and Sam Carlyle is having a break this season. The Shoes have good depth in bowling with skipper Jason Scarff, David Scarff and Matthew Ray combining for 102 wickets last season while Jason Scarff and Anthony Burgess made over 1,300 runs between them. Willunga won the premiership in 2017/18 and were runners-up last year and will be a big threat this season with all-rounder Simon Roberts a key to their success again. Since arriving at Willunga at the start of the 2017/18 season, Roberts has taken 84 wickets at the miserly average of just 8.56 to go with 740 runs at 46.25. He was ably supported by Luke Goldner last season who snared 26 wickets and Luke Harding who was ultra consistent in racking up 532 runs for the campaign.

Goolwa finished clear in second spot at the end of the minor round last season but sadly went out of the finals race in ‘straight’ sets as they could only muster scores of 110 and 109 in their two finals. The Magpies will be super keen to put the end of last season behind them and get their campaign off to a winning start as they travel to Noarlunga in round one. Victor Robertson and Andrew Evans combined for over 900 runs last season and will again be the keys with the bat. Perennial grand finalist Encounter Bay were knocked out in the Semi-Final last year by Noarlunga, ending an amazing run of six consecutive appearances in the final game of the season. Cameron Lintern will be the key to their chances of returning to the Grand Final, coming off one of the best seasons of his distinguished career where he scored a whopping 678 runs to go with a handy 23 wickets.

McLaren Districts has made steady improvement over the past two seasons winning seven games after just one victory in 2016/17. The Crushers will look to build on that improvement this season and hope for a return to ‘A’ grade finals for the first time since 2015/16. Port Elliot hasn’t played finals since 2014/15 but they’ve been around the mark recently with five wins in each of the past two seasons. Veteran seam bowler Simon Donaldson returns from Bridgewater and Jesse Consalvo will take over as ‘A’ grade captain.

Mount Compass have had a busy off-season with a turf wicket being installed at Burgess Oval and they will be buoyed by the return of Michael Tucker from Yankalilla and Aaron Dalitz from Uraidla. Paul Barrett has been reappointed as ‘A’ grade skipper. Myponga return to ‘A’ grade competition for the first time since the 2014/15 season at the expense of Yankalilla who will play in the ‘B’ grade this season. Myponga finished minor premiers in ‘B’ grade last season before losing a nail-biter of a Grand Final by one wicket to McLaren Districts.

This week’s ‘A’ grade fixtures are 40-overs per side one-dayers (home team named first)…..

Noarlunga v Goolwa

Myponga v McLaren Districts

Encounter Bay v Willunga

Port Elliot v Mount Compass