Albany and Districts Cricket Association dealing with big omissions in Country Cup showdown with Peel

Albany and Districts Cricket Association must contend with glaring big-name omissions for their opening match of the 2024-25 Belt-Up Country Cup campaign against Peel this weekend. The Whalers will be without two mainstays for the entire season, WA Country XI All-Australian and star all-rounder Nathan Crudeli (Perth) and top-order batsman Ted Batchelor (England). Aggressive opening batsman and Tuck Waldron medallist Lincoln Joy (injured) will also be absent when the Whalers host Peel at Turf North on Sunday in their only one-day match of the three-game tournament. However, the reigning Boan Cup champions will be buoyed by the enormous inclusion of star English all-rounder Joe Stanley and the experienced heads of Country XI all-rounder Jeremy Wood and Royals captain Mitch Green. English bowler Jack Pope (Mt Barker) will play his first match of the 2024-25 season, with Lions young all-rounder Angus Thompson and Manypeaks batsman Seb Stanton also in the selected side. Coen Marwick will lead the Whalers as captain and firmly believes that despite missing top-end talent, his side can clinch victory. “Obviously Ted (Batchelor) and Nathan (Crudeli) are gone for the year. . . and you probably can’t express enough how big of a loss Nathan is,” Marwick said. “You probably look back at the success we’ve had over the last five years, Nathan has probably been at the centre of most of that with bat and ball and he will be missed and Lincoln (Joy) will certainly be missed as well. “I definitely think we still have the cattle and still a wealth of experience with Jez (Jeremy Wood) and Greeny (Mitch Green). “They’re probably the two real older, senior blokes in the group. “I think it’s a great opportunity to blood a few younger guys, for them to experience the comp and experience playing for Albany.” Previously the four teams played three one-day matches before the top two squared off in a final. Now, each side will play a single one-day fixture and two T20 matches. The last time the two were meant to jostle in this tournament, Peel infamously forfeited meaning the Whalers’ hopes of reaching the final were dealt an enormous blow. Being the only one-day match of the new-look competition, Marwick said an early win is vital and insisted his side will draw on last season’s frustrating fixture as fuel for the win. “I think the 50-over game is super important. You have got to win this one to stay alive in the comp,” Marwick said. “But it’s a really good opportunity and we won country week last season and we probably feel we were a little bit hard done by in the Country Cup last season. Peel has named a strong side for the round one match which starts at 10am at Turf North, including former WA under-19 bowler Timothy Miles and Albany junior Noah Blight. In the other round one fixture Bunbury and Districts will clash with the WA Invitational XI at Harvey Recreation Ground on Sunday. COUNTRY CUP TEAMS Albany and Districts CA Coen Marwick (C) Jeremy Wood (VC) Mitch Green Joe Stanley Seb Stanton Angus Thompson Ryan Kinnear Jack Pope Kobus Wessels Hayden Davies Regan Poett Ryan Davies Peel CA Josh Rudge (C) Daniel Baker Noah Blight Travis Caine Oliver Herrington Freddie Higton Daniel Jones Timothy Miles Connor Smith Damien Stanley Richard Woods Jake Wyllie