THE weekend has arrived, which means preparations for the upcoming round of the Victoria Men’s Premier League Cricket competition will be just about complete as teams perepare for their upcoming clashes. With the schedule now at Round 12, the league is entering the final third of the 2021/22 season, so expect many sides to look to lift their output over the coming weeks. The 12th round of action sees some big matchups in the context of the ladder as it stands, and there are plenty of storylines coming into these clashes. This includes the game between Melbourne and Dandenong on Saturday, which will see two stars of the game go head-to-head at the crease.

Dandenong vs. Melbourne

Saturday, February 12 @ 11:00am
Shepley Oval

The biggest match of Round 12 comes in the form of a clash between Dandenong and Melbourne at Shepley Oval on Saturday afternoon. The two sides are absolutely stacked with talent and there will be a bit of clash-within-the-clash when Melbourne opener and Aussie young gun Will Pucovski faces off against Dandenong pace bowler and international veteran James Pattinson at the crease in what should be a cracking battle.

The home side has struggled in the 2021/22 season, winning just three of its 10 outings, with the biggest hurdle coming with bat in hand. They have been unable to produce a winning score on a consistent basis, and this was evident against Carlton in Round 11, where they could only muster up 134 runs from their 10 batsmen. They will be looking to improve on this, but face a side that has been known to put up strong scores, so their key to success will be two-fold. They must dismiss the likes of Pucovski and co. early on, and keep Melbourne from building a big score, while also finding a source of runs themselves. If they can tick both of these boxes, then an upset may be on the cards.

Melbourne are enjoying a strong campaign this season, and look likely to be one of the most dangerous teams come finals time. With seven wins from nine matches, they have stationed themselves nicely in third spot in the standings. They come up against a struggling opponent this week, so they will enter this match as favourites. Pucovski produced 70 runs in the win last weekend, but comes up against one of Australia’s premier fast bowlers in Pattinson this week, so expect this to be a massive battle. Melbourne’s strength comes from their batting lineup, so they will need to play Pattinson’s deliveries in a smart manner if they are to get the win.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Northcote will be heading south for their Round 12 matchup, as they prepare to take on Geelong at Geelong Cricket Ground on Saturday afternoon. With just five weeks until the conclusion of the home-and-away season, Geelong will be looking to improve on their current position of ninth spot on the ladder, but face a strong Northcote outfit that wields the batting talents of in-form players such as Jack Lalor, so this is shaping up to be an uphill battle.

The competition’s bottom two sides will face off this round, with the Greenvale Kangeroos hosting the Camberwell Magpies at Greenvale Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Both sides have won just the two games this year, and have struggled with both bat and ball in hand, but this match offers the opportunity to get back on the winners’ list. However, this depends on which team can improve their run-output the most, as this has been the glaring issue for the two clubs.

Frankston Peninsula will be looking to cause an upset when they welcome Richmond to AH Butler Oval for their clash on Saturday. Richmond have been the far better team throughout the 2021/22 season, but the home side are fresh off a win in Round 11, so they will enter this match quietly confident in their ability to shock the competition with a victory here.

St Kilda will be eager to keep their remarkable win streak rolling this weekend, when they take on Melbourne University at CitiPower Centre on Saturday afternoon. The home side has not dropped any of their 10 outings this season, and appear to be unstoppable at this stage of their campaign, so things look tough for Melbourne University, but if they can halt St Kilda’s batting power early, then who knows?

Prahran will continue their pursuit of a top-eight spot when they host Carlton at Toorak Park on Saturday afternoon in what could be an intriguing matchup. The home team are currently sitting a game and a half outside of the top-eight, so they will need a strong finish to the season, but face a tough opponent in the second-placed Carlton in Round 12.

Kingston Hawthorn will be looking to improve their standings when they play host to Footscray at Walter Galt Reserve on Saturday. The home side has won just two games from 10 outings this season, and face a big task here as they take on a Footscray side that has shown the ability with bat and ball to get the job done against any side, so they will need to bring their absolute best.

The penultimate match of the schedule will see a big clash in the context of each team’s season when Fitzroy Doncaster head to Windy Hill to take on Essendon on Saturday. Both teams sit just outside the top eight heading into the final portion of the season, and have enjoyed similar success this season. This should be a cracking contest as both sides fight for a chance to make the finals in a few weeks.

‘The final match of Round 12 will see Casey-South Melbourne head over to Russell Lucas Oval to take on Ringwood on Saturday afternoon. The former is seven spots higher than their opponents in the standings, despite only having one more win (which displays the close nature of the standings after 12 rounds), so expect this match to have a huge impact on the ladder.