Elliot Stevenson
The CTPL T20 season hits full stride with a whirlwind weekend of white-ball action, including a rematch of an abandoned Kookaburra Cup semi-final.
Lindisfarne will try to rebuild its T20 season, having suffered a 7-wicket loss to Kingborough a fortnight ago.
Lightning captain and assistant coach, Keegan Oates, is not understating the importance of the early games of the T20 campaign.
“I think the T20’s is where you can really start to get a roll on during the season,” he said.
“Albeit a different format, you can take that momentum into the red ball stuff, so it can be a good launching pad for the later half of the year.
“Winning the first 2-3 games of the T20 season gives you a really good chance of making that final.
“We’ve had a bit of success in white-ball cricket in the past, so I think we’ll be there again to give it a good crack.”
With just six games of regular season white-ball cricket left, each game will be crucial for a run to the top four.
Lindisfarne host South Hobart-Sandy Bay and reigning premiers New Town at Lindisfarne Oval on Saturday, with the Sharks and the Bucks competing in-between.
Oates is bullish on the Lightning’s chances of making a splash in the limited overs format.
“We’re looking to play an exciting, attacking brand of cricket,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids that I think are well suited to this format which I think will benefit our team.”
Oates has taken 16 wickets this season, as well as peeling off an impressive century against Clarence four rounds ago.
South Hobart-Sandy Bay will be out to exact revenge on New Town for the rain-ruined semi-final between the sides just weeks ago, in which the Bucks were 8-118 before the weather turned for the worse.
New Town advanced to the final, which they lost, due to finishing higher on the one-day ladder.
The second triangle of matchups takes place between Kingborough, Clarence, and North Hobart.
The Knights host Clarence in the morning T20, remaining at the Twin Ovals to play North Hobart in the afternoon.
The Demons will again be on the road as they challenge Clarence the next day at Kangaroo Bay.
Both Kingborough and North Hobart has won its opening matchups in the new T20 season, sitting second and third behind South Hobart-Sandy Bay.
In contrast, Clarence lost its first T20 to the Sharks by 62 runs and will be looking to climb the table on the weekend.
Sunday is headlined by another triple-header between Greater Northern, Glenorchy and recent Kookaburra Cup premiers University.
The Raiders take on Uni on Sunday morning, the first of five games at UTAS Stadium this season.
The Lions then play a pseudo-home game against Glenorchy, before the Knights back up against Greater Northern in the afternoon.
The Raiders lost their first T20 game of the season to North Hobart by 6 wickets, and currently sit eighth on the ladder.
In the women’s competition, Clarence play host to North Hobart in each side’s second last T20 of the season.
North Hobart sit third, two points behind both Greater Northern and New Town.
This means that Sunday’s game can almost be classified as a must win for the Demons as the race for the T20 grand final heats up.
Clarence remains winless on the season and will look to cause an upset in Sunday’s matchup.