Magpies aim to swoop on tail-end of season

NORTH Geelong’s quest for a fifth consecutive Geelong Cricket Association (GCA) premiership is approaching the pointy end with a just over a month to play until finals.

Magpies skipper Tom Mathieson said the premiership favourites were enjoying their cricket at the moment, despite some availability issues as the holiday period winds down.

“It’s been pretty good viewing for the boys since that Joeys game, we’re a real tight-knit group and not just the one man.

“We’ve all got the same mindset, and we all know we have a role to play each week, it’s something spoken about heaps by Bidders [Craig Biddiscombe] to the group and it helps our confidence, particularly when we have a few out.”

North Geelong’s most recent scalp, a two-day Round 10 win against South Barwon, capped off six straight wins, with the club’s last loss back in Round 2 against St Joseph’s on October 14.

The weekend’s victory, which saw the Magpies almost secure an outright win over the Swans after a bold day 1 declaration, featured a strong performance from Mathieson’s team-mate Thomas Webster.

Mathieson praised Webster, who took five first innings wickets on day 1 against South Barwon out of six across both days.

“The real standout for us this season has been Tom, he started out in the twos, which was really stiff because he had a really good year last season and our depth at the time didn’t really help him,” Mathieson said.

“He’s started really well this year, played a few real good games, went up into the ones, and I think he has 30-odd wickets in the ones alone leading all GCA bowlers.

“He’s been so consistent, he’s been such a hard worker, so for him to get some recognition where he belongs and to be one of the best bowlers in the ones is great for him.”

North Geelong will face a trio of opponents over the next month and a half, all outside of the top four.

First up will be Newtown & Chilwell, who have had a disappointing campaign to date with only three wins, at Queens Park.

North Geelong then hosts Lara and Highton before finishing the season against Grovedale.

The Magpies also have a semi-final against Lara at Bisinella Oval on February 6 in the GCA’s T20 Knockout Cup, which Mathieson described as a statement game.