TOMORROW’S MA Connolly Cup fourth round will be like groundhog day for Glen Innes.
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It has to go to Armidale to tackle the Dumaresq Colts again, just three weeks after making the same trip in round three.
Not that Glen will complain if the result goes the same way as last time, when it won by 76 runs.
“If Armidale bat the way they did last time we won’t need 50 overs to bowl them out,” Glen captain Adrian Sippel said.
“None of them put up much of a fight, except the captain, (Matt) Jackson.
“We’ve got Ben Lonergan and Nick Whan and Jake Baker is back in the Connolly Cup side.
“He was at schoolies last time.
“Scott Hodder comes back in as a batsman so the batting will be strong.”
The batting lineup is virtually unchanged.
Glen was knocked out of the Country Plate by Lower Clarence last week but is still confident its runs of wins in the local competition can continue with the side it has chosen.
“It’s a good side,” Sippel said.
“We bat down to 10 and we’ve included Nick Whan again, who bowled really well last time against Armidale.
“We’ve also brought in Perry Stapleton who is a young kid who took six-for and made 60 against Tamworth High last week.
“He’s a good kid with it.”
Peter Rajko is also in good form with the bat and will open alongside Nathan Purvis.
The middle order of Nathan Levy, Sippel, Nick Lehman, Joel Jackson and Shawn Mepham has been contributing and the lower order has plenty of runs in it as well.
“Our batting has been our strength,” Sippel said.
“I know we lost 7-18 in that last game but we’ve had the same top eight or nine every game.
“It’s our bowlers who we’ve been rotating, and that’s worked for us.”
Armidale is also stretching its resources even further this time because it has two teams in action.
The firsts are at Narrabri and are missing a few regulars so the Colts have lost some players to plug those gaps.
The other Connolly Cup game tomorrow sees Pilliga host Inverell.
GLEN INNES: Nathan Purvis, Peter Rajko, Nathan Levy, Adrian Sippel, Nick Lehman, Joel Jackson, Shawn Mepham, Ben Lonergan, Scott Hodder, Perry Stapleton, Jake Baker, Nick Whan.
DUMARESQ COLTS: Matt Jackson (c), Justin McKay, Zac Atkin, Corby Kliendienst, Kyle Taylor, Trent Snell, Tom Armitage, Aaron Whackett, Col Starkey, Sam Hutton, Sam Constance, Rumman Hussan.
