LAST Saturday morning’s deluge across the region means the Beechworth Wanderers’ A grade side have just the one day to pick up a win against Benalla Bushrangers. The first weekend of the final two-day fixture for the year was abandoned at the Gardens Oval in Benalla, due to rainfall and unsuitable ground conditions. “We were at Benalla and there was a downpour there at around 12pm and washed everything away,” A grade skipper Brenton Surrey said. “We were rolling through the gate as it happened - I was speaking to someone on Monday and they said they didn’t get a thing for the rest of the day, but that’s part of cricket. “It’s hard to know what the weather’s going to do and where.” The Wanderers sit third on the overall A grade ladder, and while they’ve posted strong scores and bowled teams out well, they haven’t picked up consistent wins. While their two-day scheduled match will be played as a 40 over game this weekend, Surrey said he backed his team to perform regardless of the format. “It’s not a big difference, really,” he said. “You get through a lot of the amount of overs, whether it’s 75 or 40, so I don’t think too much will change. “Most teams struggle to bat their 75, there aren’t too many that go and bat their full 75. “You can plan all you like, but if you get the basics right, you’re generally going to win most games of cricket. “We’ve been in most games, the four games we’ve played. “Kayde (Surrey) has batted pretty well, Clancy Ellet’s having a really good season.” The Wanderers will face a new-look Benalla side which has troubled a few sides, having picked up solid early-season wins over Rovers United Bruck and Delatite. “They’re a bit of an unknown, but it should be good,” Surrey said. “It’s hard to know, they’re a completely new side compared to what they were last year, I don’t know too much about the players. “We’ll try to control what we can, and get what we can going in the right direction, we’ll react on the run to how players are batting and bowling.” The Wanderers face Benalla Bushrangers on Saturday at Benalla Gardens Oval, weather permitting. The B grade side takes on Delatite at Lords Reserve in Mansfield, while the C grade Stanley team play at Stanley against Greta.
