The Weekend Whispers have arrived as we preview the weekend’s upcoming action.

The 1^st XI will be looking to cull the Sharks on Saturday afternoon as they head to Johnson Park for their round one clash. New recruits Peter Dunlop and Todd Burley will be keen to make a big impact in their respective first games for the club, while favourite son Jarrod Butcher will undoubtedly be looking to make amends for his embarrassing mathematical blunder which left him red-faced on Thursday night. Let’s hope his innings against the Sharks will be calculated with more precision than that equation.  Moving down the order, exciting prospect Lachie Stuckey will line up in his second game for the 1^st XI after an impressive debut in round twelve last year and will be looking to continue his strong form from last season. Adam Metherell is a man who will be full of confidence after last night being drafted to the Jets with pick #1 in what could only be described as a nail-biting and captivating affair and will be intent on translating this gusto into wickets as he did so often in season 2017/18. After a big preseason, the 1^st XI will be excited to get their campaign underway with a strong win.

After a number of dominant years in Division 3, the 2^nd XI have been promoted to RJ DeCoite Shield and will face South Belgrave in a game which is likely to be a barometer of the club’s strength. After welcoming a son into the family over the off-season, the evergreen Pops Morrison will be strapping on the pads for another year, however ruling out a spontaneous retirement would be at your own peril. The slightly more mature Morrison son will be battling a sore index finger on Saturday, sustained in an unsuccessful effort to open a packet of parmesan cheese during a recent shift at McDonalds, however remains confident in his ability to pile on runs despite battling this adversity. The Magoos also welcome experienced campaigners Matt Young and Navinder ‘Sandwich King’ Singh into the line-up, while Dylzoid Wylde will round out the recognised batsman and hopefully provide an entertaining story pre-game. The man of many nicknames, big, bad, bustling Drew Withers will be charging in even harder than usual on Saturday with Kookaburra in hand after his recent appointment as Vice-Captain and will likely be looking for an opportunity to deliver an earbashing to any underperforming teammates in order to assert his dominance. Let’s hope this team can keep their run of good fortune going in what is shaping up to be a huge test.

With incumbent skipper Andrew Potts currently on the opposite side of the Tasman Sea, emerging leader Josh Wylde will take the 3^rd XI into battle against South Belgrave. Despite the higher altitude potentially being in the host’s favour, the lads should be confident travelling up the hill after comfortably winning the corresponding white ball fixture last year. In a youthful team, the experienced heads of club legend Rhys Marget and frequent patron of the Yarrawonga RSL Sean Reid will be looking to impart invaluable knowledge to their junior teammates. Dedicated trainer Nixon Adcock will also play an important role after a huge preseason, expected to bamboozle the opposition with his extensive array of nude nuts, while impressive off-field performer Carlton O’Connor will be hoping his recent efforts in the thriving metropolis of Poowong will transition seamlessly into on-field glory.

In a team which apparently consists of a vaguely referenced “bunch of juniors”, Greg Crook saddles up for another season at the helm of the 4^th XI, getting underway against the fearsome Gators. Club stalwart Jason Buljubasic will be an important cog in the batting order. With his handsome looks likely to disrupt the opposition’s focus, his fellow batsmen should endeavour to capitalise on this opportunity. Matty Lambrick will be another of Crooky’s key assets and will be looking to contribute strongly with both bat and ball to get the team across the line. Despite an extended hiatus, tearaway quick Varun Kotamruju is expected to play and will toil hard to displace his opponents pegs. After going down in the semi-final last year, the Crooky monster will be hellbent on leading his pack to the promised land with a capable team at his disposal.