Tigers have their tails up ahead of second semi

Railways will chase a sixth successive grand final appearance as they look to continue their dominance of the Albany Cricket Association A-grade competition, coming up against Manypeaks yet again in a second semifinal on Saturday afternoon.

With a place in next week’s grand final at stake, the Tigers’ hopes of winning six straight A-grade titles will be boosted if they can progress directly through and avoid backing up in Sunday’s preliminary final.

The Tigers’ final side for Saturday’s clash is not confirmed, but captain Zane Marwick said his side knew how important getting the job done on Saturday was, given the threat of the other teams in the finals series. “This is definitely the most open finals series in a few years,” Marwick said.

“These teams all have X-factors and guys that can take the game away from you.

“Avoiding the preliminary is another game you don’t have to worry about and the stress of getting knocked out in straight sets.”

The Tigers have marched towards another finals series with an almost perfect record, losing their first-round match before going on an 11-game winning streak to finish at the top of the ladder, 30 points clear of Peaks.

Having beaten Peaks in recent finals, Marwick said knowing the opposition and their game style gave his side confidence

“If we play our style of cricket and get things going our way, that goes a long way to winning the game,” he said.

“This season if anything, even when we’ve had bad games, we’ve found a way to win. If we get in any position, we know we are still capable of winning.”

Peaks regain key all-rounder Warwick Durack for the final but captain Aran Tilbury was undecided on the exact make-up of his team.

Former captain Ryan Kinnear is expected to return from a extended lay-off with a hamstring injury this weekend.

“We are still deciding on if we play 11 or 12,” Tilbury said.

“They are definitely the team to beat, have been for five years, so it’s a massive challenge for us.

“We’ve got to play our best cricket to beat them.

“Batting our 50 overs is the most important thing, even if we are chasing and then obviously getting the key wickets and there is a few of them.”