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 Cougars set to rest players ahead of final 

Cougars set to rest players ahead of final

26 Feb, 2010 03:00 AM
THE Cougars will take on Hotel Leeton tomorrow at Yanco Sportsground in their last match before the one-day grand final.

Yanco All-Servicemen's Club is guaranteed a spot in the decider against Leeton Soldiers Club on March 7 and has the bye on the last normal round of play the day before.

Captain Adrian Axtill said the bye has come at a good time for the Cougars, with team encountering some injury woes.

"Richard Smith will be rested," he said. "He's got a toe injury.

"He'll have the better part of two weeks to get over it so he should be right for the one-day final.

"Grant Commins has a shoulder injury from last week. I don't know exactly how he's travelling with it at the moment, but I'd rather give him the week off and have him right for the final instead of playing him and doing something worse."

Axtill said Ash Fraser or Dan Davies will take Smith's role as wicketkeeper and could even share the duties over the game.

Steve Stockton and Chris Killen are likely options to fill Smith's place in the batting order. If Commins is ruled out, Axtill said Ricky Harrison or Brenton George may fill in.

Axtill was also under an injury cloud himself after twinging his hamstring again in the O'Farrell Cup last Sunday, but declared himself fit to play, though he may just bat or bowl from a shorter run-up.

Hotel Leeton has been travelling well bar a loss to the Stags last round and Axtill said it should be an interesting clash between the two sides tomorrow.

"You never really know what you're going to get with Leeton Hotel," he said. "Now's the time of year that everyone expected them to hit their straps and they have, except for that hiccup last week against Yanco Hotel.

"Yanco are a side like that, they've still got good players even though they've lost Mick (Day), Todd (Norton) and Isaac (Henderson).

"It'll be interesting, not knowing the make-up of their side. If Daryl Clayton plays it'll add a bit of strength to their batting, but then again I don't think he's played since scoring 80 against us in the tied game."

The Cougars are coming off a first-innings points win over the previously undefeated Colts and Axtill said his side's game plan won't change much against Hotel Leeton tomorrow.

"We were happy that it was us that broke their streak," he said.

"We hadn't had much success against them in the one-dayers before that.

"We're just trying to do the same thing week in week out. We try and keep it as simple as we can."

In the other match, Narrandera will host Yanco Hotel in a two-dayer at Narrandera Park and the Colts have the bye.

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