Friday night finals double header
The 2020 SA Super League finals series kicks off tomorrow night with a double header at the Salisbury Bowling Club.
This is the second straight double header, after last Friday night saw the minor round come to a close with round six and seven matches held at Salisbury and Holdfast Bay.
Minor premiers the Western Rogues will take on the Central Chargers in the main semi-final, which kicks off at 6pm, with the winner moving straight through to next week’s grand final.
The Rogues defeated the Chargers by 23 shots overall when these two sides met in round four action at Holdfast Bay.
The Rogues look to be at full strength this week, with Simon Geater-Johnson coming back in, while Gabe Nardecchia heads back to the reserves after some strong performances in the singles at league level.
They have had to make some tough decisions at the selection table due to all players being available, with some good players missing out in the reserves as a result.
The Chargers have kept the faith with their team line-up, which has been similar throughout the season, with just minor changes to combinations trialled.
Bailey Rafferty is the only change to the team from the round four clash.
The loser of the main semi-final will face the winner of the elimination final battle between the Northern Knights and Eastern Raiders.
The Raiders will head into the match full of confidence after notching a 29-shot overall win when the two teams came up against each other in round five.
The Knights had up and down results last week, with a big win over the Heysen Comets in round six, before falling to the South Eastern Spartans in round seven.
Their depth has been tested this year, with the absence of Nathan Pedersen and Will McPharlin forcing other players to step up.
The Raiders are set to field arguably their strongest league team of the season for the do-or-die clash.
Neville Mansell has been rewarded for strong performances in the reserves with the chance to play just his second league game of the season, while Tony Treloar will look to get his side off to a strong start in the singles.
The preliminary final will be held at 8:15pm tomorrow night following the opening finals matches.
The reserves finals tomorrow night will see the South Eastern Spartans take on the Mallee Pirates for a direct path to the grand final, while the Knights and Rogues will face off in the elimination final.
The Spartans and the Pirates will also do battle in the under 21s main semi-final, while the Chargers come up against the Rogues in the elimination game.
For all SA Super League, reserves and under 21 competition player selections, please click: https://www.bowlssa.com.au/player-selection/.
For those unable to attend this Friday night’s matches, we will be live streaming two matches via the Bowls SA Facebook page.
The first will be the clash between the Rogues and Chargers, which will kick off at 6pm, while the second will be the preliminary final, which kicks off at 8:15pm, with the teams to be decided following the semi-finals.
A reminder that strict social distancing guidelines and protocols, including having to check in with QR codes, will be in place tomorrow night.
Next Friday night will see the 2020 SA Super League grand finals held at Salisbury.
You can show your true colours and support your favourite team by ordering some of Sports Centre’s Merchandise here: https://www.bowlssa.com.au/merchandise/
Don’t forget to tune into Channel 44 at 5pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays EVERY WEEK to watch SA Super League action, with a replay of all three episodes combined to be played at 10am on Saturdays.
