LCC

Hold Your Shape

Laverton CC · Winter 2026 · ball-by-ball intelligence · MYCA Saturday Black + MCA Div B

Round 6 — Next Game ▸ THIS SATURDAY

Saturday 20 June 2026 · 12:00 PM · Lawrie Emmins Reserve (WESC home) · MYCA West Division

Laverton Saturday Black (3W–1L, 3rd) v WESC Knights (1W–3L, 7th)

The headline

They have the most collapse-prone top order in the division. WESC have folded to 86/7 (v TUCC) and 99/7 — losing 4 wickets for 1 run — (v Aintree), and slid to 5/109 in their other loss. They're 7th (1-3). Attack the top order early and this game can be over by drinks.

But two players can win it on their own. Bhagwant Singh Brar is a double threat — their anchor (52, 52, 20) and best bowler (3/19 at economy 2.71). Manil Kumar is explosive when set (59* off 30 with 5 sixes to win their one game) but otherwise cheap (14, 24, 11). Remove these two early and WESC have no other gear.

How WESC play

Boom or bust batting. Every total depends on Bhagwant holding one end and Manil going big. When both fail, they collapse — twice to under 100 for 7.
Their only win came chasing (207 v UTSC). Batting first they've folded under scoreboard pressure — so if we bat first and post a real total, history says their order cracks.
No strangle attack. Bhagwant (2.71 econ) and Gaurav Sahdev (4/27) take wickets, but the rest leak badly — Manil went for 10.3 an over, N J Cadhoomy 10. There are easy runs here for patient batting.

Their danger men & targets

Player	Evidence	Call
Bhagwant Singh Brar	Anchor (52, 52, 20) + best bowler (3/19 @ 2.71). The spine of the team both ways.	KEY WICKET
Manil Kumar (c)	59* off 30 (5 sixes) when set; 14/24/11 otherwise. Only scores aerial & square.	CRAMP HIM
Gaurav Sahdev	Strike bowler (4/27, 1/32) + handy bat (29). Their wicket threat.	SEE OFF
Prabhpreet Singh	Fast cameos (24 off 10). Plays for Western Eagles in MCA — we beat that side by 39.	ATTACK
N J Cadhoomy Nijamudeen	Steady (36) + part-time bowler who leaks (econ 10).	TARGET OVERS
Parminder, Bilal, Sukhdeep, Rajaji	Fringe — in and out of the order, low scores.	ATTACK

Game plan

Win the toss → BOWL. Their top order is the division's most fragile (86/7, 99/7). Put the new ball in their hands and attack — they've never built a big total batting first.

New ball straight at the stumps. Taha Hussain + Shabbir to open. Get Bhagwant and Manil early — if both are gone cheaply, there's no recovery act behind them.

Cramp Manil Kumar — zero width. He only scores aerial and square. Bowl stump-to-stump, pack the leg side, make him manufacture. Tie him down and the whole innings stalls.

Middle overs: Manglesh + Santhosh hunt the collapse. Their 5–8 is exactly where the 4-for-1 and 5-for-15 collapses happened. Ring field, build the squeeze, take the clatter of wickets.

If we bat first: post 220+ and bat through. Their attack beyond Bhagwant/Gaurav is gettable — milk Manil and N J Cadhoomy's overs (10+ an over). NRR matters (we're level on points with 2nd) so don't coast — win big.

Use the recommended order (see the separate batting card): Parth + Anas open, Shivanker 3 to anchor, Taha Hussain at 7, Santhosh 8 to finish. More aggressive up top than v UTSC — there's no strangler to survive here.

Then the week after — Round 5 rematch v UTSC (Sat 27 Jun)

Different opponent, opposite plan. UTSC are a strangle attack (Khaleel 7 wkts @ econ 2.90, Vinuja @ 3.69) — there, survival up top is everything: accept 20/0 off Khaleel's spell, let Shivanker anchor.
Their rescue squad is still missing from the named XII (Pulindu, Azeem, Mendis, Rizvy) — ~39% of their season runs and 10 wickets absent. Their top order collapses to full straight bowling (7/55, 5/88).
Full UTSC plan is saved — same structure: bowl first, attack the stumps, Taha + Umer at the death, keep them under 160. We'll promote it back to the lead once the WESC game is done.

MVP points = Batting (1/run, +25 per fifty, +50 per hundred) + Bowling (20/wicket, +5/maiden, +15 per 3-wicket haul) + Fielding (10/catch, 15/stumping, 10/run-out). Transparent & arguable — that's the point of a clubroom debate.

Hold Your Shape

Round 6 — Next Game ▸ THIS SATURDAY

The headline

How WESC play

Their danger men & targets

Game plan

Then the week after — Round 5 rematch v UTSC (Sat 27 Jun)

Overall MVP race

Batting points

Bowling points

Fielding points

Full MVP table

Coach's read

Run rate by phase — us vs opponents

When wickets fall (5-over buckets)

Dot-ball pressure by phase

Extras conceded per game

Results

Runs by phase per batter

Risk map: strike rate vs dot %

How we get out

Performance by batting position

Boundary dependency

Batting table

Economy by phase per bowler

Wickets by phase

Who bowls when (usage)

The extras leak

Bowling table

Fielding dismissals

Catches created vs taken

Manhattan — runs per over

Worm — cumulative

Game summary