Nelson wary of Lisburn as villagers bid for improvement

The villagers were given a scare by a combination of North Down and the weather in their last league match, before last Saturday’s Irish Cup tie with Terenure was washed out.

Waringstown travel to Lisburn on Saturday seeking to make it three successive victories but to do that they must combat Lisburn’s overseas duo Craig Ervine and Darryl Brown.

Lisburn won at The Lawn in each of the last two seasons but Nelson believes Wallace Park will actually suit his bowling attack.

“Lisburn have a couple of very dangerous players and last season at The Lawn they put together a very good partnership that took the game away from us,” said Nelson.

“Going to Wallace Park is never easy but I think the pitch there will suit us better than the Lawn did last season. It was a belter of a wicket and Craig Ervine and Darryl Brown took advantage.

“Wallace Park tends to be slower and lower and that will suit our attack with four spinners.”

Nelson’s verdict on the wins over Muckamore and North Down is good, but could do better. “We’ve looked a bit rusty and that is probably because we didn’t get the cricket I would have liked in pre-season.

“The standard of opposition probably didn’t test us enough and that has had an impact. The batsmen have got 30s and 40s, but they didn’t really go on, and that comes from not having much cricket.

“It’s the same with bowlers. The seamers are not used to bowling five or six-over spells and the spinners not used to bowling their 10 straight through. In pre-season you are trying to give everyone a bowl.”

Waringstown name an unchanged line-up for the third league match in succession, with Jonathan Bushe replacing Andrew Mitchell from Wednesday night’s scheduled Twenty20 Cup game.

Mitchell, the wicketkeeper-batsman, is available for a period after the conclusion of the football season.

He will play both matches next weekend when David Dawson is unavailable.

Nelson said, “Andrew showed the talent he has with the bat against North Down last year, when he got us out of trouble in the Twenty20 Cup, and against Merrion in the Irish Cup.

“He’s a great fielder, and a more than useful wicketkeeper.”

Waringstown are still waiting to confirm the venue for the postponed Terenure Irish Cup tie. Oak Hill in County Wicklow or Trinity College in Dublin are possibles.

Terenure are unable to play the match on their home ground because they do not have a grass wicket on their square.