Ben Hann and Josh Partridge discuss the upcoming Cricket North grand final in episode 84 of The Press Box. Video by Aaron Smith and Paul Scambler (26/3/25)
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00:00Hello and welcome to another episode of The Press Box. My name is Ben Hand, joined alongside
00:11me once again is Josh Partridge. It's episode 84 of everyone's second favourite sports podcast
00:18in Northern Tasmania. And before we get started or anything else, Josh, we've had a massive
00:23few weeks with cricket, footy, stunting as well. It's everyone's favourite segment, numerology.
00:38This is sure to get the live audience excited, this numerology this week. So for 84, I thought
00:45I'd go with a Mowbray theme because obviously they've reached the grand final quite remarkably
00:50considering their season last year. And obviously Mowbray's greatest ever product, Ricky Ponting,
00:57has featured heavily in this little segment. So I've gone with his one day record to fit
01:04into the 84 and it being a big number in Tasmanian sport. His average in ODI cricket was 42 with
01:10the bat and his average in List A was 41.74, so List A obviously being the domestic version
01:18of one day cricket. And that adds up actually to 83.74, but we're going to round up.
01:25Yeah, just for the sake of the whole number. And with our cricket batting averages, you round up anyway.
01:28Exactly. It's actually 90, but no, that rounds up to 84. So that is, yeah. Thank you very much, everyone.
01:38But we do actually have a pretty big episode to get to today. Namely, on theme, Mowbray playing against
01:44Westbury in the Cricket North Grand Final. Yeah, Mowbray defeated Riverside by only nine runs in the end
01:50to qualify. Riverside were bowled out for 120 and Mowbray obviously made 129. So, yeah, overnight Mowbray
01:58needed 12 more runs coming into bat on Sunday, not 14 like I put in the paper. A little error from me.
02:05I can't count. But no, Riverside took two wickets of the two set batsmen overnight and then, yeah,
02:12made it really interesting. Made Mowbray really fight for those 12 runs, but the Eagles got over the line then.
02:18Yes, they did. And obviously playing this Grand Final, it's a first. We're playing in Invermere Park.
02:23We're not playing at NTCA number one or at the NTCA Complex at all with first and second grade.
02:29So, you know, beyond the obvious home advantage, you know, Mowbray really do stand a chance with their Raiders boys
02:38coming back as well. Yeah, absolutely. So they regain Thomas Dwyer, Ben Spinks and Lockie Clark into the lineup
02:44with the Raiders having lost their semifinal to University across the weekend as well.
02:48So their bowling stocks especially are really boosted by bringing in Spinks and Clark. Clark's one of the best
02:56up-and-coming bowlers in Tasmania. So it's really big to have them in for the clash, especially against Westbury,
03:01who are a side with lots of Grand Final experience. They've won the last three. They've won, have a guess,
03:08to say seven of the last 10. So, yeah, they are an incredibly good side.
03:13That's going to take a fair bit for Mowbray to get over the line.
03:15And obviously they will have Chapman coming back in for them as well. So don't expect a weak Westbury team to be fielded there.
03:21It should be a great weekend all across that sort of Invermere precinct.
03:25We'll get to the footy in just one moment. But before we get to anything else,
03:31we've got to go through probably what is the landmark segment in just all of sports media, I'd say.
03:38And that is, of course, Hanni's Hard Hitters.
03:41So thanks for that round of applause. We're off to a great start already.
03:45And I'm going to ask you a pretty standard Hanni's Hard Hitter,
03:50but one that we're definitely not going to bring up with you at any stage in the future if it is wrong.
03:56I'm going to need a winner of this group North Grand Final.
03:59And the exact winner will be announced in just a moment.
04:03I'm going to need a winner of this group North Grand Final.
04:09And the exact result, please.
04:11Oh, this is going to make me an incredibly popular man, isn't it?
04:15I'm backing in Westbury, as I said before, three premierships in a row to make it four.
04:22I think I think they're going to do it. It won't be easy by any stretch, especially as we said,
04:27playing against Mowbray at Mowbray's home ground.
04:30Yeah, I think I think Westbury might get it done.
04:33But I think you have a differing opinion.
04:35Yes, I'll come back to you with an exact result.
04:39But I'm going to say Mowbray, I think, as well as Jared Freeman being a Sheffield Shield player.
04:46Now, a Mowbray regular just about.
04:49He's bowling probably even more so than he's batting.
04:52He's going to be critical to this. They have Humey, obviously Westbury.
04:55But I think Freeman, you know, just the ability to just tie up an end,
05:00not release any pressure while Clark and Spinks and these other bowlers get to work.
05:05Artis and Jones obviously are really good bowlers, too.
05:08It's going to be really hard in the selection table, I think, for Mowbray.
05:10I think they'll get it done, let's say, by three wickets.
05:15I think it's going to be a good game. It's going to go all three days.
05:17Yeah, I think the last Grand Final that we had go really close was that Longsest and Riverside one.
05:222021, I think it was, and that was 22 or 23 runs off the top of my head.
05:27But I don't think it'll be that close. I think it's going to be about 46 runs.
05:31Oh, there you go. And I think the May Park surface, we should have some really good cricket.
05:36We'll move on to basketball after this.
05:39I've got a bit of a slightly different little topic to talk about than what we usually talk about on these shows.
05:45So is this going to be intellectual and insightful?
05:49That's harsh, Joshua. That's harsh.
05:51I'm going to go with Scott Roth.
05:54He was an Exeter primary school, one of five schools he had visited just on that Friday.
05:59He's been going around the whole state, just visiting towns and communities.
06:04I know he went to Deloraine primary school.
06:06I was there in high school, I should say.
06:08And he's gone to all sorts of schools all across the place, Winnalaya as well.
06:13And, gee whiz, if you wanted to know the impact of the Tasmania Jackjumpers in Tasmania,
06:18then it just had to be Exeter primary school.
06:21He was a celebrity.
06:23Everyone, teachers and students.
06:26I was going to say students and teachers, yeah.
06:28Won his autograph, wanted to take photos with him, wanted to ask him all these sorts of questions
06:32and almost just wanted to thank him for the positive influence he's had on sport in this state,
06:39specifically basketball, obviously winning that title with the Jackjumpers.
06:42And he gave some great anecdotes about his perspective on sport and life
06:50and gave these kids some great life lessons.
06:53It was a pleasure to be a part of.
06:55And he's something he feels very passionately about.
06:57So, yeah, I think just yet more great PR from the Jackjumpers.
07:02Yeah, and obviously, I assume the photos from the day will be playing over the top of either of us at some point.
07:07So you'll be able to see the guard of honour and everything that the students gave him.
07:12Obviously, you were there, not me, but it sounds like it was a fantastic time for everyone involved as well.
07:17That's it. We will move quickly right along, though, to football.
07:21It is end of March, so football season is pretty much here.
07:26It is certainly in the AFL, but we'll kick off with the Devils,
07:29the academy team's been playing for the last month or so.
07:32Yeah, so they played their last rep games in March across the weekend.
07:36Both sides were defeated, but the men's side especially, they went down to Frankston, 15-11, 101-12, 7-79.
07:45The last half was amazing from the Devils.
07:48They got smacked out of the gate early.
07:51I think Frankston kicked five goals before the Devils had even hit the scoreboard.
07:55But in the second half, the Devils won that nine goals to five,
07:58and they really showed, I guess, that grit we kind of always talk about with Tassie Footey.
08:02So that was really, really good to see.
08:04The women's side, they played North Melbourne VFW, so last year's premiers,
08:10and they went down 14-12, 96-3, 0-18.
08:14There were some really good signs in there as well.
08:16Ava Reid, one of the young up-and-coming forwards, she looks like a player of the future.
08:21She's kicked at least four or five goals over this month in the rep series,
08:26and is just showing to be a real glimpse of someone to look out for in the future.
08:31Clearly, yeah, some really great development for these young players as well,
08:35getting exposed to such a high quality of football.
08:38We'll also touch quickly on the AFL.
08:40It's coming to Launceston.
08:42Night-time footy, been a long time since this last happened.
08:47We've got a cracking game, Hawthorne versus the Giants.
08:51It's two of the best teams in the comp,
08:53certainly two of the hottest teams in the comp at the moment,
08:56and I'm really looking forward to it, I suppose.
08:58What do you think, will it be received by the Launceston public?
09:02Yeah, it's the perfect storm, isn't it?
09:04It's two of the most informed teams.
09:06It's a night game.
09:07They both play incredibly attractive brands of football, really aggressive.
09:10So, yeah, it should be.
09:12And also, to throw in as well, to have James Leake potentially play,
09:16who's a Launceston boy for the Giants.
09:18Yeah, it's the perfect storm, and it should be one of the biggest crowds
09:21we've had at UTAS in recent memory.
09:23I think I don't need as much excuses there.
09:25It's night-time, it's after local sport.
09:27Everything ticked off there.
09:29Now, just before we finish, we've got to go through
09:32certainly the most up-and-coming segment coming through the ranks.
09:36It's growing with popularity every single week.
09:38It's, of course, Josh's Local Hero of the Week.
09:51My Local Hero of the Week actually goes to someone
09:53who I'm going to be interviewing later this week.
09:55So it's an interesting one to see whether he'll know
09:57by the time I interview him.
09:59But it goes to Mowbray captain Spencer Hayes.
10:02He's a very young captain at a cricket level,
10:04but he took Fifer in the first innings against Riverside there
10:08to restrict them yet to 120, as we said.
10:11So he's doing fantastic things as a young and up-and-coming leader
10:14of that cricket club.
10:15So congratulations to Spencer on what will be the biggest thing you win
10:19this week, regardless of the grand final.
10:21So congratulations.
10:22Yes, exactly right.
10:23This is the title he really wanted.
10:25And we'll just give a quick shout-out.
10:27Next week we should be having a fresh face on this show.
10:30Ryan Bentley has joined us on the sports desk.
10:34We are back to a team of three, so look out for his name in the paper
10:38and obviously his face in next week's episodes.
10:40But until then, we'll catch you guys for the next one.
10:53♪♪♪