Gameweek 4 proved to be yet another wet weekend, however, my prediction that only the 1s would play proved incorrect. With the 2s and 3s completing games of cricket, whilst the 1s were rained off. Cricket weather finally seems to have returned for Gameweek 5, so let's hope for three completed games & three Totham wins!
Despite 2 games being completed, poor batting performances meant that very few points were actually scored. Jacob Slater (£3.6m); James Hay (£4.5m) and Nick Phillips (£4.5m) being the only players to score over 30 points, and none of the 3 made it past 39. Team-wise, Timbo Slice's Hazey Hitters still lead the pack on 1186, with MQs Jug Alert in second place, while JW XI became the fifth side to pass the 1000 point mark. Melman BC topped the leaderboard in Gameweek 4 with 131 points, while 4 teams scored minus figures. The worst being Big Mac's BMI Blasters (-27), who were hampered by a poor captaincy choice (himself) scoring minus 40 points.
This weekend's points will be interesting - poor availability across the club means that lots of players have been promoted so potentially finding points harder to come by, while there are three Totham legends returning after breaks of varying length. Barry Mays (£4m); Kevin Mays (£2m) and John Dundas (£1.5m) are all available now for selection, and with 20,000 runs and 800 wickets in the league between them, all offer great value in your teams. The Mays' brothers will face Rayleigh at Bull Meadow in the 2s, while John will open up for the 3s against Eastwood.
Sunday's fixture is just a friendly, so will not count towards the Fantasy points totals, but it will be interesting to see how some players stack up for potential future selection, both George Davis & Chris Pearson have yet to play a league game in 2021, and can PQ keep taking wickets to force a 3s selection?
So without further delay, here are my thoughts on the key players to Buy, Sell & Captain this weekend.
BUY
Of the 3 returning legends, Barry Mays (£4m) has played most recently, scored the most runs & taken the most wickets. I expect him to look like he has never been away on his return this Saturday. He also has history against Rayleigh 2nd XI, taking 5 wickets for just 2 runs against them in 2018. He is an all-rounder however, and I certainly will certainly find it difficult to drop one of my existing all rounders to fit him in.
If you're looking for a player to free up funds for a Premium, Taidgh Kinsella (£1m) certainly fits that option. We also welcome Taidgh back to GTCC this week, after several seasons playing for Colchester. Taidgh has not played much senior cricket for us, but was a fast bowler who could hit a very long ball at colts' level. Rumours of a potential injury hampering how much he is now able to bowl, but if he has the same hand-eye coordination & temperament as his brother, could score significant points in the coming weeks.
BUY: Barry Mays (£4m)
SELL
He finds himself with the second most points of all the batsmen, and proved my pre-season shout me as a value pick correct. But Jacob Slater (£3.6m) is now being whisked away down to Cornwall for a two week holiday so won't score you any points over the next two Gameweeks. With John Dundas (£1.5m) & Kev Mays (£2m) both being cheaper, I would recommend swapping him out for one of those two in the short term.
Like all the best cricketers, when Jack Ridge's (£5.6m) 1st XI match was rained off, he sped down the A12 to Basildon to fill the final spot in the 3rd XI to bully the opposition bowlers. However before he could tuck into bowling on offer, Jack decided to run himself out for just 1 run. However, it must have been a good 1, as Jack's YoYo selection through the club continues again this week, as he is back in the 1s to face Rayleigh. I'd be looking to move Jack on for now, and bring him back when he is leading the charge for the 3s promotion push & playing on a Sunday too.
Sell: Jacob Slater (£3.6m)
CAPTAIN
Joe Davis (£7.7m) returns from Leeds to bolster the 1s bowling & batting line-up, while Rob Hewer (£5.6m) will be determined to force a positive result at Rayleigh. In my opinion, these are the 2 key men if the 1s are to put their first W on the board this week.
In the 2s, I certainly wouldn't be averse to captaining Badger (£4m) straight away, while we all know how dangerous Jofra Chadwick's (£5.4m) all-round ability can be on that stage. James Hay (£4.5m) looks set to open the batting and played a confident knock last week, more runs to follow?
For me, the 3s are the side most likely to win this weekend, so I'm looking for my captain in this game. Even discounting myself, Sam Yeates (£5.1m) and Ryan Kennedy (£3.5m) are two players with the potential for scoring massive points this weekend. Tom Wheeler (£3.5m) & Jess Pugh (£2m) return to the 3s this week, arguably the 2 best bowlers in that side.
But, for reasons that I don't need to state, and despite only being available for the first 2 hours of the game, I'm going to be captaining myself. Having said this, I can almost guarantee a first-baller.
Captain: Yours Truly (£7.5m)
Best of luck to all this weekend and a big welcome back to those who have been away.
If you'd like to get involved in the competition, you can still sign up! There's still plenty of Gameweeks left to go, and loads of points on offer. Follow this link here, and click create team. Once you've done that, please pay your entry fee to Rob Hewer. If you're struggling with who to pick, read my season preview!
