With the washouts mounting, Keira captain Kyle Connor believes each game they actually complete takes on even greater significance.

The Lions have spent the last two weeks on the sidelines, with a pair of washouts delaying their start to the competition-proper.

Keira are scheduled to take on Wollongong at Keira Village on Saturday, however with heavy rain predicted for Saturday afternoon, and the Keira pitch in a less-than-stellar state after two straight weeks of rain, Connor doesn’t like his chances of playing to a result. 

“We’ve been looking forward to starting the season for a couple of weeks now,” Connor said. “There’s not much we can do with the weather. The pitch didn’t look too great there on Wednesday, but fingers crossed it will fine up and we can get on. 

“It is frustrating not being able to play, but there’s not much we can do. It’s been a poor start to the year with the weather, but it just places even more emphasis on every game. When we do get good weather, it’s going to be crucial that we’re on from ball one to try get a result.”

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With so much rain falling in recent weeks, Connor is expecting the wicket to play slow and low, with batsmen in for a tough day at the crease. 

That would appear to suit Wollongong with their new spin-bowling duo Rohit Sharma and Pushpinder Singh, but Connor is confident his side has the batsmen capable of thriving in the conditions.

“If we do get on, I think the slow bowlers and medium pacers will definitely like it. It will be one of those games the batters have to put their heads down, grind out innings and try bat out the 50.

“It will suit their spinners, but we’ve got a couple of quality spinners as well who can do a job. With the weather around, it evens things up and puts a bit of pressure on the batsmen to get a few runs under their belt. 

“We played the Twenty20 here and even before the rain it was a lot slower than last year. We won batting second and adjusted to the conditions to get the win. We’ve got the boys who can do the job and if they have to change their game, I think they can do it.”

In other matches scheduled for Saturday, Balgownie will look to get their title defence underway when they face Port Kembla at Judy Masters Oval. The Magpies will meet a confident Port Kembla after their victory over Corrimal last weekend. 

The Cougars will aim to bounce back when they take on a Helensburgh side that also hasn’t played this season. Corrimal will be seeking early wickets to slow the Tigers talented top order, led by captain Mitch McCrae. 

Dapto kicked off their season with a win over Wests last weekend and will host Northern Districts at Reed Oval on Saturday. Like so many other clubs, Saturday marks the Butchers first game of the season.

The final match of the round will see University play host to Wests.

Saturday October 20 11.30am: BALGOWNIE v PORT KEMBLA at Judy Masters Oval, CORRIMAL v HELENSBURGH at Ziems Oval, UNIVERSITY v WESTS at University Oval, DAPTO v NORTHERN DISTRICTS at Reed Park, KEIRA v WOLLONGONG at Keira VIllage