The role revolutionising Warrnambool cricket

Hearts are pounding late but the Panthers get over line and relief floods captain, coach and teammates.

It's an all too familiar sight at Davidson Oval. Fowler, recruited from Woodford in 2020, came to fill a bowling vacancy but has also impressed grabbing late runs.

That role - a lower-order hitter capable of finishing a game - is becoming more common through the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association as teams navigate more short-form fixtures.

"It's probably a role that's hard to fill," West Warrnambool captain Ben Threlfall said.

"It's a unique role and I think we've tried, especially in short-form cricket like one-dayers, to have someone come with wickets in hand and go at a run a ball.

"I reckon that's crucial to get those good totals. Tyler's done it well for us, Tommy Noonan is another who does it well for us."

Threlfall said the role had diversified Fowler's game.

"He's been huge for us. We knew what we were getting as he was such a quality player when he was at Woodford," he said.

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"He came over for that opportunity with the new ball and has probably given a bit more opportunity with the bat and he's just been great for us."

Threlfall said West Warrnambool practised quick scoring at training but Fowler and Noonan's natural games allowed them score fast.

"We don't have to teach them what to do, but we do practise it at training," he said.

"All the batters do. It's probably one thing Al (Templeton) has done really well with us, implement new training drills.

"We're always working on something different."

Allansford-Panmure skipper Chris Bant described the spot as "the hardest role in cricket".

"I know I'm hopeless at it," he laughed.

"If I had to bat seven or eight and had to come in and score boundaries from ball one, I'd struggle. There's no chance I could do that.

"It's just certain batsmen. Some people can do it straight up and others need that little bit of time to get themselves in, I suppose."

Bant said legendary bowler Ben Boyd, who has enjoyed a productive season with the bat, was a prime example while Paddy Mahony could also finish games after getting his eye in.

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"Boydy has probably always had a bit of success with it, batting even lower than seven or eight," he said.

"He can certainly hits boundaries at times. Paddy has scored a fair few runs too. It's good to get him in there with 15 overs to go. He's not so much one to go out there and hit boundaries from ball one, but he can be that finisher-type.

"In the top order we've got a bit of a job to allow that to happen too."

Bant said it was a sacrificial role, as it didn't cater to statistic-padding, and needed a team player to execute it properly.

"It's not going to work every week, either, because if it did everyone would be doing it easily," he said.

"It's so important because generally games around here are won by 20 or 30 runs or four or five overs here or there.

"The difference between making 150 or 200 will often be the difference in Warrnambool."

The experienced skipper said Boyd was a top player of spin and medium pace.

"He's not so much a user of the pace if that makes sense," Bant said.

"Pat is probably the opposite - he's a user of the pace and likes the ball to come onto the bat.

"He probably does it more running between the wickets, turning those ones into twos and hits boundaries late. He doesn't come in to hit straight up."

Russells Creek captain Matt Petherick said making more runs through the middle and lower order could elevate his side to another level.

"It'd take our side from making scores around 200 to well over and making a really big score," he said.

"Our bowling unit would then go out there with a heap of confidence and be able to defend it."

But Petherick, one of the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association's premier bowlers, conceded it wasn't easy.

"It's a hard one for the middle order because Sash (Silva) and Cam (Williams) make it look so easy," he said.

"They've got to come out and start whacking balls from the get-go which is so hard to do in cricket.

"It's a specialist spot, batting down the order like that. I think Tyler Fowler does it quite well, he's probably the one. He bats down the order and if he can get himself going from ball one he's pretty dangerous."

Nestles' Lachie O'Neill has also emerged as one to watch through the lower order.

The Factory role player is averaging 22.8 from the number seven position in the order.

Could the revolutionised role be the deciding factor in a premiership? Only time will tell.

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