The England cricket team have “Bazball” – now Stoneywood-Dyce believe they have their equivalent with “Besterball”.
England have earned praise this summer for their more aggressive, attacking brand of cricket under new head coach-captain duo Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
McCullum’s nickname is Baz, hence the term – even if the man himself does not agree with it being banded about.
Aberdeen side Stoneywood-Dyce appointed Lennard Bester as their new captain last week and, according to batter Ewan Davidson, his forthright approach is having an impact.
They have lost seven straight in the Eastern Premier and, while they do not appear to be in relegation danger, the slump has not been acceptable.
“England have got Bazball, we’ve got Besterball,” said Davidson. “It’s really exciting for myself personally and for us as a group.
“Lennard is a great player and in the field last weekend he was brilliant. He made changes at the right time. There’s a really good vibe around the group and we want to end on a high.
“It’s brilliant to have someone come to you and say: ‘this is what we’re doing badly, this is how we improve it’. He’s going to outline how we improve and you saw that from the bowling on Saturday.
“There’s a much better feel around the club and we’re really confident we can finish off the season well.”
Bester, who hails from South Africa, came to Aberdeen in 2015, but this is the first season he has been able to fully commit to cricket.
His brother Hein was an overseas amateur with Stoneywood-Dyce in the early 2000s.
Watsonians are the visitors to People’s Park this weekend, with Davidson confident they can arrest their decline.
“They’re going to give us a huge challenge,” he added. “The Hairs up top play for Scotland and they are going to come at you.
“We always seem to do well against Watsonians and we beat them earlier in the season. We just need one result to kick us back into the winning mood again.”
Aberdeenshire and Huntly ready for key showdown
Meanwhile, in the North-East Championship, Huntly captain Jack Mitchell believes it’s win or bust for their title hopes.
The Strathbogie outfit, who are third in the table, take on league leaders Aberdeenshire at Mannofield.
Huntly have won eight and lost twice this season, with Shire winning nine and losing once.
Mitchell believes his side need to win to keep their hopes of glory alive going into the final three games.
He said: “The team is playing really well and playing with a lot of confidence at the moment.
“It’s all-or-nothing for us, because if we lose our chance of winning the league is gone.
“But if we could beat Aberdeenshire then it gives us a chance going into the final three games of the season.
“We would still have a chance and our ultimate goal is to try to win the league, so it’s a big game for us.”
A victory for Huntly could hand second-placed Meigle – who like Aberdeenshire have only lost once – the advantage if they can overcome Stoneywood-Dyce 2nds at Victory Park.
But Shire skipper Kenny Reid is determined to ensure his charges remain in pole position for championship glory by picking up another win.
He added: “We need to continue that level of performance and that ruthlessness we’ve shown in the last few weeks.
“We’re just looking one game at a time, we don’t want to look ahead.
“If we were to win this game, it maybe knocks Huntly out of the race, but we wouldn’t be able to relax because there are more big games coming up.”
Elsewhere, Gordonians tackle Strathmore at Lochside Park.
No complacency from Crescent
Crescent stand on the threshold of winning their first ever Grade 1 title, safe in the knowledge that their destiny is in their own hands.
But with six games to play their captain Nathan Thangaraj is taking nothing for granted.
He said: “The league is full of good teams, including Saturday’s opponents Master Blasters Aberdeen, who are pushing for third place.
“They have proved they are well capable of beating anyone on their day, but we are in a good place, playing well with both bat and ball.
“In particular, Sujaya Rajeevaln, who is fourth in the batting averages with 63.33.
“Chovatiya Hemalkamur of Master Blasters Aberdeen is joint-top wicket-taker in the league with 23 wickets to his name, so it’s evenly poised.”
After the last-ball defeat suffered by Knight Riders at the hands of Inverurie last week at Kellands Park, only two teams effectively remain in the title race.
Bon Accord, who are the other contenders for the league title, are at home to Inverurie, who will be hoping to prove their dramatic win last weekend was no fluke.
Tauqeer Malik, the Bons captain was in no doubt about the enormity of their task, but said: “We need to make inroads into Crescent’s lead before we meet them next week in what could be a title decider.”
Elsewhere in the division, Knight Riders are at home to Cults, Gordonians host Mannofield, while Aberdeen Grammar are in last chance saloon at Rubislaw, where they must start a winning run to avoid relegation when they entertain 2nd Knight Riders.
In Grade 2, leaders Grampian can strengthen their position at home to Portcullis, while Siyapa can keep the pressure on the leaders should they as expected beat Ellon Gordon at Gordon Park.
In Grade 3, Methlick can continue their relentless march to the title at Countesswells, where they meet 3rd Gordonians.
