Low-scoring affair in T20 challenge
A Grampians Cricket Association T20 challenge match against neighbouring Horsham association took the spotlight at the weekend.
The game proved to be an ultra low-scoring match thanks mainly due to a substandard pitch.
Horsham followed up victory in a one-day game late last year with another win, in the shorter version of the game.
The T20 challenge at Stawell’s Central Park was a chance to showcase the talent of both associations, but on a pitch where puffs of dust arose after every ball, the match was heavily weighted in favour of bowlers.
Batting first, Grampians started brightly, scoring 10 runs off the first over – but that was where it ended.
In a format where runs are the name of the game, Grampians managed just 67. In reply, Horsham didn’t fare much better, just getting over the line with two wickets to spare.
Spectators who had gathered watch left disappointed.
Saturday sees day one of the penultimate round of domestic Grampians cricket with the top four teams matched against each other and the remaining match representing Tatyoon’s last chance of playing finals.
Tatyoon is six points out of the four and poor percentage effectively means it is two games behind Aradale.
Tatyoon plays Halls Gap, which it would reasonably expect to beat to draw level with Aradale, which has the tough task of beating ladder-leader to Swifts-great Western. This would leave Tatyoon to play Pomonal in the last round, while Aradale has a relatively easier game against Halls Gap.
An earlier forfeit by Tatyoon against Aradale might well prove costly.
Halls Gap plays both Aradale and Tatyoon, so will have a big say in the final make up of the four and will be all out to gain wins.
The Gappers are not without a chance to make the finals should they gain an outright victory in either of these matches and win the other.
In an earlier one-day fixture Aradale narrowly lost to the Combine by just 19 runs, failing to handle the spin of Tom Mccord, who will probably return to A Grade for this match.
It was the Combine’s middle order that carried the day in that match, and will again be a problem for Aradale in this match.
Aradale will look to John Butler’s bowling and Brent Tate’s all-round ability to make inroads into the Combine’s long batting line-up.
In the remaining game, Buangor takes on Pomonal at Ararat’s Alexandra Oval.
Pomonal’s last visit Oval was a disaster, hands of Aradale.
This task of confronting Buangor won’t be any easier.
Pomonal managed just 78 runs in that match so will have to double that score to enable bowlers Lee Oliver, Al Mckay and Matt Grinham the chance to dismiss Buangor for less.
Leading all-rounder and skipper Chris Jerram had a quiet match last round, something that hasn’t happened too many times this season. to Alexandra losing at the