Combe the man to watch
Horsham Cricket Association teams will enter the first round of two-day games on an extended break after A Grade competition was rained out at the weekend.
None of the four scheduled matches were played, leaving the ladder unchanged.
A match at Horsham City Oval will pit second-placed Noradjuha-toolondo against Horsham Saints, with big top-four implications on the line.
The Bullants are the second-highest run-scoring team in the association with 539 from three games.
The bulk of the team’s runs have come from opener Justtin Combe, who has been in sublime form this season.
Combe has compiled innings of 111 not out, 91 not out and 20, giving him a colossal average of 222.
Also in reasonable touch with the bat are David Combe, averaging 31, and John Heard, 29.
The Saints will take some beating, however, as they showed in their most recent match in round three against Jung Tigers.
The team was able to blunt the effectiveness of the top scoring side in the association with a well-rounded bowling attack that conceded only 3.7 runs an over.
Trent King was the pick of the Saints’ bowlers with 1-10 from eight overs, including three maidens.
The Saints were easily able to chase the Tigers’ total of 5-148 down within 30 overs, giving them a comfortable victory.
King and fellow Saints bowlers Tony Caccaviello, Jono Carroll, Jackson Davidson and Tim Bell will need to produce a similar effort to keep the Bullants’ bats silent.
Rupanyup-minyip tops the competition with a wicket differential of nine, having taken an association-high 29 wickets through three matches.
It seems an ominous sign for their round-five opponent Colts, who have lost more wickets than any other side this season.
The teams met in a one-day match in round one, with the Blue Panthers blasting 209 from their 40 overs before dismissing the Colts for 162.
The round-five rematch, to be played on Dudley Cornell’s turf wicket, could be decided by the ability of the Colts’ top-order batsmen to stick around and get runs against a deep and talented line-up of Rupanyup-minyip bowlers led by Bailey Young, Brent Hudson, Corey Morgan and Jordan Weidemann.
Blackheath-dimboola will host Jung Tigers at Dimboola with both sides hoping to break into the top four.
The Bulls’ last outing ended with a seven-wicket loss to Rupanyup-minyip, and the Tigers will pose another tough challenge.
Blackheath-dimboola has struggled to consistently take wickets since a round-one win against Laharum, and will need its bowlers to return to form against the powerful Tigers.
The final match of the round pits Homers against Laharum at Sunnyside Recreation Reserve.
The Pigeons are clinging to third place on the ladder after a tough roundthree loss to Noradjuha-toolondo and will be looking to return to form against the Mountain Men.
Laharum defeated the Bullants in round two, largely behind big innings of 69 from Ben Peucker and 45 from Daniel Griffiths, and will need their bats firing again if they are to climb off the bottom of the ladder.