Cricket moves into final round
Warragul and District Cricket Association will begin its final round on of the home and away season on Saturday.
Finals places will be on the line in the top three divisions as teams go head to head in two day matches.
Sam Laffy looks ahead to the final round of matches.
Division 1
Buln Buln vs. Ellinbank – Recent wins have placed Ellinbank in the top four with just one match remaining, and they will take on Buln in what could be a preview of semi-final action.
The Eagles will be looking to again surprise with bat and ball, while Buln will be keen to continue their excellent run of form heading into the finals.
Western Park vs. Longwarry – Longwarry will be looking to end their season on a high, although they come up against a dangerous Western Park outfit who will be keen to push for a thumping win.
Currently sitting four points behind Hallora – but with a superior percentage – an outright win could propel them to second place on the ladder even if the Kangaroos were to win in the final round of the season.
Drouin vs. Hallora – Having slumped badly in recent weeks – with three losses on the trot – Drouin enter the last round of the year requiring an upset win over the second-placed Hallora to make the top four and again participate in finals.
They won’t find the going easy against a Halloran side who will be looking to hold onto second place on the ladder.
Division 2
Neerim District vs. Western Park – For Neerim District, a win in the final round of the season will see them maintain top spot on the table.
However, a loss to Western Park could see them slip to second on percentage, resulting in a follow-up encounter with Western Park in the semifinals.
Going on recent form the Stags would no doubt prefer to take on Hallora in the first week of the finals, so there will be pressure on them to perform.
Garfield-Tynong vs. Jindivick – Having fallen a game behind rivals Neerim District, Jindivick could still make their way to top spot on the ladder if they record a significant percentage boost against Garfield-Tynong.
With Western Park having beaten the Titans by 299 runs on the weekend, there is no doubt that Garfield-Tynong are vulnerable – it will be up to Jindivick to try to replicate the Warriors performance. Ellinbank vs. Warragul – With neither side in finals contention, and Warragul unable to move off the bottom of the ladder even with a victory the only real interest in this match will be for the supporters of both clubs who will be keen to see their side finish the season on a high note.
Hallora vs. Drouin – Hallora cannot move from fourth position regardless of winning, losing, or winning outright, so they will be looking to finish the home-and-away season on a positive note and build some momentum heading into the semi-finals.
For Drouin, a win will see them finish fifth, while a loss could see them slip to seventh if results do not go their way.
Division 3
Buln Buln vs. Yarragon – A win to Buln and a loss to Neerim District would see the Lyrebirds pushing for fourth spot on the table – although it would come down to the difference in percentages between the two sides – setting up a nervous wait for the Lyrebirds at the conclusion of the home-and-away season.
They have the ideal match-up however, with Buln Buln taking on a Yarragon side with just one win to their name for the summer. They will no doubt push for an outright win – which would see them guaranteed fourth spot if Neerim District lose.
Longwarry vs. Iona – Having lost just their second game for the summer, Iona would be keen to head into the finals on a bright note, and they have a chance to do just that against a struggling Longwarry.
A win will see them hold onto top spot on the table, while for the Crows they can only finish in seventh spot.
Jindivick vs. Garfield-Tynong – GarfieldTynong would be looking to end the season on a bright note, whilst Jindivick will be keen to continue their solid form following their crushing win over Western Park.
A win to Jindivick would see them hold onto third spot on the ladder, but even a win to Garfield-Tynong won’t see them move from sixth spot on the ladder.
Neerim District vs. Western Park – The defeat to Jindivick would have provided some headaches for Western Park on the weekend, but they enter the final round guaranteed to finish in the top two – sitting 12 points clear of the third placed Jumping Jacks.
The Warriors could end the finals hopes of Neerim District by claiming victory – with a loss to the Stags seeing them possibly losing fourth spot to Buln Buln depending on percentage.