Home-and-away season climax
Saturday will feature the final round of Grampians Cricket Association this season.
In A Grade, Buangor-tatyoon is at home to Youth Club, Pomonal will welcome Halls Gap and Swifts-great Western will host Chalambar at Stawell’s Central Park.
The ladder looks fairly straightforward but there is still a fair bit to play for on Saturday.
Can Youth Club continue its winning way against the Hawks, who have reached their peak after thrashing the Tigers? Can the Gappers beat Pomonal by enough to replace them in fourth position? And can Chalambar avoid relegation by defeating a wobbly Combine?
Youth Club travels to Tatyoon to take on the Hawks with a renewed confidence following their defeat of the Combine.
Against the team is a poor record at this ground and a group of cricketers playing every bit like the top outfit.
The Clubbers will have to make more runs than last Saturday if they expect to trouble the Hawks.
This means Nic Baird and co have to be on song against Zander Mcdougal, James Phillips and Callum Baker.
The Hawks have displayed batting depth this season, which means Clubbers bowlers Tom Thulborn, Baird, and Clinton Slorach will have to work hard to both restrict and dismiss the Hawks batters.
At Pomonal, the home side’s qualifications to feature in the finals will be put to the test by the Gappers, who will be thinking a big win here might see them replace the Tigers as finalists.
Charlie Mcintosh and Josef Martin dominated the Gappers last innings with a 110 unfinished partnership and will look to repeat this feat.
Members of the Gappers attack all took wickets last week, so the Tigers batting won’t find the going all that easy this week either.
It is a big ask to make up 0.5 of a percent at this stage of the season, but the Gappers have nothing to lose.
At Stawell’s Central Park, the Combine, still smarting from its defeat by the Clubbers, will be hoping for a strengthened side against Chalambar.
Chalambar needs a win, or at least a good showing against the Combine to avoid relegation next season.
Missing a few of their better batters last week, the Combine will be hoping for the return of Rick Peters, Tom Eckel, Jack Cann, Tom Fitzgerald and Jamie Bach for a run into the finals.
Chalambar needs runs from Sam Pilgrim and Guddie Singh and bowling efforts from Mckinnis and Vincent to worry the Combine.
Saturday saw Youth Club defeat long-time rivals Swifts-great Western by nine runs.
Batting first, the Clubbers reached a moderate 9-119 with veteran Rob Scott, 30, and Matt Healy, 34, providing the bulk of their runs.
It was obvious with that score the Clubbers would have to fully bowl the Combine out to win, and they did through Clint Slorach, 4-21, and Tom Thulborn, 4-22, in the 34th over.
The Combine started well but were let down by their middle-order who succumbed to rash shots and finished on 110.
The bright spot for the Combine was under-16 player Jack Harney who in his first game took 4-8.
The Hawks, 6-204, well and truly overcame Pomonal, 95.
Features of this match were Tyler Cronin’s century, 111 not out, and Zander Mcdougall’s 3-14.
At Halls Gap the home side, 1-142, easily accounted for Chalambar, 119, in a game that lasted only 43 overs. This week: Buangor-tatyoon v Youth Club, Pomonal v Halls Gap, Swiftsgreat Western v Chalambar. Last week: Halls Gap 1-142 (C. Mcintosh 89no, J. Martin 31) d Chalambar 119 (J. Barbieri 32), Buangor-tatyoon 6-204 (T. Cronin 111no, M. Harris 31, S. Cronin 25) d Pomonal 95 (S. Allen 3-8, A. Mcdougall 3-14), Youth Club 8-119 (M. Healy 36, R. Scott 30; J. Harney 4-8) d Swifts-great Western 110 (S. Cocks 29; C. Slorach 4-21, T. Thulborn 4-22). Ladder: Buangor-tatyoon 63 points, 2.13 percent; Swifts-great Western 48, 1.89; Youth Club 42, 1.26; Pomonal 24, 0.55; Halls Gap 18, 0.61; Chalambar 12, 0.51.