Irymple 6/288 dec v Merbein South 4/32
IRYMPLE will be chasing an outright win against Merbein South and a potential move to the top of the Sunraysia Cricket Association ladder when their match resumes at Henshilwood Oval on Saturday.
The Swallows have the Saints on the ropes and will be looking to deliver the knock-out blow early.
Merbein South are reeling at 4/32 and will need to fight hard if they are to avoid the follow-on and outright defeat.
Irymple dominated day one and will be looking for early wickets as they chase maximum points.
Chase Stone was the destroyer with three wickets on the opening day and will again be a key player.
The tall paceman is menacing when at his best.
The Saints will again be looking for skipper Ethan Gray to provide some resistance.
Gray faced 30 balls last week and did not score, but he is a great competitor and along with Mark White (2 not out) will be looking to get the visitors off to a good start.
The Saints will need one of these two to make a big score if they are to bat out the day, which looks like a big ask given the position they find themselves in.
But Gray has proven he can score big and while the odds are stacked against him, he will certainly not being throwing his wicket away.
Nichols Point 133 v Mildura West 2/15
MILDURA West have 119 runs to get, eight wickets to play with and a big prize at the end if they can chase down Nichols Point’s first-innings total of 133 on Saturday at John Hall Oval.
It seems a fairly straightforward equation, but the simplest tasks sometimes prove the hardest.
Mildura West captain Chris Williams knows cricket is a game of ebbs and flows.
You can’t take anything for granted, and while he recognises his side is well placed to claim first-innings points and move a step closer to a top-four finish, he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“There should be no need for me to motivate anyone, it’s there for us if we want it, it’s there if we are good enough,” Williams said.
“There are no guarantees as I said, but if we want it enough and we apply ourselves as a unit properly, then it should be something we should be able to achieve.”
Mildura West will resume at 2/15 with Luke Hickey (0) and opener Ben Hallam (9) the not out batsmen.
Williams knows Nichols Point have as much to play for as his side and expects plenty of pressure early.
“We need to be wary of Nichols Point – we have to also be wary of the fact they want it and should want it just as much as what we do so it should be an enthralling couple of hours cricket straightaway,” said Williams.
“It should be won and lost I’d suggest before the tea interval – it’s a smallish total to get, but we have to be honest our batting hasn’t been fantastically consistent all season.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us to right those wrongs, especially with what is on the line.”
Williams said he was happy with the improvement his side has shown and how the younger players have applied themselves.
“You look at where we finished last year and we beat Merbein South outright in our penultimate game to avoid the wooden spoon,” Williams said.
“The improvement has been there – there have been times this season when we have been poor, but there has been more than enough encouragement to show the improvement is there and – statistically on the ladder – it is there.
“We are trending in the right direction, but I guess we need to be aware that the difference between our good cricket and our bad cricket is too vast at the moment.
“We need to be more consistent, but to have the opportunity to finish in the top four is very, very good and anything can happen come the end of the season, but at this point in time we are fully focused on what we need to do (Saturday).”
Mildura East 2/19 v Mildura Settlers 254
MILDURA Settlers are poised to claim first innings points when play resumes against Mildura East at Brian Weightman Oval.
The reigning premiers failed to bat out time last week, dismissed for 254, but took control before the close of play, claiming two quick wickets to have the home side struggling at 2/19.
Setts skipper Braidyn Turner will be well aware the bonus point could decide who finishes on top of the ladder, with Irymple well placed to claim outright points against Merbein South.
Irymple, Mildura Settlers and Workers Gol Gol are all equal on wins with one round remaining in the home-and-away season at the completion of Saturday’s matches.
Setts are a well-balanced side with plenty of variety in their attack.
Veteran Mark Kerr never gives away many runs while Richie Wyld adds variety with his right-arm spin, but young paceman Seamus Keogh will be the one Setts will be hoping to strike early.
Keogh is one of the SCA’s most talented young players, as capable with the bat as he is with the ball.
If he can get an early breakthrough it will expose East’s middle order, which has proven vulnerable all season.
Workers Gol Gol 8/276 v Coomealla Wentworth
SECOND-placed Workers Gol Gol should have little trouble getting the points against Coomealla Wentworth on their home deck at Alcheringa Oval.
Gol Gol are in a strong position after batting first and posting 8/276 thanks to a century by skipper Adam Thomson, who is finding form at the right end of the season.
Workers know winning form is important heading into the finals series and, with their final-round match against third-placed Irymple, they will be looking to take plenty of momentum into the game by scoring a big win Saturday.
Last season’s runners-up had a reasonably slow start to 2019-20, unlike in the previous season, when they were the bolters of the competition, dominating before Christmas only to fall away in the new year.
It is something Thomson and his side addressed over the off-season and they have returned a much more consistent and even side.
For Coomealla Wentworth, the end of the season cannot come quickly enough.
The Blues are staring down a bottom-of-the-ladder finish unless they can turn things around in the final game of the season next week and defeat Mildura East.
Today it is important they bat out their overs and get some much-needed confidence heading into the final round.
