SUNRAYSIA CRICKET ASSOCIATION
Gol Gol v Merbein
Alcheringa Oval
GOL Gol’s form is running hot in recent weeks and will have an eye on moving into the top two on the ladder by the Christmas break.
They face Merbein this round who barely get a chance to catch their breath after an outright loss against reigning premiers Irymple last round.
Home side captain-coach Adam Thomson played himself into form with a fine 150 not out against Coomealla, while Hancock scored 109 for his maiden century of the season to be second in runs scored with 301.
All-rounder Shacaya Thomas makes an impact with bat and ball with 264 runs and a competition-high 19 wickets, while spinner Than Rajapakse has made a solid start to the season with nine scalps.
For the Magpies, young spinner Angus Smith has 12 wickets, putting him in the top five after six rounds, while veteran Tony Trinick has also impressed with 10.
Vice-captain Dillon Furze has been their best with the bat with 133 but the Magpies will be keen for more players to add runs.
Mildura East v Mildura West
Mildura Sporting Precinct
LAST season’s grand finalists Mildura East received a massive boost last round with their outright win over Mildura Settlers rocketing them into second place on the ladder.
It’s unlucky for this round’s opponents, Mildura West, who despite sitting second before the last round and defeating top-of-the-table Nichols Point, have actually been shuffled down to fourth as a result of other huge wins.
It sets up a cracking contest at Mildura Sporting Precinct this round.
East’s imports Liam Naylor and Josh Andrews have given them a great platform at the top of the order with 249 and 232 runs respectively, while the former is also the team’s leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps.
Vice-captain Nick Dorman has 11 wickets to his name and has also been solid with the bat, while Ryan Muir also has double-figure wickets with 10.
West all-rounder Jasper Presswell has made an impactful start to life for West, leading the wicket taking with 10 and sitting fourth in runs made following an unbeaten 50 last week.
Captain-coach Chris Williams leads the run scoring with 216 with seven wickets to boot, while Tim Watson has been solid with the ball.
Nichols Point v Coomealla Wentworth
Nichols Point Reserve
IT could be seen as a rough time for Nichols Point who went from first place to outside of the top four in the blink of an eye.
Alongside their loss to Mildura West and some massive results in other games securing extra bonus points, they have now dropped to fifth, however there are just 2.9 points between them and second-placed East.
It leads into an important contest between them and Coomealla Wentworth, who gave a great account of themselves against Gol Gol, with the Christmas break on the horizon.
Jarrod Forrester has been by far Point’s best with the ball taking 15 wickets, consistently taking three scalps in every game bar one.
Youngster Riley Jobson leads their run scoring with 221 but also took an impressive five wickets last week, while Shannon Bowen is always a chance of being a match winner.
For the Blues, Bevan Wade has been important with the bat, Mitch Kemp has performed well as the spinner, Jay Turlan has impressed with eight wickets and Justin Freeman has displayed his all-round credentials.
Import Musa Ilyas has also been solid in his first two outings.
Irymple v Mildura Settlers
Henshilwood Oval
REIGNING premiers Irymple have given themselves a nice little cushion at the top of the ladder from the chasing pack, their outright win over Merbein giving them a 14-point gap.
They will host Mildura Settlers this round who will be looking to bounce back after being dismissed twice by Mildura East last week.
Swallows English import Scott Steel has made a strong start in his return to Sunraysia cricket with 11 wickets and a competition best 305 runs, admittedly with 182 of those coming from his monster innings against Merbein.
Bailey Anderson leads all Swallows wicket-takers with 13 scalps, captain Mark Thomson is averaging a shade under 50 following his ton, and opener Riley Payne has been impressive with two half-centuries in his past three innings.
Setts skipper Luke Stanbrook has been a consistent presence at the top of the order with 168 runs, while the explosive Jason Morrison is always a danger when available with bat and ball.
Tom Stokes has been impressive with six wickets for his new club.
