AT the festive break, just six matches remain in the Sunraysia Cricket Association First Division campaign.
Here’s a look through every team and some of their leading performers.
1st – Irymple (Five wins, three losses, 102.14 points)
MOST RUNS: Scott Steel – 550
Steel is by far the leading run scorer in the competition as the only player to make two centuries at 182 and 140 not out.
Also has two half-centuries to average 78.5 over his seven innings, a brilliant return in his comeback to the club.
MOST WICKETS: Bailey Anderson – 20
It’s hard to believe Anderson is still only 21 as it feels like he’s been playing First Division forever, but it’s been another brilliantly consistent season from the pace bowler.
One of only two players to break the 20 wicket mark so far, with a best of 5/55 in their most recent game against Mildura East.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Tyler Garraway
Both Tyler and Caleb Garraway, along with Ben Wilkinson, have all had impressive spells with the ball this season in one of the deepest bowling units.
Throw a blanket over all three, but Tyler gets the nod here purely for his hat-trick against Merbein, while Dave Filippi also deserves a shout out for some patient innings at No.3.
LOOKING AHEAD:
There are few weaknesses in this Irymple unit and the reigning premiers will be the favourites to go back-to-back this campaign.
While they face fellow top four sides Gol Gol (twice), Mildura East and Nichols Point in their final six matches, it will give the Swallows the ideal preparation for finals.
2nd – Mildura East (Five wins, three loss, 98.08 points)
MOST RUNS: Josh Andrews – 346
A great start to his second campaign Down Under, with the English opener making two half-centuries and maiden ton on Australian soil already.
Andrews has formed a dynamic partnership with Scottish international Liam Naylor at the top of the batting order.
MOST WICKETS: Liam Naylor – 14
While primarily joining East for his batting ability, it’s been the pace of Naylor while bowling that has arguably been just as impressive.
Often deployed as the fourth bowler following the likes of Ryan Muir, Jayden Hunt and Nick Dorman, his carry through the wicket has made him a real pain for batters.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Nick Dorman
The vice-captain continues to improve each season and 13 wickets has been proof of that.
Not only has he taken scalps, he’s also shown some skills with the bat at times, with a best of 49 against Mildura Settlers.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Following a slow start to the season after which they lost their first two matches, last year’s grand finalists have started to hit top gear, including a huge win in the grand final rematch over Irymple before Christmas.
Another showdown with the Swallows comes next week, while they still face Gol Gol and Nichols Point once more.
3rd – Gol Gol (Six wins, two losses, 97.69 points)
MOST RUNS: Shacaya Thomas – 430
The two-time Innes Medal winner has been prolific again, trailing only Scott Steel in runs made across the competition.
Thomas has a century against Merbein to his name, while also scoring four more half-centuries.
MOST WICKETS: Shacaya Thomas – 25
Once again the Jamaican has staked his claim as the top all-rounder in the competition, leading the bowling wickets tally by five after eight rounds.
Thomas has taken a scalp in every match bar one, twice taking four wickets and producing the best individual figures of the season with 7/30 against Coomealla Wentworth.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Than Rajapakse
Returning to a permanent spot in the First Division side this season, the right-arm spinner has been an ever present for Gol Gol.
He has the team’s second best wickets tally and has taken a scalp in every match, with a best of 3/16.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The SCA heavyweights are in the unusual position of having more wins than the current top two, however with Irymple and East both taking outright victories their points tally is higher.
Some early losses weren’t ideal for the NSW side, but with a quality line-up they will be in the mix come finals with showdowns against Irymple and Nichols Point rounding out the season.
4th – Nichols Point (Six wins, two losses, 95.4 points)
MOST RUNS: Shannon Bowen – 341
Mr consistent with the bat, his first four innings of the season all saw him make at least 40 runs with the majority of those unbeaten, and has scored no less than 25 per innings.
His best performance came with his third club century in their most recent match against Mildura Settlers, scoring 108, giving him a competition-high average of 85.
MOST WICKETS: Jarrod Forrester – 17
An impressive start at his new club, the experienced spin bowler has been a great addition to the Point, with he and Shaun Mathews forming a strong bowling partnership.
Taking 17 wickets at 14.4 has him third in the competition standings, taking three wickets in five of his eight matches showing his consistency.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Riley Jobson
The young batsman turned heads with some impressive performances last year, but it’s been his bowling that has really come on this season.
He trails only Forrester for wickets with 12 scalps and is second behind Bowen for runs scored with 275, including three half-centuries.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Like Gol Gol, they may have more wins than the top two but sit adrift in fourth being behind in bonus points.
The Pointers spent much of the season in the top two and their current buffer of 21 points to fifth place gives them a real advantage in the chase for finals.
5th – Coomealla Wentworth (Three wins, five losses, 74.06 points)
MOST RUNS: Bevan Wade – 260
The big hitting all-rounder rarely has an innings with a strike rate below 100, and it’s turned out to be the same again with his 240 runs.
While he would have hoped to turn a couple of his starts into bigger scores, he has missed two matches and still boasts a century against Mildura West, scoring 109 in their round 5 victory.
MOST WICKETS: Liam Freeman – 16
Quite incredibly strike bowler Freeman has taken more than half of his wickets in a single match, his outstanding 10-wicket haul with back-to-back five-fors in the outright against Merbein.
It puts him into fourth on the wickets tally, while also sitting just outside of the top 10 in Second Division after his solitary match there saw him take 12 scalps for the match, giving 28 total for the season.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Mitch Kemp
With Jake Wright’s departure for Mildura East, Kemp has taken the role of No.1 spinner and run with it superbly.
He has 13 wickets at 28, the joint eighth-best tally in the competition and second for the Blues.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Blues made the jump up to fifth on the ladder following an important outright victory over Merbein in the final round before Christmas.
While effectively still two games outside of the top four, they have significantly closed the gap and with three games left against fellow bottom-four sides, they have a great opportunity to strike should they cause an upset.
6th – Mildura West (Four wins, four losses, 71.66 points)
MOST RUNS: Chris Williams – 237
Perhaps not as prolific as other seasons, the West captain-coach is still their barometer with the bat and leads the way.
Two half-centuries have come and the left-hander can be so dangerous on his day.
MOST WICKETS: Jasper Presswell – 14
The bustling English all-rounder has performed extremely well for his new side this campaign, with the 20-year-old sitting joint fifth for wickets with 14.
The pace bowler has taken wickets in almost every innings and is happy to run himself into the ground if required, while has also added handy runs with the bat down the order.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Josh Driscoll
While the teenager hasn’t found the going easy with the bat, making 79 runs, his work with the ball has been strong.
Driscoll has seven wickets at 38, but has often taken the new ball alongside Presswell, allowing his teammate to grab the wickets.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Still well in the hunt for finals, West slipped to sixth at the festive break after their most recent loss to Gol Gol.
In their favour is that four of their remaining six matches come against sides in the bottom four, which may give them some confidence for a strong run home.
7th – Mildura Settlers (Two wins, six losses, 42.64 points)
MOST RUNS: Jason Morrison – 230
It’s not surprising to see the ‘Master Blaster’ occupying this position for Setts, despite only batting for five innings in six matches, with a brilliant 124 against Gol Gol in round 2 a highlight.
Morrison also scored 85 in the final round of 2024, and yet also has two ducks to his name, but any forthcoming wins will likely need him to go big.
MOST WICKETS: Richie Wyld – 9
The veteran has only bowled five innings in four matches, yet spun opposition batters enough to take nine scalps at a ridiculous average of just eight.
Wyld is also bound for Over-40 Australia A duty in the new year, so isn’t likely to be available much in the back end, but could carve out a few more wickets before then.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Vick Singh
Following his outstanding debut campaign for Settlers last season, Singh has been solid again at Mildura Senior College.
He and Sam Farmer share joint second place in wickets taken for the club with eight, while Singh’s 130 runs has him behind only Morrison and skipper Luke Stanbrook (217) for his side.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After winning the first two one-day matches of the season against heavyweights Irymple and Gol Gol, there was huge cause for optimism for the rebuilding side.
The going has been much tougher since that point however, but they have put plenty of focus into giving opportunities for younger players.
8th – Merbein (One win, seven losses, 39.54 points)
MOST RUNS: Kurtis Fitzpatrick – 154
Often as one of the future mainstays of this Merbein side, Fitzpatrick has been solid with the bat with three scores over 25.
Like his teammates, he will hope to capitalise on more opportunities in the remaining rounds. He has shown patience and a willingness to bat for a long time, which is encouraging.
MOST WICKETS: Angus Smith – 13
A Team of the Year member for last season, the young left-arm spinner has again been the Magpies’ leading light with the ball.
His 13 scalps has him joint eighth in the competition and equal third for spinners, while he has also made some solid contributions with the bat.
BEEN IMPRESSIVE: Dillon Furze
The vice-captain has put together a solid all-round season and will be one of the leaders for the Pies in the remaining matches.
He is second in runs for his side with 151 and third in wickets taken with nine, including two three-wicket hauls.
LOOKING AHEAD:
It’s been another tough season for the Magpies, who are continuing down the path of supplying their emerging stars with plenty of senior games.
While the future looks bright for now, it’s about building the foundations, which unfortunately has meant some heavy losses.
