By Jim Timberlake
GEELONG Cricket Club consolidated its position well inside the top eight last weekend with a stirring victory over Casey South Melbourne.
In a Saturday/Sunday fixture, the Cats won the toss and sent their hosts in to bat and at 1/111 would have been wondering whether they made the right decision.
But when Jake Reed (5/54) struck back strongly, the score was a more-manageable 5/137.
Casey South Melbourne put up a brave rear-guard effort to finish the day on 299.
On Sunday Geelong lost in-form opener Khalid Sawas cheaply but James Crosthwaite (146) and Eammon Vines (122 not-out) rallied, both batsmen playing their best innings for the club to put on 244 for the second wicket in just under four hours.
Despite a couple of cheap middle-order wickets, Vines led his side to a memorable six-wicket victory,
This Saturday the annual country round takes place, with Geelong playing two Twenty20 matches at Warrnambool against Prahran and Essendon.
After six rounds of play in Geelong Cricket Association, the top six is starting to take shape.
With Murgheboluc losing narrowly last week to East Belmont, the Frogs dropped out of the top six and face a crucial encounter this round against Lara to remain in contention.
Lara will also have a lot to play for after only winning two games so far and will be just as desperate to take the points.
For Murgheboluc, Glen Talarico is starting to repay some of the faith entrusted in him, scoring a dominant 133 not-out last round despite injuring his ankle in the warm-up and having to bat down the order.
For the Cats, returning gun Chris Bambury has shown good form with both bat and ball.
But it appears both sides are relying on too much from too few. The team that can have more of an even spread of contributors will win this game.
Selections: Murgheboluc v LARA, Geelong West v LEOPOLD, North Geelong v GROVEDALE, ST JOSEPH’S v South Barwon, Highton v NEWTOWN & CHILWELL, Geelong City v EAST BELMONT.
In division two, the match of the round is clearly the clash between Bell Post Hill and Newcomb & District.
After dropping back from division one this season, the Panthers have been solid, with a good mix of experience and youth taking them to second on the ladder with five wins and just one loss.
The Dinos, on the other hand, have struggled to find their premiership form of last year and are languishing in seventh place on the ladder, making this game real season-on-the-line stuff.
Bell Post Hill will see this as a real chance to bury one of its main premiership rivals and will be fired up to put on a strong performance.
Other selections: Newcomb & District v BELL POST HILL, Alexander Thomson v THOMSON, Guild St Mary’s v MODEWARRE, WAURN PONDS v St Peter’s, MANIFOLD HEIGHTS v Marshall, ST ALBAN’S BREAKWATER v Torquay.
With a mixture of byes and outright results, the division three ladder is as hard to read as ever.
But as usual the cream is slowly rising to the top, while the pretenders are starting to become apparent and drop further away from the top six.
Winchelsea sits in seventh position, although it has had some solid victories, suggesting it’s capable of ebbing at the business end.
Lethbridge sits in eighth and faces a big game against Little River this round to keep its season alive.
But with Little River only sitting in sixth spot itself, it will have too much to play for to let this one drop and should put a huge dent in Lethbridge’s season.
Other selections: WINCHELSEA v Inverleigh, Meredith v BANNOCKBURN, Corio v TEESDALE, North Shore v Shelford, Bell Park bye.
