Local Cricket, by Jim Timberlake
With the huge amount of rain and wild weather hitting Victoria last weekend, cricket at all levels suffered huge disruptions with barely any games getting under way across the region.
The Geelong Cricket Club was scheduled to play its first two-day match of the season at Fitzroy Doncaster, however with Premier League cricket cancelled on Friday afternoon, the game will now revert to a one-day fixture tomorrow.
Depending on state duties, skipper Eammon Vines may become available, which would certainly improve the Cats chances, but all followers around town would much prefer to see him be rewarded for his outstanding early season form with a state berth.
In the Geelong Cricket Association, rain also wreaked havoc, with all turf matches called off on Saturday morning, while just a handful of synthetic wicket games went ahead.
Teesdale managed to get on in their game against Highton, the Kangaroos would have been glad to simply play some cricket after enduring a torrid time of late, following the controversial decision by the GCA to place them in the 3rd synthetic division, pitting them against Third XI teams from division 2 clubs.
The decision has seen them, along with Bannockburn, dominate the competition, to the point where crisis meetings have been held in an attempt to rectify the situation and provide a more level playing field for all teams concerned.
Everyone involved hopes a resolution can be found sooner rather than later, so that everyone involved can just get on with playing cricket.
In the meantime though, the side will be defending 250 tomorrow, after a solid innings from Colin McPherson (92) batting at number 4, while Jake Alford (59) and Shaun Campbell (41) did their bit setting up a very competitive total.
For Highton, veteran spinner Andrew Morrison (4/72) battled the elements for 19 overs, ensuring his side restricted the hosts to at least a gettable total.
While Teesdale will be favourites to bring home the points tomorrow, Highton will fancy their chances in what should be a intriguing run chase.
