Local Cricket, by Jim Timberlake
Geelong Cricket Club enjoyed a well earned rest last weekend as the Australian cricket team took over Kardinia Park for their T20 international against Sri Lanka on Sunday night.
With one game remaining, the Cats travel to Footscray Edgewater over the next two Saturdays, and will look to continue their recent return to form to ensure they end their season on a positive note.
In the Geelong Cricket Association, with one home and away round remaining, we are still no closer to knowing which six teams will progress to this seasons finals.
While Grovedale, North Geelong, St Josephs and East Belmont have booked their spots, there are still four teams fighting it out for the last two spots.
Murgheboluc currently sit in fifth spot and they take on eighth placed Geelong City who amazingly are still in the hunt and will be treating this as an elimination final. Both sides lost last week, meaning if they want to progress, they need to find a way to turn their form around.
While Murgheboluc have enjoyed an even spread of contributors all season, the Sharks have relied on their big guns to get them over the line too often. This will be brought into sharp focus if their gun fast bowler Kent Agg fails to come up from a recent injury, sustained at Country Week, and restricting him to just 2.1 overs in the game against Grovedale last round.
While neither team has set the world on fire of lately, Murgheboluc has enjoyed a slightly more consistent season, and should have enough depth to progress to their first division one finals series.
The other two teams hoping to secure the final spot are Newtown & Chilwell and South Barwon.
The Two Blues won their first five games of the season, but since then have just one win from six games and are seriously battling to find any form. In their favour though is the fact that they should have star import Jordan Clark available for this game before he heads home to England for County duties. They also have the slightly easier task of playing Bell Post Hill, meaning their destiny is in their own hands.
South Barwon kept their season alive with a narrow win against St Peters last week, but face the unenviable task of taking on ladder leader Grovedale who have won ten games on the trot.
Interestingly, Grovedale’s last loss was against South Barwon in round one, and with key Tigers Chris Young and Gareth Yelland not expected to play, who’s to say that result can’t be repeated?
Geelong City v MURGHEBOLUC, Lara v ST JOSEPHS, EAST BELMONT v Leopold, NEWTOWN & CHILWELL v Bell Post Hill, St Peters v NORTH GEELONG, GROVEDALE v South Barwon.
This year’s final six in Division 2 is also yet to be settled, with Alexander Thomson likely to replace the loser of the crucial clash between fifth-placed Torquay and sixth-placed Marshall.
The Vikings have enjoyed a purple patch since Christmas, winning all four games, including an outright win over St Albans Breakwater last round. They take on Geelong West this game, and the knowledge that six points will see them play finals will surely be enough motivation to win.
That means that Torquay travel to Marshall knowing that the winner goes through, and the loser can kiss their season goodbye.
Both teams have been very inconsistent all season, but they each boast a number of match winners, meaning someone needs to step up and have a huge game when it matters most to carry their side into March action.
Thomson v HIGHTON, Modewarre v NEWCOMB & DISTRICT, ALEXANDER THOMSON v Geelong West, BELL PARK v St Albans Breakwater, Marshall v TORQUAY, Guild Saints v MANIFOLD HEIGHTS.
