The race for the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade finals looks like going down to the final round of the home and away season with all four round 12 games in the balance.
Only the undefeated Barwon Heads is assured of finals action with just two wins separating second-placed Anglesea and eighth-placed Inverleigh.
Anglesea was the only team to pass 200 on day one of round 12 on Saturday 31 January – all out for 204 against fourth-placed Jan Juc.
And once again it was Jordy Graham who walked off the field as the major wicket taker for the Sharks with another lion-hearted effort.
Graham already had eight- and seven-wicket games before Christmas and sent down 22.5 overs for the return of 8/80 to make it 28 victims for the season.
Tyron Norman (59) top scored for Anglesea while Ben Harcombe made 35 with the pair sharing a 71-run third-wicket stand.
DRYSDALE recovered from being 6/41 to end on 8/196 after 75 overs against Inverleigh.
Austin Haygarth (3/47), consistent left-arm seamer Daniel Midolo (2/50 from 20 overs) and Locke Perrett (2/44) had the Hawks in all sorts of trouble, but a 46-run seventh-wicket partnership between Ben Spencer (36) and talented youngster Noah Jones (23 from 133 deliveries), who read the situation well, got the score up to 87 before Spencer was run out.
Blake Dobbin entered the fray and played the Hawks back into the game with an unbeaten 69 from 62 balls while Josh Inglis was 13 not out to get the total up to something that seemed a long way off earlier in the afternoon.
ARMSTRONG Creek has the upper hand against Barrabool in a battle of fifth vs sixth.
The Titans made 190 all out with the ultra consistent Ben Norgrove making 41 and Chris Marsiglio getting 37.
James Fisher took 3/16 from 10.4 overs while Archer Jaques and Lachie Snaith chimed in with two wickets each for the Bulls.
In reply, Barrabool was 2/31 at stumps and both sides have some work to do to bring up a vital win.
BARWON Heads has a game on its hands after making 187 all out against third-placed Queenscliff.
Lewy Hyland made a typically quick 70 from 65 balls and Matthew Bode played well for his 47 while Jacko Mallett contributed 28, but it was the efforts of Jordan Monahan (5/73) and Tom Kidd (4/75) that kept the final total to well under 200.
Queenscliff had 15 overs to bat before stumps and made it to 2/28, still needing 160 more runs to inflict the Seagulls’ first loss of the season.
