By Luke Voogt
Geelong remains in fourth place on the Victorian Premier Cricket ladder after rain caused matches to be abandoned across the league last Saturday.
The Cats had been cruising on 2/108 off 29.5 overs against Prahran before rain halted play.
Captain Eamonn Vines made 33, combining with Hayden Butterworth for a 68-run first-wicket stand.
Following Vines’ dismissal, Josh McDonald made nine before being stumped with the Cats at 2/83.
Butterworth finished on 50*, his second half-century of the season and an improvement on his 31-run contribution the previous weekend.
The left-hander has been handy with both bat and ball at times this season, averaging 26 and taking 18 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 25.9.
Thomas Jackson made 11* before the stop of play. Rain halted games across the league, meaning all teams remained in their current ladder positions.
With eight points separating Geelong and ninth-placed Melbourne University, the Cats are likely to make the finals with two games remaining.
The Cats would guarantee themselves a finals berth with a win away against Fitzroy Doncaster on Saturday, after the disappointment of missing out the previous season.
But Lions opener Jack Rudd has been dangerous with the bat, making three centuries this season.
Young Fitzroy captain and all-rounder Ejaaz Alavi has batted and bowled well, averaging 32.4 and taking 21 wickets at 20.1 apiece.
If the Cats can dismiss Rudd early and navigate the left-arm spin of Alavi, that will go a long way towards booking their place in the finals.
Geelong will have a second chance to guarantee finals entry when they take on eighth-placed Northcote at Kardinia Park in the final round of the season.
Two wins will clinch Geelong a top-four spot, which would normally mean a second chance in the finals.
But following the late start to the season due to COVID-19, the teams instead voted for a knockout-style final series this year.
The teams will face off according to their ladder position, with first playing eighth, second playing seventh and so on.
The winning four teams will then face off in two preliminary finals for a chance to play for the premiership.
