BOTH Cohuna United and Wandella will look to dislodge Leitchville/Gunbower from the top of the Northern District Cricket Association A Grade ladder tomorrow.
With the defending premiers having the bye, United and the Bombers are both well placed to move into the second semi-final positions with six rounds of the season remaining.
The match of the round will be at the Cohuna Recreation Reserve, where United will host fellow finals-bound side, Nondies.
The Cohuna Recreation Reserve co-tenants need to win to keep the team’s double-chance hopes alive, with a Jack Donat and Josh Treacy-led six-wicket win occurring the last time the team ventured to the reserve’s main oval back in October.
However, United’s two-wicket win when the teams last met in late November – set up by Bradley Griffiths with the bat and Logan Spittal with the ball – puts tomorrow’s hosts in a good position.
In tomorrow’s other match, Wandella will go into its match against Barham/Koondrook favourites to claim a fifth win of the season.
The Bombers have won on both occasions the side has taken on their border opponents – a 36-run win in mid-October and a one-wicket victory in late November.
Greg Dickson and Brodey Farley were pivotal to Wandella’s chances back in round seven, whilst Paul Molin and Matt Thomas – who was one of the association’s leading players in the recent under 17 Junior Country Week competition – key to the visitors’ chances.
Ladder shake-up
ANOTHER change in the structure of the Northern District Cricket Association’s B Grade ladder may occur tomorrow.
The match of the round will be at Gunbower, with second-placed team, Barham/Koondrook taking on fourth-placed Leitchville/Gunbower.
Less than 10 points separates the teams on the ladder, with the border side winning by six wickets when the teams last met in November.
The border side needs to win to remain in the top-two, especially with third-placed team, Wandella hosting Kerang Fairley Town in the Riverside Park derby.
The Bombers – who trail Barham/Koondrook by less than one point – can move ahead of the border side even if both teams win, depending on the margin of the results at Gunbower and Kerang.
The defending premiers won by 152 runs when the Riverside Park co-tenants last met in round five, and a similar result tomorrow will see Wandella move into the top two.
Meanwhile, Nondies will be well placed to record a seventh win of the season tomorrow against Wandella Warriors.
Yet to drop a game this season, last season’s grand finalists defeated the Warriors by 37 runs when the teams met for the first time earlier this season, and need to win or face the prospect of dropping into the battle between Wandella and Barham/Koondrook for the top three spots on the ladder.
