A TOUGH top four battle will resume with both sides still well-placed to take the season-boosting victory.
The second day of the Nyah District and Swan Hill match could have massive implications for both sides’ seasons as both are currently sitting in the top four of the Swan Hill and District Cricket Association’s ladder.
The stakes are high — Nyah District captain Dean Harrop told The Guardian his side were thinking of the match as season-defining earlier this week — with the loser facing the prospect of losing touch with the top three before the Christmas break.
Swan Hill won the toss on day one and elected to bat first, signalling they wanted to set an example for Nyah District.
The top order were shaky after Brenton Foott — batting at number two — was caught out off a Joel Walsh ball early on in the innings.
Third man in Adam Thomson suffered the same fate as the man above him after Walsh ripped a ball into his stumps, ending his day on one run.
With the prospect of a collapse, opener Mark Thomson dug his heels in to rack up 45 runs, while Jesse Alty joined him scoring 22 of his own.
Thomson would eventually be removed by Kobe Lloyd through an LBW, but Arnold Kirby came in to assist on the scoreboard with 17 runs.
Two ducks to Matt Lannigan and Lachlan Edwards sent Swan Hill spiralling back into trouble, before their lower order cleaned up to take the side to 159 runs off 53 overs before being bowled out.
Nyah District have got themselves off to a flyer with all of their top order batsmen scoring runs.
Opening batsmen Walsh and Bailey Codling pitched in six and eight runs respectively, before fourth man Shane Fleming made a cameo with 16 runs.
At stumps, Nyah District batsmen Jacob Lister (19) and Justin Toomey (16) were still in the middle, with plenty of time to make a charge at the Swan Hill total.
On Saturday, Nyah will resume the day on 65 runs after 27 overs, handing them a real chance to cause some damage to Swan Hill.
Both sides are currently locked on 15 points each on the ladder, four points behind second placed RSL and six points behind the undefeated St Mary’s Tyntynder.
