LITTLE wiggle room exists in the top four heading into the final round of the Swan Hill District Cricket Association season.
The top two positions will remain in the hands of Nyah District and St Mary’s Tyntynder, almost certainly in that order, while the current third and fourth sides are a chance to flip.
Last round’s loss to Barham Koondrook leaves Wandella precariously placed in third, as Woorinen breath down their necks with a better quotient.
If the Tigers do what is expected and defeat Swan Hill, the Bombers would drop to fourth with a loss.
Wandella on Saturday come up against a Nyah side looking to enter the finals on a high.
Demons skipper Ben Shadbolt said his side were expecting the Bombers wanted to bounce back quickly from last round.
“We know what to expect from Wandella, they just don’t give up and they’re always around the mark,” he said.
“They’re not a side who will go down without a fight, and that even showed last weekend.
“They were in a bit of strife at 8/72 but fought their way back and still managed to get around the 150 mark.
“You just can’t afford to drop the ball against them, you just have to stay up 100 per cent of the time to ensure that you don’t give them a sniff.”
With ball in hand, Wandella have impressed throughout the season.
Shadbolt said Wandella’s bowling line-up gave their skipper Ryan Barnes “options galore” when deciding who to give the ball.
“They’ve got so much experience running through their side,” he said.
“With the likes of Peter Moore opening the bowling, the pace he has on the ball he can be a bit hard to get away at times.
“Then the two McKnight boys who just seem to be improving each week, Ethan has been bowling really well of the minute.
“And there’s the likes of their skipper Ryan Barnes, who is also one of their better bowlers.”
But Shadbolt said he and his side were hoping to bat first and use the opportunity to score a big total.
“If we get the opportunity to bat first, we just want to capitalise on that,” he said.
“We know that if we bat out our 50 overs, then we are going to be putting together a decent total.
“It’s just a matter of putting it all together and batting our 50.
“One thing we pride ourselves on is trying to keep sides to the lowest score possible.
“We’ve been getting pretty good at restricting our opponents lately.
“When our blokes start to settle in and find their lines, we are usually pretty hard to get away.”
Woorinen will be away when they take on Swan Hill.
The big-hitting Tigers will aim to score quickly and wrap up a match-up with St Mary’s in the first round of finals.
Darren Ruston has been a man on a mission late in the season, tearing through games with both bat and ball.
It would take an unlikely outright victory against Barham Koondrook for Nyah for there to be any chance of being overtaken by second-placed St Mary’s.
The Bulldogs piled on the runs against Swan Hill last week, but will have a tougher time against the strong Raiders.
Garry Lolicato was in fine form against Wandella last weekend and Lachlan Laursen showed the ability to score a big total quickly.
Alan Garden Reserve will host Ultima TUF and RSL, as the two clubs look to finish the season with a win.
The Blues come into the game in winning form, having defeated Murrabit last week.
Murrabit’s first season in the association comes to an end a week early, as they have the last-round bye.
