By ONE SHORT

Grampians Cricket Association matches concluding on Saturday led to Chalambar dismissing Halls Gap for just 112 runs to give the side a 75-run victory and a valuable six points.

Mathew ‘Moon’ McKinnis was the principle wicket-taker with three wickets, while Marcus Elliot, 22, was the only Gapper to score more than 20.

At Stawell’s Central Park, Swifts-Great Western scored a comfortable 55-run win over Youth Club. 

Youth Club started the day at 1-32 and took its score to 80 before losing 9-86 in a disappointing performance.

Opener Bailey Taylor fell just short of a half-century on 49 while captain Nic Baird recorded 43 runs. 

Best of the Combine’s bowlers were spinner Travis Nicholson 3-11 and left-arm swing bowler Lachlan Patching recorded 3-33.

In the remaining match of the round St Andrews forfeited to Pomonal. 

The feature game this week involves third-placed Swifts-Great Western returning to Central Park Stawell to take on ladder-leaders St Andrews in a one-day fixture.

This will be the first real test of the Saints because their previous wins have been against lower teams Pomonal and Halls Gap.

The Combine secured a good win against Youth Club last game, while the Saints were forced into an embarrassing forfeit. 

Such form would suggest a win to the Combine, but Saints batsmen Tom Mills, Ned Bohner and Paul Menzies, together with all-rounder Michael Harricks, will ensure the Saints are in with a good show.

The Combine, for their part, will rely on master-blaster Sam Cocks and the Eckels to provide enough runs for bowlers Lachlan Patching and captain Matt Heffer to bowl the Saints out.

Youth Club travels to Halls Gap with the hope of bouncing back after its last-round loss and the Gappers form doesn’t suggest they have the firepower to match the Clubbers’ batting.

Bailey Taylor’s last match indicates the Clubbers have found an opener and Nic Baird still looms as the danger batsmen.

The Gappers’ main batsman Charlie McIntosh is yet to post a decent score, and their bowlers have been doing a fair job so far, so it won’t be plain sailing for the Clubbers.

Pomonal will host Chalambar at Ararat’s Alexander Oval if pitch-roller problems have been fixed. 

This match could go either way depending on the performance of the batsmen in the respective teams. 

It appears it’s the contest between Chalambar bowlers against Pomonal’s batsmen that will decide the result, for a low Pomonal score would end their chances.

The entire November 27, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire November 27, 2019 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!