Nathan Keel, 33, and Brad Couch, 17, will resume for Colts at Dudley Cornell Park on Saturday, with the score at 1-60 and the benefit of having nine wickets in hand.
The likes of Brad Millar, Jay Couch and Marc Thomas are next to come in a contest that could well go to the wire.
Jeremy Newell, 3-43, Dylan Arnott, 3-12, and the miserly efforts of Ross Frew helped spin a web around the Bullants’ middle order.
It was only the defiant efforts of opener Kent Hair, 67, and scores of 27 to Ben Anson and 30 to David Combe that kept the visitors from a batting collapse.
Runs appeared relatively hard to come by on turf wickets, suggesting moisture that hung around all weekend played a role at most grounds.
At Horsham’s Coughlin Park, Horsham Saints managed only 162 against Homers, despite Gary Davidson, 48, and Cory Smith, 38, sharing a 100-run opening stand. Off-spinning Simon Hopper swooped in for the Pigeons behind new-ball operator Craig Britten, 3-53, to capture 5-43, and place Homers in the box seat.
Homers are 1-12 in response, losing Chaminda Gamage in the 10 overs to stumps.
The Saints are hanging on grimly to fourth place, six points and percentage ahead of Noradjuha-Toolondo and while attempting to beat Homers, will also be barracking for a Colts win.
Third-placed Rupanyup-Minyip is on the same points as Horsham Saints and with a promise of a kinder wicket at Horsham City Oval this weekend needs only to bat out overs to beat Jung Tigers.
On Saturday the Blue Panthers won a crucial toss and bowled on a lively wicket softened by overnight rain and immediately tore a hole in the Tigers’ top order.
At one stage Jung, under attack from all-rounder Mark Mbofana, who gathered 5-24, was 4-16 as batsmen struggled to cope with a tennis-ball bounce. As the wicket flattened out during the afternoon Simon Mock, 39, David Puls, 20, and Dale Dridan, 21, provided a late-order fightback and the Tigers managed to scramble to 134.
Wickets continued to fall when the Blue Panthers went into bat, but Brayden Ison, 28, and Mbofana successfully navigated their team to 2-49.
The Tigers face a tough assignment to bowl themselves back into the game.
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