With every passing week in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 competition, the margin for error narrows, and the bottleneck in the middle of the table gets tighter.
Round 13 is no exception, with the Saturday-Sunday format set to test weary bodies eyeing the competition’s finish line.
A lack of exposure to their upcoming opponents – due to washouts in round seven’s corresponding clashes – adds an element of intrigue to a round not lacking suspense.
Fortuitously, the top four sides in Turf 1 will clash in two matches, as Berwick head to Park Oval to face Buckley Ridges, and Narre South welcome Springvale South to Strathaird Reserve.
Despite sitting second on the table, Berwick will be eager to consolidate their position with a victory and respond to last week’s heartbreak.
But in Buckley Ridges at home, you have a side that’s very hard to beat, riding high after an excellent performance against their nemesis in Springvale South.
Matthew Hague’s return from injury has come at an ideal time, with Park’s small boundaries likely to tempt the aggressive opener into playing some more strokes, while Jarryd Wills and Jake Hancock are both in excellent touch with the blade also.
Should they take off and get the batting card off to a flyer, it could make life tricky for Buckley.
But they’ve proven their ability to chase time after time, and have finally settled on an opening combination that reaped plenty of runs last week.
Narre South’s ‘Callum Nicholls-shaped’ hole in the top order has emerged at a shocking time for the Lions, on the eve of finals and with the back-to-back champions on the horizon.
Vineth Jayasuriya will need to continue his late season purple patch to cover his absence, while many others will be seeking a return to form.
Their excellent bowling attack will be put under the microscope more than it’s ever been against the likes of Jordan Wyatt, Cam Forsyth and Ryan Quirk.
The Bloods, meanwhile, may be vulnerable on the second day after a massive week just gone, bowling against Buckley on Saturday before fronting up for two T20s on Sunday.
But a bolstered bowling group, with Blade Baxter and Jackson Sketcher likely to return, will take some pressure off the remainder of the attack.
North Dandenong can keep its mathematical chances alive with a win against St Mary’s at Carroll Reserve.
An outright win would make things very interesting for the current finalists; North Dandenong capable of anything when they get things right.
But St Mary’s will be eyeing a winning streak, having finally broken through for a maiden victory last weekend.
Elsewhere, Hallam Kalora Park will also be keen to see what an outright victory can do for their fortunes against Beaconsfield.
Tips: Narre South v SPRINGVALE SOUTH, BUCKLEY RIDGES v Berwick, St Mary’s v NORTH DANDENONG, HALLAM KALORA PARK v Beaconsfield.
