Buangor lost the toss, but were sent in to bat on what was a strong batting strip.

Buangor lost a couple of early wickets and the Combine looked to be on top before Lachie Oddie found some comfort at the crease.

Marc Brilliant said the decision to bat on what looked to be a batting wicket was preparation for finals.

“We won the toss on what was a fairly good batting wicket, but we thought we would have a crack at batting second,” he said.

“We have hardly done that all year so it was just a bit of a change up before finals.”

Oddie was given a life on three occasions, but managed to make the most of his time in the middle.

Oddie was caught out the fourth time lucky by James Devery.

He made 65 runs.

“He just had a crack out there,” Brilliant said.

“He was dropped three times but he had a go and it paid off.”

Along side Oddie Tyson Carr was the only other Buangor player to make a significant amount of runs.

Carr made 33 runs while Buangor were dismissed for 182.

“Id say the score is good although the wicket was a batters strip no doubt,” Brilliant said.

 “In saying that though it is a hard ground to score quickly as its so big. It will be a good test for us.”

Swifts-Great Western had the tough task of faces a small amount of overs prior to stumps on Saturday.

Unfortunately Sam Cocks could not with stand the pressure and was dismissed.

“It was a bit disappointing, but sometimes that happens when there's only a short time to play before stumps,” Brilliant said.

“If we can get through the first 10-15 overs next week with little damage it will set up the rest of the day. Hopefully the wicket plays the same.”

It will be a team effort for Swifts-Great Western if they are to fight its way back into the match.

“We have lost early wickets this year and managed wins and good totals so we are comfortable that we still have some good batting to come,” Brilliant said.

Jon Parkin was a highlight of the Swifts-Great Western bowling innings taking five wickets.

Parkin’s spin and flight caught the Buangor batsmen off guard.

“He has been bowling pretty good spin at training and we thought we would give him a crack,” Brilliant said.

The Combine will continue from 1-8 on Saturday.