GCA - Three vital questions will be answered when the final home and away round in the Grampians Cricket Association's A grade competition concludes tomorrow.
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All three matches do have some significance.
The most important question to be answered will Swifts/Great Western do what many regard as an outside possibility and grab an outright win over Aradale?
An outright win would send the team to the top of the competition ladder, the place to be at finals time.
Going into day two of this match, the Combine hold a 132-run lead, having already sent three Aradale batsmen back to the pavilion.
Swifts/Great Western's requirement now is to dismiss the remaining seven batsmen for as few runs as possible, go back into bat and compile as many runs as it can in the shortest time possible and then dismiss Aradale a second time around.
What a task, all in one day.
No doubt the seven Aradale batsmen waiting in this first innings will have a different take on it all they will be looking to occupy the crease for as long as possible tomorrow to put an outright win for the Combine out of the question.
The result of this match depends on the opening overs of the day.
If the Swifts/Great Western bowlers make the early breaks an outright will be the buzz word, but if the Aradale batsmen dig in for the first hour, the match could fizzle out to a first innings result, with these two teams to clash again in next weekend's semi final.
The Combine's pace attack of Jamie Bach and Marc Brilliant have done the damage so far to have Aradale reeling at 3/11, but the home team still have capable batsmen in Travis Horvatek and Tyler Cronin at the crease, with Matt Stasse and Jon Townsend to follow and if they can hold out, the Combine first innings score of 143 runs could be within reach.
It will be a tense opening to day two tomorrow.
The second question is will the top team at present Tatyoon, re-group and run down the Buangor first innings total?
Chasing Buangor's first innings score of 158 runs, Tatyoon was in trouble late on day one when the team found itself at 2/14. Fortunately it recovered a little to be 2/32 at stumps.
Tomorrow with eight wickets in hand Tatyoon faces the task of making the required 127 runs for victory.
Matt Harris and Michael Harricks are at the crease when play resumes, with Zander McDougall, Andrew Marx, Henry Armstrong and Tim McDougall some of the listed batsmen to come.
The Buangor bowlers led by Harry Ganley, Ben Hargreaves and Phil Brady will be doing their best to make life at the crease difficult for the Tatyoon batsmen.
A win for Taty tomorrow will also see these two teams clash again in next weekend's semi final.
The third and final question to be answered is who will collect the wooden spoon and face the prospect of playing in B grade next season?
Pomonal and Youth Club are the candidates in the clash at North Park and Pomonal has its nose in front to take the match points with a score of 207 on the board.
Scores near the 200-run mark have been rather difficult for the Clubbers this season, so it will take a big effort to finish off the season and get the 208 required.
It will be vital Matt Delzotto and Anthony Wilksch get Youth Club off to a steady start, while support will be critical from both Jamie Solyom, the team’s highest run scorer this season, Todd Matthews and youngsters Jarrod Illig and Ethan Marrow.
The Pomonal bowling attack of Rick and Lee Oliver, Al McKay and Matt Grinham will be applying plenty of pressure to prevent the Clubbers’ batsmen from snatching victory.