CRICKET
CLV
By LIAM DURKIN
NO play was possible in Cricket Latrobe Valley at the weekend.
The league made the early call to cancel all Saturday senior cricket on Friday after huge thunderstorms rolled in.
Games will now revert to one day fixtures for the last round of the regular season.
Latrobe cricket legend Anthony Bloomfield raised a good point, asking if the last round would be played as a Saturday/Sunday to enable teams to snare maximum points.
As it is however, teams will only be able to get a maximum of five points for a one day win this weekend, as opposed to potentially 10 for a two day outright.
Teams get four points for a one day win, and a bonus point if a result is achieved inside 30 overs.
Day 1 washouts had ramifications for a number of teams, and also officially sealed the fates of others.
Centrals and Toongabbie will be relegated from Premier A, while Raiders are assured of promotion given they cannot lose top spot in A Grade.
Moe Cricket Club’s Robert Blunt has crunched the numbers heading into the final round.
Posting to the league’s socials:
“The final round before red ball finals will be white ball contests. Four points for a win but with two points separating third to sixth, any bonus point wins could be the difference, including in the minor premiership race.
“Ex Students go to relegated Centrals. The washout confirms Centrals to finish bottom. The one day meeting on January 24 saw the Sharks bowl out Centrals for just 34 in reply to 6/256. Another bonus point win again would lock up top spot but the Lions will be buoyant after their win over fellow Lions Moe last time out.
“Morwell host Churchill with the Cobras finals hopes on the line. A win would see Churchill qualified, whilst a loss would see them needing both Imperials and Moe to also lose. Morwell will host a final though can finish minor premiers with a win if Ex Students lose or Morwell get a bonus point win and the Sharks don’t.
“Glengarry host Imperials with a complex scenario on the cards if Imps win. Whilst the Magpies will progress with a victory, an Imperials win will see them overtake the Magpies, that’s guaranteed. They will also overtake Churchill and play finals with a win if the Cobras lose to Morwell. If Churchill win however, then Imperials will need Moe to not get a bonus point victory over Toongabbie.
“Speaking of that match, Moe must win over the Rams to give themselves a chance to play finals. The Lions will overtake the loser of Glengarry and Imperials, then require Churchill to lose to Morwell to make finals. If Churchill win, then Moe need to pick up a bonus point victory over the Rams and Imperials beat Glengarry without a bonus point. The Rams will finish seventh and go down to A Grade, however could finish their season with two wins on the bounce and impacting finals chances of their opponents after beating Imperials last round. If Moe fail to make it, they will rue their last two results, Churchill winning from 5/53 to chase down 247 and falling to relegated Centrals in the last round.
IN A Grade, there is four points separating second to fourth and third to fifth, meaning bonus points could play a factor.
“The washout ends Latrobe’s finals hopes, secures Traralgon West’s finals and sets Mirboo North and Gormandale’s ladder positions in stone,” CLV posted.
“Traralgon West will secure a home final with a win over Rovers. A loss will see them away in the post-season. Rovers must win. A loss will leave them relying on other results. A strong quotient would see them stay ahead of CATS (fifth) with a regular win, but a bonus point win to CATS would see them overtake Rovers.
“Willow Grove need to win (against Mirboo North) to secure finals without relying on Latrobe to beat CATS. Rovers’ quotient (0.965) sets a very high mathematical bar for the Wolves to overcome if they were to pick up a bonus point win and Rovers lose. Paired with the washout, Mirboo North ultimately ended Latrobe’s finals chances and the Tigers could do the same again, finishing with two wins and costing Willow Grove finals if Latrobe beat CATS.
“Whilst the result is inconsequential, Gormandale will aim to finish their season on a high against Raiders. With Raiders likely to automatically go up regardless of result, a Tigers win would give them the ‘last time they met’ victory status over Raiders for at least 18 months in First XI action”.
With most games in both divisions still live in the last round, those involved in bringing the two leagues together are surely sitting back with a great deal of satisfaction once again.
The Traralgon District-Central Gippsland merger was all about creating the most competitive cricket possible.
Players and clubs have seen it every season for three years now.
