The penultimate home and away fixture in the Central Gippsland Cricket Association wraps up this weekend with day two between Latrobe and Morwell headlining round 11 action.
The Tigers have already secured first innings points after a dominant display on day one at Peter Siddle Oval gave them the upper hand.
Lewis Harper’s seven-wicket haul was the talk of the match in a performance that included the scalps of the first five Latrobe batsmen.
Rob McKinley was the only talking point for the defending premiers with a top score of 35 in an otherwise forgettable innings.
The Tigers are in the box seat for an outright win and present a daunting prospect for Latrobe with Blake Mills, Mark Cukier and Brendan Brincat likely danger men.
Morwell will resume its tilt for the 2017/18 flag when play resumes this weekend at Peter Siddle Oval.
Jeeralang-Boolarra v Trafalgar
Jeeralang-Boolarra has put in a stunning effort on day one against Trafalgar to secure first innings points and edge closer to a finals berth in round 11.
The Panthers have surfaced as a surprise contender for the 2017/18 flag and have jumped Moe for second spot on the CGCA ladder.
Brodie Burgess’ duck at the start of play signalled Trafalgar’s downfall as things went from bad to worse and it was skittled for a measly 72.
Nick Gurney was the only saving grace with 31 runs while eight of his team mates fell for four runs or less.
Jeeralang-Boolarra survived a scare after slumping to 3/18 early on in reply but the efforts of Nick Duncan (44) and Ben Heath (24) salvaged the innings to take the Panthers to 5/109.
Play resumes on Saturday at Trafalgar Recreation Reserve from 11.30am.
Mirboo North v Moe
Moe has dropped to third spot on the CGCA ladder and will have some leg work to do on day two against Mirboo North if it is to clinch a win ahead of finals.
Mirboo North batted out the day and sits in a commanding position at 6/217.
After a fairly quiet season to date, Tigers skipper Shane Peters enjoyed a return to form at number three and top scored with a knock of 71 to give his side some breathing room.
Saad Qureshi was next best for Mirboo North with 36 while Brett Pedlow (22), Will Cheatley (20) and Rob Phoenix (19) all made valuable contributions.
Moe captain Andrew Philip has done a lot of heavy lifting for his side so far this season and sits atop the association batting table with 469.
After scores of two and five in recent weeks the Lions will need their skipper to return to form on day two to stand a chance.
Play resumes on Saturday from 11.30am at Mirboo North Turf.
