A LOG-JAM of three sides at the top of the Horsham Cricket Association A Grade ladder is likely to be whittled down to at least two at the conclusion of round six.
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Horsham Saints, Laharum and Homers are locked together on 24 points with four wins apiece after five rounds, with the trio finding it difficult to separate themselves after equally successful starts to the season.
Two-day matches will continue at the weekend and resume the following Saturday, with Homers’ clash with Laharum set to be the most intriguing clash of all three match-ups.
Homers is currently the most potent side in the competition with the bat – while Laharum is close in second – so its batting performance looks set to be the game-breaker.
If Laharum can make early inroads with the ball it will go a long way to securing victory.
The third-placed Homers side can replace Laharum in second with a win, and could even jump to first if Horsham Saints are upset by Jung Tigers, who are also aiming to put their name in the top three sides.
Laharum is coming off its first loss – in round five against the Tigers – and will be keen to reassert itself as one of the prime movers in the A Grade competition.
The Tigers’ win at the weekend has handed it plenty of confidence heading into the second half of the season.
They will certainly fancy their chances against the ladder-leading Saints side.
While the top four sides jostle for position at the high end of the ladder, the bottom two teams are still chasing their maiden wins for the 2015-16 season.
Rup-Minyip and Lubeck Murtoa will lock horns at Murtoa on Saturday in a desperate clash that will give the winner at least some hope of a late-season revival.
The Blue Panthers certainly were not disgraced in their loss to Homers at the weekend, falling just shy of their victory target.
Lubeck-Murtoa – on the other hand – were pitiful in their first innings against Horsham Saints last week.
The Saints declared their first innings at 8-275 and quickly demolished Lubeck-Murtoa’s batting line-up for 45.
They were sent in to bat again as the Saints chased second-innings points, but an improved performance with the bat for Lubeck-Murtoa meant the Horsham side had to settle for a first-innings victory.
All sides will be looking to make strong starts on day one and put pressure on their opposition.
All eyes will be on the clashes involving the top three sides, and if results fall the right way, one of Laharum or Homers could assume top spot alone.
