AN UNLIKELY Laharum victory over Jung Tigers has kept hopes of an even more unlikely finals appearance alive with two rounds to play in the A Grade season.
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Jung started the second Saturday of play at City Oval requiring 98 runs to win, with seven wickets in hand after Laharum snared two late wickets on day one.
Nathan Neumann joined Tyler Puls at the crease and both batsmen started the day without having troubled the scorers.
Neumann had still not troubled the scorers when he was dismissed shortly after the start of play by Dan Griffiths, 2-22.
Puls and captain Tyler Neville looked like they would carry Jung over the line during their 58-run partnership, but then Brad Johnson, 5-18, trapped Neville in front for 37.
Puls was then caught off Johnson’s bowling, making the score 6-134.
Jung went from requiring 38 runs with six wickets in hand to needing 35 with four batsmen in the shed.
The match did not last much longer as Johnson ripped through the remaining three wickets after Mal Adams removed the dangerous Steven Leith.
Rup-Minyip secured its spot in the finals by registering its first win since the mid-season break. The side successfully defended its day one total of 265 against Blackheath-Dimboola at Dimboola Oval.
Lachie Watts struggled to find a partner to bat with at the top of the innings until he was joined by Hamish Exell after the loss of two wickets to the bowling of Clint Midgley.
Watts was then dismissed for 36 by Daniel Schaper, 3-24.
Exell continued on to score 54 before he was the first of Glenn Morgan’s three victims.
Sam Polack, 25, was the only other batsman in the side to provide any resistance as the team was bowled out for 159 in the 62nd over.
Homers completed a comprehensive victory against the Horsham Saints at Sunnyside.
The side only required a total of 109 to win after the Saints struggled on day one and it was never going to be enough when Sandy Hodge and Simon Hopper put on a 61-run opening partnership.
After Hopper’s dismissal for 39, Hodge and Lachie Jones put on a 125-run partnership before Hodge was removed for 70.
The Saints bowlers continued to toil hard as Jones retired after passing 50 before rain stopped play with four overs remaining and the Homers side on 5-227.
Jono Carroll’s figures of 2-33 off 11 were the best of any Saints bowler but Matt Combe threatened early and finished with 2-26 off 14 overs.
