NORADJUHA-TOOLONDO and Horsham Saints will fight for second place in Horsham Cricket Association’s A Grade competition at the weekend.
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The teams are scheduled to play a two-day match at Coughlin Park and – with only two points separating the sides – the winner will most likely take second spot on the ladder, while the loser could drop to fourth.
Horsham Saints captain Tony Caccaviello said the Bullants were a good side and the Saints would need to be on top of their game to win.
‘‘They’ve got a well-rounded team – they can bat and bowl well and have guys who can take the game away from you quickly,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ll have to rely on our bowlers to keep them in check and hopefully we can come away with a win.’’
The teams have not played a two-day match against each other this year. The Saints won the only one-day match between the sides.
The other fixture between the two was abandoned because of rain.
The Saints are coming off two impressive performances against Laharum and Homers, while the Bullants are coming off a win against ladder leader Rup-Minyip.
Homers will host Jung Tigers at Sunnyside and both have plenty of incentives to win.
If Homers have an outright win and the Bullants have a first innings win against the Saints, Homers could take second place based on percentages.
In that scenario, both sides would finish with 55 points and have near identical percentages.
Homers captain Lachie Jones said the team knew it was a chance of taking second place.
‘‘We know Jung will be keen to finish the season off well and we’ll be looking to gain some momentum going into the final game,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ll be bolstered by the return of Justin Williams and Sandy Hodge, who should help us with our batting.’’
Jung captain Tyler Neville said the team would push hard to win, because a loss could gift it the wooden spoon.
‘‘It will be a tough game against a dangerous team, which will be pumped up after coming off a loss,’’ he said.
Jung and Laharum both sit on 30 points at the bottom of the ladder.
Laharum is well behind Jung based on percentage, so will need to win against Rup-Minyip if it is any chance to avoid the wooden spoon.
Beating Rup-Minyip will be easier said than done, with the side dropping just three games all year.
Laharum captain Dan Griffiths said the team would look to finish the season with a big game.
‘‘Hopefully we can spring a bit of an upset. We usually play well against them,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve struggled to bat lately so hopefully we can turn that around. I think if we bat well we will be a chance to win.’’
Rup-Minyip was victorious in the teams’ only other match – a one-dayer – this season.