By Jarrod Potter
DISTRICT Division in the West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) is splintered into the haves and have nots, with only a few teams remaining in the hunt for the championship and promotion to Premier.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:NAR NAR GOON/MARYKNOLL
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll’s Vinny Van Strijp (17 wickets at 12.18) and Sam Vanderzalm (14 at 11.14) have taken the initiative with the ball and are the main reason for the Marygoons’ rise to the top of the ladder. They’re not tearing up the run column as they are with wickets, but are getting consistent performances from Leigh Tomkins (140 runs at 28), Brodie Glen (103 at 34.33), Craig Lewis (102 at 51) and brought Sam Pullen back up to District after a spell in Sub-District. If they’re not playing the grand final, they will be a tough opponent to overcome in the semi-final. The Marygoons face Merinda Park first up on Saturday.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:DEVON MEADOWS
The great strength of Devon Meadows has been their bowling quartet. The new-ball pair Mick Floyd (21 at 10.24) and Peter Zauner (16 at 8.06) in conjunction with Bill Loudon (12 at 11.25) and Lucas Carroll (nine at 8) have all taken wickets with ruthless efficiency.
They’ve taken 67 wickets at 10.73, while on the reverse only losing 32 wickets at 31.62. The batsmen have done what was asked of them, with Steve Robinson (199 runs at 39.8), Jason Holman (172 at 34.4) and Darren O’Brien (172 at 57.33) guiding the Panthers past totals of all sizes. Devon Meadows face all the top teams in the next month, taking on St Francis Xavier, Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll and Emerald before February.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:MERINDA PARK
Merinda Park is the other big gun left in the fight for the District title. Glen Ward (242 runs at 81.67) is terrorising opposition bowlers, especially with the century he scored last round to sink Devon Meadows. Chris Smith (147 at 21) and Jess Mathers (113 at 28.25) are the other big contributors for the Cobras. Their best bowlers Brendan Fairlam (14 at 9) and Jess Mathers (13 at 13) are doing the job as well. Their next month should result in three wins against Lyndhurst, Catani and Nyora with their match against Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll on 21 January to answer a lot of questions about the finals in District Division.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:ST FRANCIS XAVIER
St Francis Xavier will find themselves in the finals, barring a major late season catastrophe, but whether they stand up to the top three is the bigger question. Aaron Ward (171 runs at 85.5, 12 wickets at 9.08) is the Old Collegians go-to man with bat and ball. The Shepherdsons, Chris (nine wickets at 22.44) and Anthony (eight at 20.38, 152 runs at 38) are also very useful for St Francis Xavier. With only Devon Meadows a dangerous proposition in the next month, St Francis are well poised to move up the ladder.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:EMERALD
Andrew Walker (177 at 29.5, nine wickets at 8.67), Anthony Flint (160 at 40), Clinton Marsh (14 at 7.14). Emerald has Devon Meadows, Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll and St Francis Xavier in the next month, so the challenges are ahead of the Bombers if they want to make the top four.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:LYNDHURST VIKINGS
Lyndhurst will miss the boat on the 2011/12 finals series in District Division. David Greensmith (12 wickets at 24.58) is their only bowler in the top 10 currently and is their best for batting as well (141 at 28.20). Mark Henry (8 wickets at 17.50, 110 runs at 22) is chipping in with blade and ball alike. Trevor McGeachin (8 wickets at 30.75) is also taking valuable scalps, but from there, the Vikings don’t have many other weapons to turn to. January is a tough month for Lyndhurst Vikings, with Merinda Park, Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll and Devon Meadows all on the immediate fixture.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:CATANI
Catani can be thankful Nyora is as bad as they are this year, as without them, the Blues would face relegation. Ross Kortholt (222 runs at 31.71) has been the glue to hold the batting together, but has sporadic support from David Williams (152 at 21.71) and now James McMahon with his century just before the break. Their bowling has generally been unable to harass opposition batsmen and none of their group have reached double figures in wickets. Catani face Nyora on Saturday and will probably secure their spot in District for 2012/13 with a victory.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:NYORA
Nyora will play in Sub-District next season without any doubts. Their season to date has been atrocious, with their only highlights belonging to Troy Ferguson with the bat. Ferguson (249 runs at 31.13) has rallied to hold the batting together, with a rearguard 101 against St Francis the peak of their season and also leads the division in run aggregate. Taking Ferguson out of the equation, leaves the rest of Nyora scoring 293 runs at 3.66. They will play for pride alone in the second half of the season, as there aren’t any accolades left available to them.
