EVEN Nostradamus would struggle to predict the final make-up of the Griffith District Cricket Association top four ahead of the season’s thrilling climax.
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Five of the association’s six teams are in contention for a semi-final berth heading into the last two-day games, which start on Saturday.
Yenda (50) currently tops the ladder ahead of Coro (46), Hanwood (45), reigning two-day premiers Exies (44) and early season pacesetter Leagues Club (44).
The winless Diggers (7) are the only side out of contention.
With six points up for grabs for a first innings win, plus possible bonus points and outright victories to take into consideration, how the teams settle on the ladder is anybody’s guess.
Coro Cougars captain Haydn Pascoe, whose side plays Leagues Club in the last round, said the next fortnight would have a semi-final feel for all teams.
“Everything’s on the line,” he said.
“But it’s actually really good cricket to see all the five teams competing for a finals spot.
“It’s not so much one side dominating. It’s really good to be involved in.”
Pascoe, however, won’t feel as enthusiastic about the closeness of the competition if the Cougars miss out on the top four.
Rain denied Coro a result against Diggers on two occasions this summer.
Going on form, the Cougars would have been strong favourites to win both clashes, and the subsequent points would have boosted them out of the danger zone.
“Those two weeks that were washed out, everyone else completed their rounds,” Pascoe said.
“I said it earlier in the year that it’ll come back to hurt us, and it has.
“In saying that, we might have lost, but it definitely has hurt us.
“They would’ve been two wins, you’d like to think. It’s another 14 points.
“That's crucial. Even seven points are crucial.”
If the Cougars do make the finals, Pascoe said he had a team that could give the two-day premiership a shake.
“The way we’ve been playing our two-day cricket has been unreal,” he said.
“The one-dayers have let us down. We didn’t play as well there.
“But two-day cricket suits our side.
“We’re the only side to bat out our 70 overs, and we’ve done it twice.”
Round 15 draw
Yenda v Hanwood at Yenda
Leagues Club v Coro at West End Oval
Diggers v Exies at Exies No.2
