by Pat Kerin
The recent heat wave, which lasted seven days, saw all senior matches in the South West Slopes Cricket League [SWSCL] cancelled last Saturday. This was the first time the heat has cancelled cricket in SWSCL since 2019.
With just three rounds remaining in both grades, all matches could have a bearing on the finals. Three clubs still have the bye to come, (namely Stockinbingal, Cootamundra and Junee) which means Grenfell and Temora will play all three rounds with a chance to enhance their finals chances.
In A grade on Saturday, the minor premiership could be decided as Grenfell hosts Cootamundra. A win for either side will see them as champions against the other.
Also on Saturday, Temora will host Junee. Temora, currently out of the four, desperately needs a win, while Junee could consolidate their position on the ladder. Including the bye on Saturday, Stockinbingal has only played two matches in the past six rounds, losing both to Grenfell and Cootamundra, respectively.
Throw in the bye on round nine, wash outs on round eight and ten and Saturday’s heat round, getting on the park is hard work.
Current A grade ladder:
65- Cootamundra
52- Grenfell
52- Junee
47- Stockinbingal
44- Temora
The positions in the B grade are also up for grabs. The teams that finish anywhere from first to fourth will contest the B grade finals. Teams that finish fifth to eighth will contest the C grade finals with teams that finish in the bottom three forced to pack their gear away until the next season.
Harden, Boorowa and Bribbaree each have a bye before the season ends. It’s interesting to look at the ladder and see that the Tigers and the Renegades could finish in the top two, while Harden, Burrangong and Cootamundra will fight out for the top remaining spots in B grade. Harden’s bye on Saturday may see them drop back to C grade.
Current B Grade Ladder:
72- Temora Bowling Club Tigers
72- Temora Exies Renagades
70- Harden
66- Burrangong
66- Cootamundra
51- Boorowa
51- Temora Shamrocks
46- Murringo
45- Bribbaree
45- Criterion Bin Chicken
41- Grenfell
Saturday‘s round 14 draw: Burrangong vs Boorowa at Cranfield Oval Temora Shamrocks vs Bribbarre at Nixon Park two Cootamundra vs Temora Renagades at Albert Park Criterion Bin Chicken vs Temora Tigers at Miller Henry Murringo vs Grenfell at Gus Smith; Harden bye.
Semi-finals in all grades commence on 28 February with the preliminary finals on 7 March. The finals will occur in Temora on 14 March. The reserve date is 21 March.
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