Top spot is Yarraville Club’s to lose entering the final round in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association’s senior division.
The Clubbers fired on a crucial double-header weekend with two victories to all but wrap up a home semi-final.
They smashed Airport West-St Christopher’s on the road at Etzel Street Reserve on Saturday by 219 runs, before fronting up again on Sunday for a hard-fought 12-run win over Strathmore in a one-day catch-up game at Hansen Reserve.
Konrad Kurta (57) and Adam Contessa (41) were the keys for the Clubbers in the limited-overs match.
Kurta has been a run machine this summer, scoring 481 at 40.
The Clubbers will claim the minor premiership if they can beat Hoppers Crossing, a side that’s sitting fourth with all to play for, in the final round.
Laverton and Spotswood were unable to make up any meaningful ground on the north division top four, so you can just about write your own ticket for their participation in the finals.
The trouble for those two clubs was that their own two-day battle ended in a draw on Saturday, sending seven points to each side and giving neither a significant boost.
Inspired by Matt Leddin’s 86, Spotswood moved into fifth place with a 34-run win over Doutta Stars on Sunday, but it remains six points in arrears of fourth-placed West Coburg and will need a lot to go its way in the final round to gate-crash the finals party.
Laverton’s finals prospects were just about KO’d with a 63-run loss to Keilor.
It was better news at the foot of the table for Altona North, which claimed 15 points with a win and a draw to move out of the relegation zone.
North made 7-129 in Sunday’s one-dayer before consigning Royal Park/Brunswick to the wooden spoon, bowling that side out for 72 thanks to a five-wicket haul from Domenic Diguglielmo.
In west A1, Williamstown CYMS sealed a home semi-final with a 63-run win over Point Cook on Sunday.
St Andrew’s Footscray shored up its finals spot with a 103-run mauling of Sunshine Heights on a weekend when Saints captain Mark Rhodes celebrated his 100th game for the club.
In west B1, Barkly Street Uniting moved into home semi-final territory with a stunning outright win over Williamstown Imperials.
Chris Kavanagh took 7-26 for the Streeters to move into second on the division’s wicket-takers list with 27 at 15.22.
West Newport is all but assured of the minor premiership after slaughtering finals contender Kingsville Baptists.
Wests posted a mammoth 7-375, including a 220-run fifth-wicket stand between Aaron Floyd (132) and captain Trent Jones (93).
The Baptists’ saving grace was that they managed to avoid an outright loss and still kept hold of fourth spot.
