Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League round 13: Sportsmans and Bluff Point to clash twice this weekend

Sportsmans and Bluff Point meet twice at Wonthella in this weekend’s Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League, with both sides sweating on the fitness of key players. They play on Friday night in a Young Motors T20 and again on Saturday in a 50-over game. Both have an injured paceman who will hopefully have mended enough to bowl. For Sportsmans, Zak Williamson suffered a side strain at country week but did play as a batter in the previous round so he may be right. He needs one wicket for 100 A-grade scalps. He has 26 wickets in the nine games in which he has bowled this season. For Bluff Point, James Morrison incurred a hand injury warming up last week. He manfully bowled three overs but could not continue. He has 15 wickets at 14.73 and needs two more for 50. With three rounds to go until finals, Sportsmans sit clear on top with Wanderers and Towns in a tight tussle for second. Saturday’s other 50-over match is at Mazzuchelli Oval where Chapman Valley-Northampton host Wanderers. CVN are mathematically in the finals mix but must keep winning and pray other results go their way. For the Valley Rams, Adam Goacher is 44 runs short of 500 in A-grade while Wanderers’ Kade Gillingham needs five runs for 2000. The Young Motors Women’s T20 series is in the last round of qualifiers. The most interesting game is Saturday night at Wonthella with Towns, on a high after defeating Sporties last week in one of the season’s best games, to face CVN. Neither team was ever in contention for the final but the winner will avoid the wooden spoon. For CVN, Alexia Wekwerth is two shy of the 25-wicket milestone. For Towns, Ruth Vorster, after her brilliant match-winning 42 last round, will want her side to end their season with successive wins. The other game is at GBSC Park with minor premiers Wanderers against Sporties. They play again next Saturday in the final under Wonthella’s lights. How they approach Sunday’s game will be interesting — the result will carry little importance so both may experiment. For Wanderers, Olivia Bidwell needs five wickets for 75 career wickets and should get closer to that target. Sporties have a serious problem with their best batter, Belinda Burrows, carrying an injury and she may be rested. B-grade: Bluff Pt v Dongara (Muir); Wan v CVN (GBSC); Kal v Spo (Kalbarri).