Geraldton cricket round 9 preview: Reigning T20 champs Sporties need a win to keep them alive in finals race

Round seven of the Young Motors T20 Series starts Friday night with Wanderers to play Sportsmans, as grand final hopes go on the line.

Wanderers could lock in a berth in the T20 final while defending T20 champions Sportsmans need to win or will probably not make the decider.

In 50-overs-a-side Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League games on Saturday, first-placed Wanderers meet second-placed Towns at the Rec.

Wanderers boast four batters with 220 runs or more and three bowlers with 13 or more wickets.

Ian Oglesby has 227 runs, mostly as an opener at 37.83 and nine wickets at 11.87, while Damien King (17 wickets at 9.94 and 296 runs at 42.28) and Mitch Thompson (14 wickets at 9.28) have also starred.

Towns have two batters with over 200 runs, Jeremy Bedford (394 runs at 56.28) while Ringo McKenna (228 runs at 45.60 and 12 wickets at 8.75) is a matchwinner.

Bluff Point play Sportsmans at Muir Park. The odds of the Pointers making the finals are long but there’s still hope.

Both have questionable batting, Bluff Point’s top run scorer is Jay O’Brien (147 runs at 24.50) while Sportsmans, who’ve used 29 players this season, have only Darcy Ingle with more than 100 runs to his name.

Sporties’ leading wicket taker is Jarrad Jupp (12 wickets at 18.41) with support from Brad Mailer (10 wickets at 15.10).

Antonio Paradella has led with the ball for Bluff Point (16 wickets at 15.12) and ideally Carl Shilling, a quality all-rounder, is free of work commitments.

In Sunday’s Young Motors Women’s Cricket League, 30-overs-a-side games will be played.

The Wanderers and Sportsmans game at Wonthella is interesting, with Sportsmans topping the table but no-one doubts Wanderers.

Wanderers are coming off a tie against Chapman Valley-Northampton, a grand result for CVN but Wandies had only nine players with Olivia Bidwell and Meg Spalding not among them.

Sportsmans did beat Wanderers in a previous meeting this season, but again in a game where Wanderers fielded nine players, though it should be noted Sporties were without Jo Walker that day.

Towns, searching for their first win, meet CVN at the Rec. CVN will be buoyed by their effort last week and beat Towns easily in a previous meeting this year.

B-grade: Wan v Twn (GBSC1); Don v BP (Dongara); Spo v CVN (Wonthella).