IT may not be a match that will decide the Goulburn Murray Cricket top four, but Saturday's clash between Echuca and Echuca South may be the most important game of the round.
The two Echuca clubs will come together in a twilight fixture at 3.30 tomorrow afternoon, not only for competition points, but also to raise money for the CFA.
Moama Bowling Club has made a straight donation of $1000, the Echuca Workers Club have given $500, and The Caledonian Hotel has chipped in $250.
On the day, Roma Pizza will be donating $20 per four and $50 per six, while Top Order will donate $5 per four, $10 per six, $20 per wicket and $25 per stumping.
Bennett's Intersport has donated four tickets and parking for Monday's Australia Day public holiday clash between the Melbourne Renegades and the Brisbane Heat at Marvel Stadium, with the tickets to be raffled on the day.
There will also be barbecues, the bar and donation tins floating around the ground to give even more to the cause.
On the field, both sides are essentially playing for pride at this point of the year.
Neither are in finals contention, but both will be looking to add a few more wins to their tally before the season is over.
A win for South will likely get them off the bottom of the ladder, while a win for Echuca simply solidifies their position.
●Moama ia sitting pretty in top spot after their win against Echuca last round.
Now it will look to strengthen that position with a clash against BLU.
BLU has regularly struggled throughout the season to get any form of momentum going, and despite being dominant in the shortest form of the game, have just two wins on the board for the A grade season.
Moama is the likely winner on this occasion, and with natches against Tongala and Fire Brigade still to come, it needs to make the most of their opportunities.
●Two of the top teams in the competition will do battle when Kyabram Fire Brigade and Tongala square off.
Fire Brigade lost a match it probably shouldn't have last round, dropping a game to Rochester which cost it top spot on the table.
The Flames will be desperate to re-ignite their form this week as they hunt yet another top two finish.
The Blues have not surprised with their form, having been a finals contender in 2018-19, but have been as good as anyone all year.
Only half a game separates them from a top two spot, and if they can get the job done on Saturday, they will find themselves leap frogging the Flames.
Both of these sides can produce elite cricket when they are at their best, so this could be one of the best matches of the entire season, and one of the most important ones too.
●The final match of the round sees Rochester take on Cooma.
Again this contest has a lot riding on it for either side.
A Rochy win expands the gap between fourth and fifth to as much as 18 points, and with the lay of the season that could almost be enough to lock down our top four.
On the other hand, if Cooma gets the job done, they will overtake Rochy and go back to fourth, and the battle between the two sides will rage on.
As we approach the pointy end of the season, the importance of every game goes up, but this battle between fourth and fifth could be the biggest of all.
Bowls
Weekend action is taking a break, but mid-week bowls will still be played on Friday.
The big guns are out to play this morning with top side Moama taking on second placed City of Echuca.
This match is a very real chance of being a grand final preview, so if City can get close to the undefeated Moama, we should be in for a strong end to the season.
In other matches, Rich River hosts Mathoura, while Rochester hosts Deniliquin.
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