WHEN round four of Goulburn Murray Cricket takes place on Saturday, three stories at the centre of cricket in the region will culminate in the space of a few hours.
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A grand final rematch, a side hunting their first win in a year, and two teams meeting for the first time since a pre-finals controversy saw one side removed and another promoted for a third clubs actions.
■ON grand final day earlier this season, the Rochester Cricket Club celebrated their first season since the merger of Rochester United and Rochester Tigers by claiming the GMC premiership.
It came a year after one of those entities - Rochester United - fell in the grand final to Kyabram Fire Brigade.
Now, at the start of the new season, both teams are in very different positions.
Rochester has a win on the board, but is by their own admission not the team they were after the retirements of a number of key players.
Rochester is now rebuilding, with a number of young players getting the opportunity to play at A grade level.
Fire Brigade was looking like the team of old in the opening rounds of the season, but a shock loss to Echuca on Saturday has some questions being asked.
Kyabram will be the favourites this week, and a good opportunity for both sides to show what changes to their team will do.
■ON October 27, 2018, Echuca South defeated Cooma at home.
They have not won a game of A grade cricket since.
On Saturday, October 26, they will face the same opposition, but this time on Cooma's ground as they fight to get back on the winners list.
At 3-0, Cooma is comfortably on top of the ladder at this point of the season, so it is going to take a huge effort from South to topple the opposition and get a win on the board.
■MOAMA and Echuca were involved in one of the biggest stories in country cricket at the end of last season.
After a player took part in a match between Moama and Echuca South against competition rules, Moama's result was altered and the side stripped of points, despite the issue being with an opposition player.
The result was Moama missing the finals of the GMC.
This week, they face off with the side who took their place in the finals, Echuca.
Echuca broke through last week for their first victory of the season, when they upset the reigning premiers Kyabram Fire Brigade at Victoria Park.
Moama however have had a good start to their season, with two wins in their first three games and a position within the top four.
■In the final game of the weekend, BLU takes on Tongala.
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