Day two of a climactic round 14 of the McMahon Shield will come our way on Saturday, with the finals picture a little clearer after day one action.
For six sides this will be the last day of Goulburn Murray Cricket this season, but six teams remain mathematically in the hunt for four finals places.
Rochester is in fourth place for now, but its spot may be slipping away after Echuca was the better side on day one.
After battling for 60 overs at Victoria Park the home side was eventually dismissed for 136.
Rochester’s chase made a disastrous start as in 17 overs it was reduced to 6-39, putting its season in jeopardy.
Rochy leads Echuca South by just two competition points, and with the Swans well on top against L-G, Rochester’s season may be decided by the four first-innings wickets it has in hand.
Still requiring 98 runs to surpass Echuca, Angus Martin (10 not out) and Matthew Harrington (4 not out) must have an extended stay at the crease if Rochy has any hope of a positive result.
Matthew Hinks has all six wickets so far and will be key to Echuca’s plan to dismiss Rochy quickly and lock in four points, which would bring them level with Moama should the ladder leaders fail to score against Kyabram Fire Brigade.
If Rochy falls, Echuca South looks set to pounce, requiring only 42 more runs, with eight wickets in hand, to score first innings points against Leitchville-Gunbower.
L-G will take heart from the dismissal of danger man Asantha Singappuli for an uncharacteristic 4, but Jayden Rosin (32 not out) remains unbeaten at the crease along with Rathika Rajakumara (11 not out).
Four points would be enough for the Swans to make finals should things continue to deteriorate for Rochester, but should Rochy stage a fightback, South may need to bowl out L-G a second time to snatch fourth place.
Level on points with South is Kyabram Fire Brigade but the Flames face a much tougher task on day two after top side Moama piled on the runs in the first innings.
Moama batted all day on its way to 289, with Fire Brigade yet to face a ball in a chase that must be successful for the Flames to have any hope of making finals.
Fire Brigade has an inferior quotient (tiebreaker) to Echuca South and so must secure a better result than the Swans, meaning it must score an outright win, a near-impossible task at this point, or hope L-G can pull off a miracle against South.
Nondies-Cohuna entered the round with a slim hope of finals, requiring an outright win over number three side Bamawm-Lockington United and three other results to go its way.
That hope has been fully extinguished after it ended day one having already conceded first innings points to BLU at Cohuna Recreation Reserve.
In fact, it is the visiting side who look in position to score an outright win, finishing the day already 67 runs ahead at 1-153 in reply to Nondies 86.
Captain Regis Chakabva has been in sparkling form of late and will resume his innings at 116 not out off just 86 deliveries, joined by Declan Pearse (21 not out).
In BLU’s previous three two-day matches, the Zimbabwean has declared twice in search of maximum points and looks set to do so again, with an outright win sending them to 48 points and forcing Moama (44) and Echuca (40) to score if they wish to remain ahead.
The final game of the round has no impact on finals, as Cooma finds itself locked in a close battle at home with Tongala.
Tonny, who needs to avoid outright defeat to remain above its opponents on the final table, will resume at 3-24, in reply to Cooma’s 151, with Rory Knight (6 not out) and Jessie Johnstone (0 not out) at the crease.
Round 14: scores after day one
Echuca 136 vs Rochester 6-39
Moama 289 vs Kyabram Fire Brigade (yet to bat)
Leitchville-Gunbower 95 vs Echuca South 2-54
Nondies Cohuna 86 vs Bamawm-Lockington United 1-153
Cooma 151 vs Tongala 3-24