By Marcus Uhe
Fountain Gate has the chance to close the gap between itself and the top of the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 3 ladder when it tackled Doveton in round nine.
The Gators in third place sit four points back of Silverton and Keysborough, tied for top spot on 40 points, with 10-point innings victories under their belts already in the only round of two-day matches thus far.
With Doveton’s the competition’s least equipped side for Turf 3 cricket, Fountain Gate will be extremely confident of grabbing an outright victory itself.
Keysborough faces a tricky challenge against Lynbrook and Silverton heads to Berwick Springs, which welcomes Jackson Marie back to its side for the first time since round two.
One of last summer’s best performers, Marie’s absence at the top of the order has left a gaping hole at the top of the order for the Titans and contributed to a first half of the season that has failed to match preseason expectations.
Silverton will be eager to secure the points against a well-regarded side, with many of the Bakers’ wins coming against sides in the bottom four, leaving room for speculation about the legitimacy of their ladder position.
Keysborough and Lynbrook’s contest is the only between two sides in the top four this week, with the Lakers eager to return to the winners side of the ledger after losing their last two matches, and snap the Knights’ five-match winning run.
Narre North meanwhile will be eager to secure back-to-back wins when it heads to Fountain Gate.
Tips: Hampton Park v NARRE NORTH, Berwick Springs v SILVERTON, Lynbrook v KEYSBOROUGH, Doveton v FOUNTAIN GATE.
