By Colin MacGillivray

Wet weather at the weekend saw all Horsham Cricket Association matches abandoned.

In A Grade competition, the first round of two-day matches ended anticlimactically.

Ladder leader West Wimmera’s hopes of an outright win against Noradjuha-Toolondo were dashed by the weather, with the Warriors having to settle for a first-innings win after being denied a chance to build on their 53-run lead in the second innings.

Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills also earned a first-innings win over Homers, but matches between Laharum and Horsham Tigers at Cameron Oval and Horsham Saints and Colts at Coughlin Park ended with no result.

A fresh round of two-day matches is set to commence this weekend, with Laharum to welcome Homers to Cameron Oval, Horsham Tigers at home against West Wimmera at Horsham City Oval, Noradjuha-Toolondo travelling to take on Lubeck-Murtoa at Murtoa, and Colts hosting Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills on their Dudley Cornell Park turf wicket.

Under-15 rep team

Horsham Cricket Association also announced its under-15 representative squad to compete at the Horsham country week competition in January.

The team is: captain Albert Schorback, vice-captain Ryder Hudson, Henry Walsgott, Phoenix Hopper, Chase Kannar, Hugh Miller, Andy Brown, Callum Jackson, Archie Knight, Max Spokes, Dane Paech, Lenny Clark, Jake McKenzie and coach Jade Clark.

The association previously named under-13 and under-17 representative teams to compete at country week competitions in Portland and Warrnambool respectively.

Grampians cricket 

The weather had the final say in Grampians Cricket Association’s round eight with play abandoned Saturday morning. 

Earlier in the week, because of a mid-week deluge, the matches had been transferred from turf to hard wickets, but persistent rain cancelled the fixture.

Round nine will see Swifts-Great Western play Halls Gap at Central Park, Rhymney-Moyston versus St Andrews at Moyston, and Pomonal has the bye. 

Halls Gap will attempt to return to the winner’s list when they take on Swifts-Great Western at Stawell’s Central Park.

The Gappers will look to run-scorers Charlie McIntosh and Max McMahon to provide enough runs for Caleb Bretherton, and Ricki McIntosh to operate with. 

Opposing them will be seasoned batsmen Craig Marrow, Jacob Dunn, Matt Heffer and Travis Nicholson. Much will depend on the Combine’s bowlers Brad Carter, Heffer, and Wil Clough, making it a good contest.

Rhymney-Moyston should take confidence from playing at home against St Andrews because the Saints will go in as favourites. 

With key players Nick Pell, Tom Mills, the Summers brothers, and James Hosking all firing, the task of winning will be up to Danial Taylor, Grant Le Poideven, Eyan Habid and Nathan Quick.

As the Saints lead the ladder, a win to Rhymston would work wonders for the team moral.

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