Is your club still in finals contention or merely fighting for survival as we move to the business end of the summer of cricket?
Star Weekly sports reporter Lance Jenkinson takes a look at what could lie ahead for your club for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
Werribee
Competition: VSDCA, north-west group
Ladder position: 4th
Star performer: Heath Pritchard. The all-rounder gets better with age. He has two 50s and has taken two five-wicket bags. Rarely has an off day. Averaging 102 with the bat and 12.8 with the ball.
Story so far: Slow out of the blocks, but Werribee has won three of its past four to be considered a premiership threat.
The road ahead: Not the easiest run home with trips to Balwyn, Altona and Coburg and with second-placed Roxburgh Park-Broadmeadows one of the two remaining home games. But Werribee will start favourite in most of those games. A chance to host a quarter-final.
Hoppers Crossing
Competition: VTCA, senior division
Ladder position: 2nd
Star performer: Trent Said. Hard to go past a player averaging 184 batting with the tail, bowling tight lines and lengths, and taking almost a catch a game.
Story so far: The pep is back in the step
of the Hoppers Crossing players following the arrival of new player-coach Greg Kennedy. Winning is becoming a habit for the Cats.
The road ahead: Three blockbusters still to come against top side Beaumaris, reigning premier Yarraville Club and finals contender Airport West-St Christophers, so the Cats will be made to earn their place in the finals.
Wyndhamvale
Competition: VTCA, west A1
Ladder position: 1st
Star performer: Jay Dolliver. Has put the clamps on opposition batsmen with tight bowling. Dolliver has taken 20 wickets at a miserly average of 9.45. Capped a brilliant start to the season with a hat-trick against Newport-Digman.
Story so far: Wyndhamvale went into the holiday break undefeated on top of the ladder, but it was the win over Williamstown CYMS, chasing down 272, that stamped it as the real deal.
The road ahead: The inquisitions will continue to come for the Falcons, who are still yet to face two of the top four sides. But they’re now the ones who should be feared.
Werribee Centrals
Competition: VTCA, west A1
Ladder position: 8th
Star performer: Aaron Edrich. Bad news for opposition batsmen – the skipper is about to click into first gear. The opening bowler has taken 13 wickets in his past three outings for a total of 18. Averages 12.1 per wicket for the season and is producing long spells.
Story so far: Centrals are still far too reliant on their bowlers, with just the one win before Christmas. That win, over Newport-Digman, was bowler-inspired and saw Centrals climb out of the relegation zone.
The road ahead: There are no easy games when you are one of four sides trying to avoid relegation. Their fate might be decided in matches against fellow strugglers Altona Roosters and Point Cook.
Point Cook
Competition: VTCA, west A1
Ladder position: Last
Star performer: James Doolan has been a workhorse with the ball, bowling in excess of 20 overs in four of the six games for 10 wickets at 26.3.
Story so far: Anything that could go wrong did go wrong in the first half of the season. They have conceded most runs in the competition and scored the fewest.
The road ahead: Despite sitting last, Point Cook is in control of its own destiny, with winnable games against Altona Roosters and Werribee Centrals to come.
Seabrook
Competition: VTCA, west B1
Ladder position: 7th
Star performer: Leigh Edwards is money in the bank with the bat, producing 216 runs at 27. He will be aiming to turn his starts into bigger, match-winning scores in the second half of the season.
Story so far: Made a promising start to the summer with two wins in its first three matches, but has fallen away badly since with five consecutive losses to be sitting second-last.
The road ahead: Seabrook is a long shot for the finals at 15 points out of the top four. If it continues to harbor ambitions of a finals appearance, needs to get a wriggle on.
Bellbridge
Competition: WDCA, A turf
Ladder position: 4th
Star performer: Jake Styles. Routinely taking three wickets an innings, Styles is already up to 21 wickets for the season at a stingy 13.6. Second in the competition for wickets.
Story so far: Up and down like a rollercoaster, Bellbridge won its first four games and has gone winless in its past five. The hot start was enough to see it keep hold of fourth spot at Christmas, but the grip is loosening with three sides nipping at its heels.
The road ahead: A soft draw with matches against three of the bottom four in the run-in to the finals should see Bellbridge preserve its place in the top four.
Tarneit
Competition: WDCA, B turf
Ladder position: Last
Star performer: Arvind Sharma. Has played only four games but taken 11 wickets at an average of 12 and chipped in with some valuable runs.
Story so far: Out of its depth against the finals contenders, its one win came over second-last Williamstown Congs. Has leaked far too many runs to be competitive.
The road ahead: With third-last side Grand United three games above it, Tarneit is in an arm wrestle with the Congs to decide who can avoid the wooden spoon.
