PENOLA sits in the box seat for a solid victory when it hosts Mil Lel at McCorquindale Park in Round 5 of the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association Barber Shield competition.
The Eagles posted an impressive score of 223 on day one due to big scores from both Jack Schulz and Mark Smith.
The two passed the half-century mark before losing their wicket, while George Kidman (36), Brad Maney (30 not out) and Wayne Mitchell (21) also reached solid scores.
While it is an solid total, Penola was all out with five overs remaining.
The Eagles’ time was cut short as a result of Ben Thiel’s accuracy with the ball.
The Mil Lel bowler managed an impressive 5/24 off 13.2 overs, sending half the Penola side back to the sidelines single-handedly.
Thiel will hope to bring that confidence into this weekend with the bat.
However, it will be difficult to overcome the Eagles’ talented bowling line-up.
Michael Waters and Conrad Slabber sit ahead with a credible eight wickets from four games, while Kidman and David Somerfield have chipped in with five apiece.
Despite missing a game, Maney is close behind with four.
With just one win up its sleeve against the winless East Gambier, a victory for Mil Lel is much needed to keep its hopes of a top four finish alive.
But it will need to step up and play as it did against the Bulldogs.
It was Mil Lel’s best performance of the 2017-18 season, with four players reaching double figures, including a 41 to Todd Carpenter and a 55 to Jonathon Allcock.
It will take a big effort to surpass the 223-run mark, but it is possible.
The Eagles are likely to go into defensive mode, hoping to knock off as many early wickets as possible.
If Mil Lel’s batsmen can settle their nerves and keep wickets up their sleeve they have a chance of an upset result.
