WITH five rounds of the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association competition completed, the Christmas and New Year break marks the midway point of the season.
So far we have seen a dominant performance from North Sportsman’s who are yet to record a loss in 2017-18 season.
Despite the success, the Tigers were not without losses in the off-season, with Dylan Silvy and Mitch Lewis not returning to the side this year, along with the late dismissal of Michael Silvy.
However, the inclusion of Josh Fidler into the team has been pivotal.
The pace bowler leads the discipline so far this season with an impressive 6/35 back in Round 3.
He is followed closely by teammate Michael Johnston who scored 5/11 in the opening round.
With the bat, Mattew McInerney has set the bar high with his best score an impressive 132 runs in Round 1, while Jake Schutz also made a century, just making the distance on 100.
With its 2016-17 season finished without a loss, North looks to be well on its way to uphold this figure in 2017-18.
After losing the likes of former captain Ryan Hosking and veteran Shane Dycer, doubts regarding West Gambier’s form before the season’s start were soon silenced.
The side has only lost one game – against the undefeated Tigers – and it looks in good stead to contest the final again this season.
With Yahl not registering an A Grade side, Jack Gosling found his way into the Roos’ top team and has played his part well.
The upset of Kongorong withdrawing its Barber Shield side also contributed, with players from the team that was not finding A Grade positions at the other clubs.
West was able to pick up Ben Hentshcke, along with South Gambier star Richard Crute, who originally signed for Kongorong in the pre-season.
Hentschke and Crute have both been valuable assets to the Roos’ lineup, while young recruit Sam Willis has also proved his worth with bat and ball.
Penola currently resides in third place on the ladder, with the side yet to prove its worth against the top two teams.
A loss to West in Round 2 was followed by a defeat to North in the Round 3, which put a dampener on the start of the Eagles’ season.
Penola has shown it is capable of taking care of the other teams in the competition, but if it is to stand a chance in finals it will need to step up against the league’s heavy weights.
The Eagles were able to pick up Michael Waters and Jack Mullan from Kongorong and both have played their part so far this season.
Waters has contributed well with the ball, with his best form in Round 4 where he scored an impressive 5/18.
South Gambier rounds out the top four after Round 5, with the Demons sitting on two wins at the halfway point of the season.
Despite these results, the side had shown promise, particularly in day one of its clash against the Tigers last round.
The Demons held North to an uncharacteristic 126 runs, with Dylan Clough the standout bowler with a solid score of 5/23.
Clough has also proven himself with the bat this season, with his 102 runs in Round 3 seeing him third in the 2017-18 batting hall of fame.
It has been far from a fairy-tale start to the season for Mil Lel and East Gambier, with the sides sitting in fifth and sixth respectively.
However, neither team is without its highlights.
Josh Jantosh scored an impressive 112 runs in Mil Lel’s Round 3 clash with West, a performance which sees him with the second highest tally for the season.
For the Bulldogs, Nathan Gore has excelled with the ball, with five-wicket hauls in both the opening match (5/12) and Round 3 (5/56).
