PENOLA made light work of South Gambier in the last Barber Shield cricket round and will be out for a similar result when it travels to Frew Park for its Round 5 meeting with Mil Lel.
The round is another two-day clash and if the Eagles can put together a consistent performance, a second outright win will not be out of the question.
Mil Lel claimed the first-innings points over East Gambier in Round 4, but Penola was the only team to secure an outright victory for the round.
Sending the Demons in to bat first, the Eagles dispatched them in the 38th over for just 59 runs.
Penola then took to the crease and overtook the meagre total on day one, before continuing on to be all out for 144 on day two.
South took to arms again with the bat, but the Eagles held it to just 46 runs and claimed the outright points.
The result puts Penola back on top of the premiership ladder, with North Sportsman’s nine points behind in second.
Last round saw Michael Waters in fine form with the ball, finishing 3/14 on day one against South.
However, it was a consistent effort as Brad Maney, Dave Somerfield and Brett Vaughan all finished with two scalps.
On day two the Eagles flew to new heights, with Curt Evans scoring 5/7 from 7.3 overs.
George Kidman also excelled and took 4/15 from 10 overs.
If Mil Lel takes to the crease tomorrow, it could well be a massacre based on these figures.
Currently fifth on the ladder, the win over the Bulldogs last round has been the only success for Mil Lel this season.
At the crease Kaiden Weber (29), Tom Nieuwerkerk (27) and Jonathan Allcock (20) were the only double figure scorers for Mil Lel last round.
Though it was enough to defeat the Bulldogs, the side will have to hit harder against Penola if it is to stand a chance.
Somerfield scored a half century with 57 runs last week, while Jase Bateman (28) and Lewis March (21) were the next highest scorers.
However, the total of 144 was far from the Eagles’ full potential, with George Kidman and Jack Mullan proving capable of bolstering the score in recent rounds.
They will look for good scores again, whether it be in day one or two of the clash.
Mil Lel will look to counter that, with the likes of Craig Lock – who had a five-wicket haul against East – and youngsters Tom Nieuwerkerk and Ben Thiel all out to impress.
Jack Miller, Justin Lamont and Jonathan Allcock are also capable of taking wickets and they will need to be at their best as they attempt to clip the Eagles’ wings.
As it stands Penola will be the sure favourite and will likely continue its dominance.
