By Lachlan Onions
This weekend, the semi-finals will be contested in the Crouch and Cox Bros Shields with all games to start at 1pm on Saturday.
In the Crouch Shield, Gambier Centrals will play East Gambier at Frew Park, while South Gambier and Glencoe will lock horns at Marist Park.
Centrals finished on top of the ladder this season with six wins from seven games, while East finished in fourth place with five wins from eight games.
The two sides met in Round 9, where Centrals claimed a first-innings win by 89 runs.
Centrals’ Kevin Risely impressed during that encounter with four wickets and 28 runs with the bat.
Josh Thompson will be another key player for Centrals after his century last round.
Looking at the other fixture, Glencoe and South both finished the year with five wins each.
The clash between these two sides in Round 4 was abandoned after Glencoe was bowled out for 116 runs and South made it to 3/13 before the game ended abruptly.
Jed Matthews will look to continue his impressive form for Glencoe after he scored an unbeaten ton last time out.
Daniel Loupos will look to use his experience and will be one to watch for the Demons.
In the Cox Bros Shield, Kalangadoo will take on Tarpeena at the Blue Lake Sports Park, while Mil Lel will tackle Gambier Centrals at Reidy Park.
Kalangadoo will head in as firm favourites as it finished the season in top spot with seven wins from eight games, while Tarpeena finished fourth with two wins from seven games.
When these sides met earlier in the season, Kalangadoo claim an emphatic outright win.
Alex Carter dominated with a century while, numerous players chipped in with the ball.
Looking at the other contest, Mil Lel has won all six games it has completed, while Centrals have won three from seven.
When these sides last met, Mil Lel claimed a comfortable win an Brett Lawson was the standout with an unbeaten ton.
All clashes will start on Saturday and then will resume on Sunday.
