EVCA ROUND 14: Two rounds left, but door to top four slams shut

FOR the second year in a row Mandurang, United, Spring Gully and Emu Creek will be the four teams to contest the Emu Valley Cricket Association finals.

Although two rounds still remain, the door to the top four is now shut.

It's now just a matter of which order top four teams Mandurang (167.69), United (148.98), Spring Gully (147.19) and Emu Creek (127.08) finish in that will be the major point of interest over the last two rounds.

California Gully put an end to West Bendigo's finals aspirations with its 19-run win at home over the Redbacks on Saturday.

The victory was the third in the Cobras' past six games following their 0-5 start to the season, with the win headlined by veteran Brad Webster's five-wicket bag.

Webster snared 5-27 off eight overs as the Redbacks compiled 9-187 batting first.

Webster's scalps featured both West Bendigo openers Travis O'Connell (41) and Bodee Scullie (24) as well as No.3 Tom Floyd (0).

It was Webster's 10^th five-wicket haul since 2006-07 - the equal most in the competition through that timeframe alongside Matt Constable, Shaun O'Shea and Tim Mannes.

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Josh Eastley top-scored for the Redbacks with 51.

The Cobras were under pressure in their chase at 5-60, but were led superbly by skipper Tas Fitzallen, whose entertaining knock of 90 off 77 balls with seven fours and six sixes and support from Geoff West (36), Webster (11) and Brad Olson (12 n.o.) lifted the Cobras to 8-206.

Shannon Murphy (2-24) and Floyd (2-36) each took two wickets for the Redbacks, who have now lost three in a row after they had won three-straight to climb into the top four.

* Marong won its fifth game of the season and second in a row with a 10-run victory over Sedgwick at home.

Sent in to bat first, only captain Jordan Ilsley (70) and Dustin Elliott (47) scored in double figures as the Rams were bowled out for 155.

Ilsley's whirlwind 70 came off just 46 balls and featured five sixes in what was a fine return to form after the hard-hitting all-rounder had managed just one run in his previous three hits.

Nathan Green got among the wickets late for the Panthers, taking five of the last seven to finish with 5-46, while Jayden Laubsch (1-9) proved tough to score off, with his eight overs costing just nine runs.

The Panthers responded with 5-165 in a run-chase anchored by No.3 Andrew Cameron, who after coming in at 1-21 finished 37 n.o.

* Just six wickets fell for 428 runs in Emu Creek's win over Axe Creek at Longlea.

The Cowboys posted their highest score of the season - 3-203 - batting first with both Shiran Kulathunga (81 n.o.) and Joel Bish (55) making half-centuries.

Emu Creek opening batsman Brad Rowe carried his bat in reply as the Emus answered with 3-225.

Rowe scored the competition's 13^th century of the season with his unbeaten 109 off 126 balls, which included 19 boundaries.

Rowe and fellow opener Alex Collins (32) put on 70 for the first wicket, while Axe Creek's Dean Comensoli was the game's only multiple wicket-taker with 2-20.

* In the Upper Loddon Cricket Association Wedderburn (8-121) climbed from fifth to third with its eight-run win over Bridgewater (6-113). And Arnold (9-182) was far too good for Kingower (9-121) in the clash of the top two teams.

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