CLEVER bowling has allowed Mt Clear to claim a telling 20-run win against Brown Hill.
Left-arm spinner Steve Nicholson broke the game open for the Mounties in day two action, taking four key wickets off 14 overs.
The result has all but slammed shut the Bulls' Ballarat Cricket Association club firsts play-off hopes.
For the Ballarat Electrical Bulls to have any chance of making the four they must defeat Golden Point next round, win against Darley, and that the Pointies and either Ballarat-Redan or East Ballarat lose the next two fixtures.
Ballarat-Redan and East meet in a two-day clash, starting next week.
It is a heavy burden for the Bulls, who fought their way into the firsts championship match last summer.
They failed to fire with the bat under the Mounties' attack on Saturday.
Resuming at 3-45, the Bulls fell short of the Mounties' 198 runs on a fast Western Oval surface.
Nicholson dismissed Bulls' captain Ryan Knowles lbw on 17 runs to open his spell with a wicket maiden and put the Bulls 4-58 five overs into the afternoon's play.
Mounties' playing-coach Paull Jeffrey said that "nice arm ball" was the turning point for his team.
Nicholson returned in his second over and bowled Bulls' veteran Peter Kane for a duck before ousting Bulls' top-scorers Jason Knowles (56 runs) and Luke Nunn (41) in his 4-36 off 14 overs.
Quick Lincoln Blake chipped in another wicket to take his haul to 3-47 off 16.3 overs.
The Mounties followed suit in the field with Sam McVitty inflicting a run-out from backward point.
McVitty dived on a ball deflected through slips and directly hit stumps at the bowler's end to dismiss Bulls' number eight bat Simon Lockyer.
Jeffrey said the innings was a good team effort to build on leading into finals.
"Hopefully we can win the last two games now," Jeffrey said.
"It was a very,very good win, especially when the ground was lightning fast and we didn't bat well on the first day, we were about 50 runs short."
SLOW and safe Darley batting has denied East Ballarat a coveted outright victory.
First innings points secure, East declared at the outset of day two action in a bid for maximum time to oust the Lions at Darley Park.
Only, a young Lions' order was not so easily dismissed a second time about and hung on, four wickets down deep into play after tea.
The Hawks remain in the top four while an outright would have offered a welcome buffer and top-two spot.
Stumps were pulled with the Lions 4-144 after 73 overs - a stark contrast to their 86-run first innings tally.
Sixteen-year-old wicketkeeper/bat Ryan Pawczynski's half-century bolstered the Lions.
Pawczynski notched-up 56 runs, not out, and formed a solid 47-run opening partnership with Lindsay Black (30 runs).
Young Hawk Robert Ryan was the most effective bowler, taking 2-14 and eight maidens off 15 overs.
STILL in the finals' chase, Golden Point may have won this round but Ballarat-Redan gave Point plenty to mull over.
The Pointies did just enough to get the 46 runs required for first innings points at City Oval.
Resuming at 2-59, a lack of serious run-makers was a worrying sign against a key top-four contender and versatile bowling attack.
Point passed Ballarat-Redan's 104-run tally with four wickets in hand and completed the innings for 145 runs.
Combine bowlers had an earnest afternoon with medium-pacer Simon Allan capturing two more wickets to finish, 4-40 off 17 overs.
David Sproules bowled leanly, conceding two runs and six maidens on Saturday to finish with 2-8 off nine overs for the innings.
Sproules then impressed with the bat, making 48 not out in an 86-run partnership with Aaron Edmends as the Combine started a second innings.
THERE was barely a yelp when Wendouree stormed in to claim an outright victory against Coronet City.
The Red Caps netted the 18 wickets left they needed by 4.40pm at Wendouree Oval.
Fast bowler Eamon Johnson mercilessly took 5-24 and 3-37 while young medium-pacer Nick O'Brien captured two wickets each innings.
Spinner Gavin Webb's 2-11 and maiden off five overs also gave City no chance to settle.
City resumed an ominous 282-run chase at 2-23 and managed a mere 69 runs in the first innings.
Red Caps' fielding prowess was on display with Webb diving to stop the ball and hitting the stumps from side on to dismiss City number four Luke Thomas.
City posted 107 runs in its second innings.
Three ducks in the top order had City 3-1 within four overs but opener Andrew Harrison's 35 (six fours) and number eight bat Matt Wheeler's 32 runs off 34 balls offered some resistance.
TOP-order bat Jarrod Burns steered Napoleons-Sebastopol to a comfortable five-wicket win against North Ballarat.
Burns knocked 72 runs (3 sixes, 7 fours) off 81 balls and, alongside Luke Corden, saw Naps-Sebas safely eclipse the Roosters' 165 runs within the 53rd over of the innings.
The pair made a strong 53-run stand by the sixth wicket and Naps continued to make use of time with the bat until stumps were pulled at 9-233.
Openers Les Sandwith and Anthony Riding earlier gave Naps a strong foundation with an impressive 86-run partnership.
Sandwith and Riding resumed play at 0-25 as Naps worked its way toward back-to-back victories.
Veteran Rooster Matt Cations led the bowling attack with 4-47 off 16 overs while remaining wickets were shared.
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