BALLARAT will play for a promotion back to Melbourne Country Week’s provincial division.
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An undefeated Ballarat will face an unbeaten Warrnambool in the Victorian Country Cricket League country week division two final at Monash University on Friday.
Victory will guarantee a spot in the marquee division next season – a sport Ballarat Cricket Association desperately wants after two summers banished to the second tier.
Once a provincial powerhouse, Ballarat’s last country week final was a three-run loss to Mornington Peninsula in 2009 when Ballarat, then the defending champion, ran out of batsmen in the final over of play.
Ballarat is likely to be without all-rounder Jason Knowles (Brown Hill), who re-injured a quadricep that has been plaguing him most of his summer.
Knowles was forced to stop bowling one delivery short of completing his second over with the ball.
Ballarat’s line-up will remain almost unchanged, confident in its depth to cover the wear, tear and strain on players in the week-long tournament.
A comfortable win against Hamilton at Williamstown on Thursday assured Ballarat its top-two spot and place in the final. Ballarat passed Hamilton’s 154-run tally three wickets down and continued to bat out its overs with bonus runs helping to boost percentage.
Darley import Sajith Rupasingha claimed 4-26 off his 8.3 overs to keep Hamilton under control, with Napoleons-Sebastopol duo Liam Rigby and Carman Mapatuna chipping in two wickets apiece.
Hamilton top-order bat Ali Ross was the only rival to make a serious impact on the scoreboard.
Opener Cole Roscholler (Wendouree) headlined Ballarat’s batting effort with 66 runs, including nine fours, off 55 balls.
Roscholler formed a 54-run opening partnership with Bobby Hind (Ballarat-Redan). He almost matched the effort in a 50-run second-wicket stand with Darley’s Oli Smith, who fell soon after Rocholler with Ballarat at 3-107.
Ballarat skipper Carman Mapatuna (Napoleons-Sebastopol) and Golden Point import Saman Jayantha kept the order steady with a combined 75 runs before the fourth wicket.
Mapatuna made 37 runs off 40 balls and Jayantha polished off his effort with 49 off 61.
In other notable batting efforts, Ryan Knowles (Brown Hill) made 26 runs off 27 and Rigby belted 35 (five fours) off 36.
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
LADDER
Warrnambool 66.38 points, 1.69 percentage
Ballarat 64.06, 1.69
Sunraysia 39.17, 1.08
Leongatha District 38.54, 1.13
Mornington Peninsula (2) 38.11 , 1.03
Ferntree Gully 37.64, 0.67
Hamilton 14.31, 0.72
Yarra Valley 13.98, 0.62