A common one - "you're only as good as your last innings".

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Ballarat-Redan bundled out of the top four at the weekend with a six-wicket loss to Darley.

Only two batters eclipsed 15 in a sub-par, 124-run batting performance.

The Two Swords are presented the perfect opportunity to rebound this weekend against the side that took their place, Napoleons-Sebastopol.

It has started the new year where it left off in 2021 with dominant wins over Mt Clear and Brown Hill.

Ballarat-Redan present a stronger challenge this weekend, however.

Coach Daniel Davies said his side is growing in confidence.

"We're really confident obviously with the way we've been playing, won a couple of games in a row and sort of been pleasing to actually have a couple of really big wins," he said.

"We just got over the line in round one ... they (Ballarat-Redan) had been a team that for the last few years we hadn't been able to beat, so that was a good win for us.

"We're obviously playing ... a lot more consistent cricket now, but it's a really close competition, you drop one or two games and another side wins one or two and you can probably go from sixth or seventh into the top four still.

"We're pretty realistic that we're only halfway through the season and there's still a long way to go and we have to keep training and working hard and improving and playing our best cricket every week."

Luke Corden, Jacob Ramsey and Corey Hucker will all return to Napoleons-Sebastopol's line-up.

Winners of three-straight games, third-placed East Ballarat have quickly climbed into a dominant ladder position, two games clear of fifth.

As the competition enters the second-half of the season, teams like the Hawks are likely to endure some tough challenges by teams trying to claw their way into the top four.

Enter Buninyong.

The Bunnies have started the new year 1-1 but now face their biggest test of 2022.

It's one that Buninyong knows it can ace, considering it dominated with the ball in a round one victory over East Ballarat.

Figures of 4-17 from Kendrick Hatton and 4-26 from Geordie McLeod helped dismiss the Hawks for just 71, Buninyong defending its total of 149.

The respective situations that the two sides find themselves in is one that Wendouree and Golden Point also face this weekend at Wendouree.

The Red Caps, a game clear in first on the ladder with one loss, have been the form side to start the season and now welcome a Golden Point team itching to inch closer to the top four.

The Pointies, who have started this year 1-1, are two games out of the finals as the ladder stands now.

With second-placed Darley to come on Australia Day, a win this weekend would set Golden Point up for a huge grand final rematch with the Lions.

North Ballarat's clash with Mt Clear is not a do-or-die clash for its finals hopes, but a win certainly makes the Roosters pursuit of the top four easier.

As the ladder stands, North Ballarat sits three games behind fourth-placed Napoleons-Sebastopol, who takes on Ballarat-Redan at home on Saturday.

Considering the tough run the Roosters face in the coming weeks, an ideal scenario would see them beat Mt Clear and the Two-Swords defeat Napoleons-Sebastopol to bring the deficit to the top four to two games.

North Ballarat face Ballarat-Redan, Darley, Wendouree and Napoleons-Sebastopol in the next four games, all teams the Roosters lost to first time around earlier this season.

Darley has some happy memories from its first clash with Brown Hill, especially Madushanka Ekanayaka.

The star bowler took 9-15 in round one to skittle the Bulls for just 28 and set up a dominant win.

With spots still up for grabs in the top four, the Lions just need to continue their winning ways.

DARLEY: Bradley Barnes (c), Rahmatullah Khwaja, Ben Longhurst, Andrew Pickett, Brodie Ward, Mitchell Ward, Brodie Gellie, Dilan Chandima, Hasitha Wickramasinghe, Madushanka Ekanayaka, Danza Hyatt

BROWN HILL: Ryan Knowles (c), Reece Wynd, Jason Knowles, Tom Bourke-Finn, Tom Appleton, Prabath Priyankara, Lincoln Koliba, Nathan Porter, Kento Dobell, Dean Romeril

NAPOLEONS-SEBASTOPOL: Daniel Scott (c), Stuart Calder, Nathan Doonan, Jacob Coxall, Nicholas Pantzidis, Sajith Dissanayaka, Viraj Pushpakumara, Lachlan Storey, Luke Corden, Corey Hucker, Jacob Ramsey

BALLARAT-REDAN: Chris Egan (c), Zac Jenkins, Max Riding, Jayden Hayes, Matthew Sandford, Billy Jones, Bailey Hosemans, Riley Fisher, Brendan Thomson, Matthew Aikman, Jack Landwehr

MT CLEAR: Jacob Smith (c), Jarrod Burns, Thomas Le Lievre, Ashley George, Matt Goonan, Lachlan Payne, David Carton, Jack Jeffrey, Isaac Hucker, Yo Mani

NORTH BALLARAT: Mick Nolan (c), Mitchell Nicholson, Brody Price, Dylan Price, Ashley McCafferty, Vikrant Dabra, Jordan Humphries, Jude McGuire, Sam Jackson, Leigh Lorenzen, Matthew Zakynthinos

WENDOUREE: Ryan Simmonds (c), Heath Pyke, Tom Batters, Lucas Argall, Sam Miller, Oliver Mahncke, Tristan Maple, Zack Maple, Cole Roscholler, Tarran Kilcullen, Liam Wood

GOLDEN POINT: Andrew Warrick (c), Joshua White, Lachlan Herring, Daniel McDonald, Jack Bambury, Riley Hucker, Joshua Pegg, Manjula De Zoysa, James Lewis, Simon Ogilvie, Laurence Parker

BUNINYONG: David Ellis (c), Daniel Kitchen, Robert Hind, Kendrick Hatton, Bailey Ryan, Liam Mason, Liam Brady, Liam Rigby, Rupinder Singh, Travis Parsons, Tyler Dittloff

EAST BALLARAT: Harry Ganley (c), Adam Eddy, Harli Givvens, Jacob Eyers, Kyle Eyers, Chris Jerram, James Nichols, Kyle Ettridge, Lewis Hodgins, Tobey Jeffrey, Bradley Whittaker

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