There will be a lot of eyes on No. 3 Oval on Saturday.
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The result of Saturday’s second day of play between Macquarie and CYMS could have major repercussions on the rest of the competition.
After a dominant first day in which they wrapped up a first innings, double bonus point win, the Blues are chasing an outright win which will guarantee them a place in the finals.
An outright would see Colts fall out of the top three while an outright and a Colts win, coupled with a South Dubbo loss to Newtown, would see the Hornets miss out on finals.
Despite there being so much at stake, CYMS has nothing to play for as it is guaranteed to finish the season with the wooden spoon.
“We’ve got nothing to lose but we’re not going to just hand it to Macquarie,” captain Nick Guthrie said.
“The game is basically in our hands now and there’s every chance it could turn into a one-day match.”
Macquarie, seven runs ahead after rolling CYMS for 120 on Saturday, are likely to declare early on to give themselves every chance of an outright.
After being dismissed cheaply last week, the pressure is on the Cougars.
“We don’t want to finish our season with an outright loss,” Guthrie said.
“It’s been a good season but tough at times with injuries and players coming in and out of the side.
“But we’ve got a more-than-handy side playing on Saturday and I really think the reverse outright is a possibility.”
CYMS welcomes back opening bat Dave McAlister after he missed day one through illness but Nick Karydis is in serous doubt after re-injuring his groin last week.
Matt Ellis is also still not back to 100 fitness after a hamstring injury but there’s still plenty of power in the batting lineup in the shape of Brock Larance, Thomas Nelson and Tom Coady.
The Cougars have plenty of options with one being batting for time and avoiding the outright loss that way while they could also go on the attack and then put the pressure back on the Blues and make them chase down a target.
Play at No. 3 Oval on Saturday resumes at 1pm.