The game between top-four teams Yankalilla and Noarlunga is evenly poised after day one of their round 12 clash in the Great Southern Cricket Association (GSCA) yesterday. Yankalilla won the toss and had no hesitation in batting on a hot day at Yankalilla, and they got off to a fast start through opening pair Aaron Smith and Lachlan Whittlesea who put on 87 for the first wicket before Whittlesea departed for 26 (55 balls). Smith went on to top score with 58 from 56 balls (8 x 4’s), while skipper Luke Bartlett made a patient 48 (130 balls) as the Tigers posted a total of 183 before being bowled out in the 60th over. Jason Scarff took his first five-wicket haul of the season with figures of 5/48 from a marathon 21-over spell. Jett Holberton, who came on in the 54th over, took the last three wickets to finish with 3/3 from 3.2 overs. Noarlunga batted for 10 overs before stumps and reached 2/30 with Travis Bronstein (21 not out) and Rohan Garrard (4 not out) at the crease. Chris Clark (1/13) and Trent Starke (1/21) were the Yankalilla wicket takers.

Second-placed Goolwa are within sight of first innings points after an excellent first day against Myponga-Sellicks at Goolwa. The visitors batted first and got themselves into a good position at 1/76 through a half century to opening batsman Sam Tregenza (51 from 83 balls), before losing their last 9/44 to be bowled out for 120. Matt Overall (3/12), teenager Corey Allsop (3/15) and left-arm spinner James Lawrence (3/45) did the damage with the ball for the Magpies. Goolwa had 25 overs to bat before stumps and finished the day in a great position on 0/103 with Overall (56 not out) and Sam Carlyle (37 not out) to resume on day two. 

Port Elliot are in the box seat to win their ninth game of the season after 15 wickets fell on day one of their clash with Mount Compass at Burgess Oval. Port Elliot batted first and were bowled out in the 47th over for 182. Skipper Joel Harris (39), Ethan Spriggs (33), Scott Hannam (29) and Patrick Dodd (25) were the leading run scorers for the Bloods. Five Mount Compass bowlers took wickets with Robert Martin (4/31) and Bailey Baldock (3/33) leading the way. Mount Compass had 23 overs to bat before stumps and they were in all sorts of trouble as they slumped to 3/11 in the sixth over. Jamarley Daley was the only batsman to reach double figures as he finished the day on 37 not out (53 balls), with his side in strife at 5/58. Liam Harris (2/4), Simon Donaldson (2/25) and Ben Griffiths (1/14) were the wicket takers for the Bloods. 

Encounter Bay are in a good position at stumps on day one of their game against Willunga at Encounter Bay after reaching stumps at 1/66 in reply to Willunga’s first innings total of 144. The home side won the toss and sent the Demons in and the visitors started well to reach 2/86 as skipper Rory Hanson top scored with 63 from 113 balls (10 x 4’s). Seb Carius lent good support to his captain with 23 (57), but Willunga lost their last 8/58 to be bowled out in the 55th over. The Bays shared the wickets with skipper Blake Bailey (3/29), Kieran Garrett (3/38) and Luke Crichton (2/16) the multiple wicket takers. Encounter Bay had 15 overs to bat before stumps and reached 1/66 with Butler (35 not out) and Sam Hoffmann (19 not out) to resume on day two. Daniel Hockham (1/17) was the sole wicket taker for Willunga. 

Victor Harbor posted their highest score of the season as they took on McLaren Districts at McLaren Vale yesterday as the Vipers made 153 before being bowled out in the 66th over. Their innings was underpinned by opening batsman Luke Harding who made 70 from 131 balls (9 x 4’s), his first half century of the season in the ‘A’ grade competition. Harding received good support from Cameron Jones (27) in a 63-run second wicket stand. The Crushers used eight bowlers but the standout performance came from all-rounder Stephen Nairn who bagged the excellent figures of 7/30 from 18.1 nagging overs. It was the second five-wicket haul for Nairn this season. McLaren Districts had four overs to negotiate before stumps with Daniel Hoskin (10 not out) and Roy Graham (3 not out) set to resume on day two with the Crushers at 0/13.