MILDURA West has jumped into the First Division top four just one round out from the SCA finals after upsetting top side Workers Gol Gol.
But he win does not secure Mildura West a semi-finals spot, with Irymple, Workers and Mildura Settlers, in just under two weeks.
Settlers defended third place on the table by knocking Coomealla Wentworth out of the four.
If Coomealla Wentworth want a semi-final spot, they now need to defeat the winless Merbein South in the final round of the season as well as rely on Nichols Point (sixth) to beat Mildura West (fourth) this week.
Workers’ loss surrendered top spot to Irymple, who secured a win against Merbein South. Nichols Point and Mildura East remain sixth and seventh after the former won their match, without a chance of making the finals.
Workers batsman Jesse McGinty top-scored with 28, including three fours, before being caught by Ben Hallam.
Several chances went straight down the throats of Hallam and Davison Mbindi, each pouching three catches.
Mildura West chased steadily, Ben Hallam top-scoring with a patient 44, including two fours.
West’s Samuel Magnisalis got the team across the line with 10 runs from 12 balls in the 39th over, leaving the score 5-138 to Gol Gol’s 9-135.
Mildura Settlers’ Jason Morrison set the pace against Coomealla Wentworth on Saturday when he opened with a forceful 76 from 72 balls, including two sixes and eight fours. The effort helped Setts to a comfortable 8/213. Coomy’s Matt Job tried to wrench back control with 55 from 50 balls, including four sixes and a four, but Coomy’s next five batsmen could scrape together only 24 runs and fell almost 50 short of the target.
Bevan Wade took four catches for Coomealla Wentworth on a day when five Mildura Settlers fielders got into the action.
Some tight bowling from Mark Kerr (0/18 off eight overs) helped keep Coomy to 164.
It took only three batsmen for Irymple to claim top position after beating Merbein South, replying to the Saints’ 83 with 1/84.
Chase Stone took 5/20 for Irymple and Daniel Coghlan and Nik Giofre hit two sixes each.
Nichols Point and Mildura East will not change positions on the ladder anymore this season but they still put on a show on Saturday, with Shaun Mathews and Brett Cumming each hitting a six for Nichols Point, and 13 fours being scored across the game.
Mildura East’s Tom Dowling grabbed figures of 4/20 to keep Nichols Point to 9/153, but a solid performance by the Pointers’ bowlers held East to 104 in the chase.
Mathews put in a solid all-round performance with 35 and three wickets.