With all three sports now in their final month of regular season action, it is worth taking a look at what a ‘no result’ might mean for the finals picture in all three leagues
This weekend was set to provide some clarity around the fourth-place finisher in the McMahon Shield, with Kyabram Fire Brigade and Rochester, the two sides locked together in that place, set to do battle at Northern Oval.
With the game called off, the two sides will remain together on 90 competition points, Rochester holding the tie-breaking quotient edge 1.244 to 1.172.
It sets up a shootout over the final three rounds, but Fire Brigade will be bullish as a Rochester bye in the final round gives the Flames three opportunities to earn further points, while Rochester has only two.
Fire Brigade have two of the top three (Echuca South and BLU) still to battle, while Rochester has a matchup with unbeaten Moama coming up.
The bye also proved incredibly damaging to Echuca’s faint hopes of returning to the finals picture and defending its four straight premiership crowns.
The side would have hoped to gain ground on either Rochester or Fire Brigade with a win over Tongala, but remains two games behind both, requiring a miracle to make up the deficit over the final three weeks.
Tennis
In the Kyabram District Tennis Association, the ladder positions are looking relatively clear, and so no side was particularly helped or hindered by the missed round.
Undera is within a game of getting off the bottom of the table but would have faced a tough test visiting Kyvalley Black, while undefeated leader Kyvalley Red was set to travel to third-placed Girgarre.
In the Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association, second-placed GM2 side Kyabram Bombers would have gone in favourite to score the points against Euroa Brumbies, but it would have been unlikely to mean much for the side’s overall league position, with top-ranked McEwen also looking at a favourable opponent.
In GM3, Kyabram Redbacks were set for an intriguing clash with Karramomus.
Both sides are level in second place, but neither had the opportunity to break that deadlock.
Meanwhile, leader Kyabram Bombers would have been expected to pick up the points against a lowly ranked Cobram Cobras outfit.
In GM4 Open, Kyabram Bombers had a stroke of luck, scoring maximum points due to opponent Central Park forfeiting the fixture prior to the heat cancellation.
Meanwhile, the Kyabram Redbacks would have had an opportunity to go above opponents Tatura Rommels but were denied by the weather.
Bowls
Moama was the big beneficiary of the heat rule, making ground on everyone after earning maximum points with the bye.
Everyone else had to settle for an 8-8 split, putting the Steamers back within a game of top spot.
The much-anticipated battle between the top two, Echuca and Kyabram, was the major casualty, Echuca staying in the lead with 152 competition points, while Kyabram lurks close behind on 147 (Moama is on 142).
The Bombers will now have to hope Echuca slips up in the remaining two rounds if they hope to grab the minor premiership.
Deniliquin will also be ruing its misfortune after missing the chance to improve its position.
Currently out of the top four by a single point, Deni would have been bullish about its chances of taking down lower-placed Rich River and surging above Stanhope.
The missed week also puts a huge dent in Tongala’s hopes for a late run at the finals, the side now needing results to perfectly fall in its favour to have any hope of making the top four.
Tonny was scheduled to take on Stanhope and a win could have both thrust Tongala back into the conversation, as well as seen Stanhope lose its top four spot.
