A top two spot is on the line for Romsey as it heads into day two of its match with Gisborne in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup.
The Redbacks are sitting third in the ladder with three and half matches remaining.
A loss to the Dragons, who sit atop the table, would make the Redbacks hopes of a top two spot get even harder.
Captain-coach Ben Way knows that the match, which is also a repeat of last season’s grand final, is a massive one.
“It could decide where we finish to a certain degree,” he said. “If we can get the runs we’ve in line for a top two spot.
“If we aren’t able to, we’ll likely be in the bottom part of the top four. For us, we want to be at the top end, so it’s massive for us.”
On Saturday, Romsey won the toss and decided to send Gisborne in at Romsey Park.
The Dragons finished the day at 286 after being bowled out in the last over.
Harry Luxmoore top scored for the Dragons with 61. The Dragons were without skipper Jarryd Vernon.
Taylor Stevenson took 6-69 for Romsey as it used nine different bowlers to try and get the wickets.
While Way said the match was evenly poised, they weren’t completely happy with the Dragons score.
“They batted quite well and it’s a decent score,” he said. “We will need to beat well to get close to that total.
“Half way through we were hoping for less than that. It can get away from you in the end.
“At lunch hoping a bit less sometimes cricket doesn’t work that way and luck doesn’t go your way.”
Romsey has a massive weekend coming, in action on both Saturday and Sunday.
As well as day two of its match with Gisborne, Romsey will play off in the first one-day title grand final against Woodend.
Romsey will host the match after finishing on top of the one day ladder.
Way said anytime they had the chance to play for a trophy was a big occasion.
“We are excited,” he said. “Whether it’s a one-day or two-day grand final, they don’t come around often so we’re pretty keen to put our best forward.
“It’s at home as well. It should be a good day for the club and hopefully we can get a big crowd down.”
Elsewhere in the club, Way said things were going really well with their other sides both in the finals mix.
He said they were starting to see some youth coming through, with a lot of the kids coming through into the senior sides and getting an opportunity.
