Medal race to go down to the wire
Contenders for Rockingham-Mandurah's most coveted individual award, the Martin Baird Medal, will have one more day to press their claims in this weekend's action.
Awarded after each game on the players' 3-2-1 votes, the count will occur at Lark Hill clubrooms from 7pm on Saturday.
Dane Ugle is the leading run scorer for the club with 558 runs and is likely to poll maximum votes with his two centuries and should poll for a couple of half- centuries.
The drawback for the red-hot Ugle claiming the Baird Medal will be his participation in just eight games for the season.
In what shapes as a close, low-tally night, Josh Smith has claims on the back of a 463-run year.
The middle order player's transformation into an opener this year has led to arguably the stalwart's most consistent season, with a top score of 119 against Fremantle to go with three other knocks of 50-plus.
Mitch Green has chimed in with bat and ball for first and second grade in 2014-15, and will gain plenty of one and two votes, but the question will be whether he can gain enough three-vote performances to push him over the line.
In his first senior year at the club, Green has accumulated 427 runs over both grades with no less than seven scores over 30.
From a bowling standpoint, the club's young guns loom as the players that may rocket up the leader board. Lachlan Pratt (32 wickets), Matthew France (21), Jordan Brokate (20) and Aaron Burrage (20) are the names to look out for with regular contributions, and a three-vote effort in Round 15 could be enough to see one of them to a first Martin Baird Medal.
Craig Simmons has won the past three Baird Medals, and is the only multiple winner, but will not make it a fourth after playing just three games due to Western Warriors and Adelaide Strikers commitments and a broken finger.
In junior results, Mitchell Steele claimed 3-22 in the male under- 14s' 49-run loss to Claremont-Nedlands. Rockingham-Mandurah replied to the Tigers' 9-156 by lasting 45 overs before being dismissed for 107.
Jessica Wall plundered her fourth half-century of the year in the female under-15s' near miss against Leeming Spartans. Wall hammered 54no from 33 balls to set up Rockingham-Mandurah's 5-108, but the Spartans had some late flutters before getting to 5-112 in the 20-over match.
The men's regular season finishes this Saturday against Mt Lawley as the Mariners host the Hawks at Lark Hill in the first and fourth grades. The women play South Perth in the penultimate round of the season.
