THE long weekend has arrived, and so has the last round of the 2021/22 season of the Victorian Men’s Premier Cricket competition. Round 16 marks the conclusion of the home-and-away season, and despite there being such little time until finals kick off, the top eight is far from locked in. This week will see a number of crucial matchups take place around the grounds, as sides fight for a spot in the postseason next week.

Essendon vs. Melbourne University
Saturday, March 12 @11am
Windy Hill

One of the biggest matches of the round will see Essendon host Melbourne University at Windy Hill on Saturday afternoon, with both sides looking to keep their season alive. If results go the expected route, then the winner of this match will take the final spot in the top eight by the time the round concludes.

Essendon found themselves well and truly bested in Round 15, falling to Ringwood in a bit of an upset given the contrasting ways the two sides have performed this season. They entered last round in the top eight and exited it on the outer. This week presents the opportunity to amend this drop, but they will need to take down a fellow contender for the final position. If they are to do this, then their performance with bat in hand will need to drastically improve, given they were bowled out for just 85 last week. One key contributor in this area is Isaac Willett, who delivered a knock of 53 runs just two weeks ago.

Melbourne University started the season in ripping form, but fell out of the top four and eventually the top eight due to a rough losing streak. An upset win over Northcote last weekend kept their season alive, but they will have to repeat this effort against Essendon if they are to give themselves a chance. It was an impressive performance with ball in hand, particularly from Janak Prakash, who claimed four wickets of his own, so expect him to get a number of chances to take down the Essendon batsmen.

Around the grounds

The action will kick off with two bottom four sides looking to finish their respective seasons on a high, when Dandenong travels to Greenvale Reserve to take on the Greenvale Kangaroos on Saturday. Both sides have endured tough campaigns in the 2021/22 season, and this matchup presents the opportunity to build a bit of momentum heading into next season.

Another crucial clash is set to take place for the round, this time at Bill Lawry Oval on Saturday, where Northcote will be looking to lock in their spot in the top-eight with a win over Footscray. It currently sits in eighth spot, but as mentioned above, there are two other sides vying for that position, so it must upset the higher-ranked Footscray if is is is to lock in a finals appearance.

Ringwood will have the opportunity to cause one of the upsets of the season when the Rams take on St Kilda at Russell Lucas Oval on Saturday afternoon. The visitors have been the best side of the 2021/22 season, and look set for a big finals campaign, but Ringwood may strike when the Saints guard is down, particularly with ball-in-hand.

Casey-South Melbourne will be looking to lock in a top four finish when it takes on Fitzroy Doncaster at Casey Fields on Saturday. It is currently a tense race for a double chance, with a number of teams around the same mark. The home side will have the perfect opportunity to cement their spot in there, but Fitzroy Doncaster will certainly be looking to cause an upset to close out the Lions season.

The Camberwell Magpies will be eager to finish their season in style when they face off against Melbourne at Camberwell Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon. The home side has not qualified for finals, and come up against one of the competition’s strongest teams, but there is no way to finish a season like a big upset in front of its home crowd.

One of the biggest blockbuster matchups of the round will see Carlton play host to Richmond at Princes Park on Saturday. It will be a top five battle, with the two sides currently enjoying terrific seasons, and will be eager to boost their respective standings on the eve of the upcoming finals series.

In what is shaping up as a one-sided affair, Frankston Peninsula will travel south to take on Geelong at Geelong Cricket Oval on Saturday afternoon. Geelong has catapulted into the top eight with a pair of impressive upsets over the last few weeks, so Frankston Peninsula will have the tough task of slowing down the red-hot batting lineup.

The final match of the final round of the season will see Prahran and Kingston Hawthorn look to finish their respective campaigns in style when the two sides lock horns at Walter Galt Reserve on Saturday. Both sides are unable to compete in the upcoming finals series, so expect them to leave nothing on the line in one last outing for the 2021/22 season.