Geelong Grammar stars Oliver Peake, Henry Melville and Sam Laylor revealed as biggest threats to Xavier College

The weekend’s game between Geelong Grammar and Xavier College is set to decide the APS cricket premiership, with each side boasting hard-hitting batters that can steer their sides to victory.

Six Geelong cricketers made the Victorian U21 squad. three were at training Oliver Peake Picture: Mark Wilson

GEELONG Grammar has a chance to tighten its grip on its first APS cricket premiership since 2014 this weekend, with a pivotal game against Xavier College.

The game at the Kew campus will host the two remaining undefeated sides of the schoolboys competition through five rounds, with Xavier playing in a thrilling draw against St Kevin’s last week.

Xavier captain Patrick Forrest, who has scored 153 runs at an average of 38.25, said stopping Geelong’s batting line up, including star Oliver Peake, would be difficult.

“They’ve got a ‘big three’ of batters that are all hard to stop once they’re in,” he said.

“Ollie Peake is a great player, but also Henry Melville and Sam Laylor are gun bats as well.

Six Geelong cricketers made the Victorian U21 squad. three were at training Oliver Peake Picture: Mark Wilson

“The way we go about bowling is we will look to put pressure on early and make it hard for them to score runs, put it in the right areas and play a patient game.

“Two day cricket is a little different where we can wait for mistakes from them, and if we’re building pressure with our bowling and fielding we can definitely make an impact.”

Peake has starred in all four games for Grammar this season, notching three half-centuries and an undefeated 106 against Wesley for a total of 310 runs at an average of 155, while Melville sits fourth in the APS with 193 runs.

Pat Forrest will be a key contributor with the bat against Geelong Grammar. Picture: Xavier College Media

Xavier coach Mick O’Sullivan said Xavier’s frontline bowling attack of paceman Simon Greene (10 wickets at 13.3 average) and off-spinner Xavier Austin (nine wickets at 14.7 average) would be entrusted to claim the important scalps.

“We’ve stressed patience with our bowling to be the real message, to execute the basics as best you can,” he said.

“If we can get the line and lengths right most of the time, we’re going to get wickets.

“There’s plenty of balls in a game of cricket but it only takes 10 get a team all out.

“Simon has been such a great leader with the ball this year, he puts it on the same spot as much as possible and is dangerous.”

Xavier will have the services of Ben Wickham after the young gun had his thumbnail peeled back when a ball struck him on the glove last week.

Originally published as Geelong Grammar stars Oliver Peake, Henry Melville and Sam Laylor revealed as biggest threats to Xavier College