The GCA teams acing promotion and those battling to stay afloat

Several GCA teams have flourished following relegation and promotion while some are struggling to stay afloat.

Bell Park president Rodney Brown with new assistant coach Brad Apps. Picture: Bell Park Cricket Club.

We’re beyond the halfway mark of the GCA season and several clubs have flourished in 2024-25 following demotion and promotion respectively.

Annual relegations and promotions are based on a rolling two-year assessment of clubs’ overall performance by the association, both on and off the field.

It’s been a season of shifting dominance, with perennial finalists East Belmont slipping to seventh on the ladder after a high scoring loss on Saturday.

Meanwhile, back in GCA1 for the first time since 16-17, St Peter’s went to the Christmas break with successive wins and are holding their own in fifth position.

Bell Park is second on the GCA2 table after being promoted. Picture: Mark Wilson

However, in GCA2, Lara’s first grade team has yet to lose a game, with 10 wins from 13 fixtures across the regular season and T20 competition, after being demoted from the top tier in 23-24.

And in division three, Marshall has been solid throughout the grades and is second on the club championship after being dropped from GCA2 — the Bears are in the top four in all three grades.

However, there are danger signs for both Modewarre and Bannockburn, with the Bulls slipping from third on the championship in 23-24 to second last.

And in division four, St Albans Breakwater has continued a concerning slide to be winless in first grade, nearly three years after winning a GCA3 premiership, while Meredith and Newcomb & District have jumped back up the ladder.

This season could see the Dinos’ first finals appearance since its GCA2 premiership in March, 2017 against Highton.

Little River has also jumped from fourth to first on the club championship table and has its first and seconds teams in the top two.

St Joseph’s

GCA1

First grade position: Sixth

Club championship in 24-25: Last

Club championship last year: Seventh

Dropping down a rung after last year’s seventh finish on the GCA1 club championship, the Joeys have struggled following Andrew Hodgson’s retirement and Jack Riding focusing on VFL.

Hodgson, one of the leading batters of the past decade, and Riding combined for more than 620 runs in 23-24.

The Joeys’ seconds (seventh), thirds (fifth) and fourths (last) are outside the top four.

East Belmont

GCA1

First grade position: Seventh

Club championship in 24-25: Third

Club championship last year: Second

Obviously no chance of being relegated but it’s been a tough season so far for the Lions’ first grade team after playing off in the GCA1 decider last summer.

Making runs has not been an issue in 24-25 – despite the Lions being without the GCA1’s number one batter of the past 10 seasons in Sean O’Neill – boasting two in the top five for the runs aggregate: Shane McNamara (467 runs at 58.38) and James Lidgett (397 at 66.17).

However, the Lions don’t have a bowler in the competition’s top 15 and have only bowled out a team on one occasion: South Barwon when it made 314 in Round 8.

The Lions are in danger of missing the finals for the first time in five years.

Currently second-last, East Belmont’s overall standing in GCA1 is helped by its unbeaten second grade team who are yet to drop a match.

Lara

GCA2

First grade position: First

Club championship in 24-25: First

Club championship last year: Sixth

Lara’s Mitchell Heyward is fourth on the GCA2 bowling aggregate. Picture: Mark Wilson

After being demoted from GCA1, the Cats are yet to be beaten in 2024-25 and boast the division’s second most prolific batter in Andrew Hughes with 432 runs at 72.

Until Saturday’s one-wicket win over Torquay, Lara has barely been tested this season.

While Hughes has been strong with the bat, Mitchell Heyward is fourth on the bowling aggregate with 19 wickets at 15.

Lara's Andrew Hughes is second on the GCA2 batting aggregate. Picture: Wes Cusworth

The Cats face a massive game on Saturday against second-placed Bell Park who have won their past three in a row and has arguably the competition’s most in-form batter in Nikhil Deep Pottabathini.

Bell Park

GCA2

First grade position: Second

Club championship in 24-25: Third

Club championship last year: Second

Coming off back-to-back GCA3 premierships, the Dragons have aced their promotion to the second tier so far in 24-25.

New recruit Nikhil Deep Pottabathini has been a massive find for Bell Park, too.

The former Carlton first grade player has put up big numbers for the Dragons, hitting 125 off just 97 balls in a crushing 98-run defeat of Bell Post Hill on Saturday at Hamlyn Park.

After starting off the season with consecutive ducks, Pottabathini made four half centuries in a row before his ton against the Panthers.

Bell Park's Sam Elliston-Buckley made 101 against Leopold. Picture: Wes Cusworth

He’s now third on the GCA2 batting aggregate with 413 runs at 59.

The Dragons have posted big scores of 7-286 and 7-301 from its past three matches, with Tassie recruit Sam Elliston-Buckley contributing 234 runs at 39 to be 16th on the GCA2 aggregate.

Meanwhile, with the ball, Mitch Trask is third with 20 wickets at 15.75, taking 18 from his last six matches.

Leopold

GCA2

First grade position: Sixth

Club championship in 24-25: Seventh

Club championship last year: Third

An inconsistent season for the Lions despite boasting the number one batter in Tom Treble (509 runs at 56).

Leopold’s first grade team is in danger of missing the finals after a semi last summer and a grand final in 21-22.

It’s lower grade teams are all in sixth position.

After winning its first game since early November on Saturday, the first grade Lions face a stiff test in Murgheboluc this weekend which boasts the division’s number one bowler in Jason Grozdanovski.

Geelong West

GCA2

First grade position: Last

Club championship in 24-25: Last

Club championship last year: Fourth

The Rams have battled for success in the top tier, rolled for just 112 on Saturday by bottom four team Leopold and are winless so far in first grade.

Which makes the efforts of Adam Wiffen’s season all the more tremendous; currently fifth in the GCA2 aggregate 378 runs at 126.

The club’s seconds and thirds are seventh and third respectively.

Thomson

GCA3

First grade position: First

Club championship in 24-25: First

Club championship last year: Fifth

Blown away by Bell Park in the GCA3 grand final last year, the Tigers have had a large change of personnel and the new mix appears to be working so far, going 8-0 to this point.

While captain Adam Bliss and last year’s leading batter in Hamish Coulson have not played in 24-25, and are unlikely to, Thomson have brought in Zac Smith, Jackson Burke and Blake Ritchie and then added Shane Bremner from Corio just before Christmas.

However, Tigers regulars Seaver Cowley and Seb Dew remain the team’s most dominant players.

Thomson’s Seaver Rowley, appealing for the wicket of Marshall batter Stuart Blythe, has dominated again in GCA3. Picture: Mark Wilson

While Thomson are not exactly crushing teams, they continue to win the close ones with victories by 10 runs against Corio, three wickets over Manifold Heights and a one-run thriller over Marshall in Round 5.

The Tigers’ second grade has also risen from the bottom of the ladder last year to sit in the top four.

Bannockburn

First grade position: Bottom

Club championship in 24-25: Seventh

Club championship last year: Third

After a four-win season last year, the Bulls have only recorded one in first grade and sit at the bottom of the GCA3 ladder, losing their past four matches.

In the club’s top tier, there might be a reliance on gun Tanner Hay who is second on the GCA3 batting aggregate with 324 runs at 46.2 — their only batter inside the competition’s top 20.

He was the third most prolific in 23-24.

They’ve also dropped four places on the club championship, with the Bulls’ second XI fighting the good fit in second and thirds mid-table.

Modewarre

GCA3

First grade position: Second last

Club championship in 24-25: Last

Club championship last year: Sixth

Second last on the GCA3 table, the Warriors have lost their past four in a row after being rolled for just 109 on Saturday by Manifold Heights.

It comes after the Warriors finished last in 23-24 with just one win.

Modewarre’s Luke Foot. Picture: Mark Wilson

Just as concerning, Modewarre has slipped to the bottom of the GCA3 club championship with its second grade in fourth position and its thirds second last.

Little River

GCA4

First grade position: First

Club championship in 24-25: First

Club championship last year: Fourth

The Redbacks are in an incredibly strong position heading into 2025, with both firsts and seconds in the top two.

New recruit Andrew Spengler and Nicholas Fairchild are in the top four of the GCA4 batting aggregate while the latter is fifth for bowling with 16 poles at 12.19.

Meredith

GCA4

First grade position: Second

Club championship in 24-25: Fourth

Club championship last year: Sixth

Alongside Newcomb & District, who have leapt from sixth to third on the first grade ladder, the Rams have been the biggest improver in 24-25, jumping from fifth to second on the table.

Both the Rams and the Dinos have also jumped a couple of places on the club championship.

Meredith boast the leading batters and bowlers this year, with Harli Givvens (second)

pounding three tons while Matt Ringin (first) and Chesney Milne (second) combining for 44 wickets.

Should shore up a place in the top two when they play Teesdale on Saturday.

St Albans Breakwater

GCA4

First grade position: Last

Club championship in 24-25: Last

Club championship last year: Last

Mike Norris was amongst a raft of departures from the Supersaints. Picture: Mark Wilson

It’s been a tough 15 months for the Supersaints, with its first grade team finishing fifth in GCA3 in 23-24 but losing a raft of players over the off-season: Phil Lang, Mike Norris, Zac Smith, Jackson Burke and Blake Ritchie amongst others.

Now in GCA4, St Albans scored a win in the T20 competition but are yet to secure a victory in the regular season.

Have one batter (Chris Warwick) and two bowlers in the top 20 (Warwick and Jake Spalding).

Originally published as The GCA teams acing promotion and those battling to stay afloat