Only four points separate the top quartet in the Upper Great Southern Cricket Association A-grade with three rounds of the regular season left after wins on Saturday for Williams, Lake Grace and Cuballing.
Williams lead the ladder on quotient from Wandering with Lake Grace and Cuballing neck-and-neck four points behind the leading pair.
Towns and Wickepin-Harrismith are the two sides out of touch, at the bottom of the table and out of finals contention.
Williams were three-wicket winners over Towns on Saturday, while Lake Grace plundered a 179-run triumph over Wickepin-Harrismith.
The surprise of round nine was the ease with which Cuballing dispatched Wandering, winning by nine wickets after skittling their stumps for 115.
Wandering won the toss and opted to bat but never got going and a middle-order crumble did not help.
Blake Egerton-Warburton and Jacob Schorer started things off, but Schorer went for 10 and then Blake Egerton-Warburton for 16, kickstarting a collapse where four more wickets fell for 14 runs.
Tom Blechynden and Jordan Hughes halted the slide with 26 runs apiece, but the innings belonged to the Cuballing bowlers with Thoms Fleay’s 3-9 the star of the show.
Brock Francis and Damon Watt both returned 2-26.
In reply, Cuballing lost only the wicket of Andrew Harris, bowled for two by Toby Blechynden.
Opener Byron Blevin struck 48 off 52 balls but Kendal Ballard really opened his shoulders to bludgeon four sixes and five fours in a 66 which took just 48 deliveries as Cuballing reached 1-119 with ease.
Dylan Brooks smacked 15 fours and three sixes in a marvellous knock of 115 for Lake Grace as they knocked over hosts Wickepin-Harrismith.
Having been unable to field a team last week, Lake Grace roared back with a vengeance with Mitch Smith adding to Brooks’ bash with 86 off 58 balls.
They eventually reached 6-300 off their 45 overs, Trenton King unbeaten on 31 at the close.
Wickepin-Harrismith’s resistance came entirely from the middle order as Mitchell Sermon (35) and Tyron Miller (38no) did their best against the Lake Grace attack.
Next best in support was Dane Angwin’s 21 as the home side succumbed for 121.
Kalan Joyce enjoyed his day with the ball, taking 4-27 for Lake Grace.
Table-toppers Williams had more trouble than they might have expected in chasing down Towns’ 118 all out, reaching 7-122 thanks mainly to Rodney Ford’s unbeaten 44.
The visitors to Williams Oval decided to bat, with Perrin Quartemaine compiling a patient 44 from 108 balls before being caught by Michael Forman off the bowling of Darcy Gillett.
Taj Satie added 14, Scott Langford 22 and Thomas Mackay 20 to leave them on 4-110 when things really fell apart.
The last six batters contributed four runs – four going for ducks – as Towns folded for 118.
Rodney Ford made hay with the ball, bagging 4-19, before shouldering the main responsibility with the bat.
Toby Lavender helped the cause with 21 while Towns bowlers Mitch Ackland, Jagtar Singh and Kade Maley grabbing two scalps each.
