![Launceston bowler Luke Pirlot celebrates bowling out South Launceston captain Jeremy Jackson at NTCA no. 2 last weekend. Picture by Phillip Biggs Launceston bowler Luke Pirlot celebrates bowling out South Launceston captain Jeremy Jackson at NTCA no. 2 last weekend. Picture by Phillip Biggs](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/brian.allen/e9fbf91d-212a-4709-b327-e23a71e4d01d.jpg/r0_0_5000_3333_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Saturday is go time for Launceston in the Cricket North competition.
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The Lions, who played in last year's two-day grand final, are sitting fourth on the table and chasing South Launceston's 284 total at NTCA no. 2.
Sitting on 59.4 ladder points, they trail Westbury (93), Riverside (74) and the Knights (71.4) with just one match remaining after this weekend.
"If we want to play finals we need to do it," coach Heath Clayton said of his team who are 1-1 in their batting innings.
"The season is in our hands now.
"I'm comfortable we have the batting depth to be able to do it, the wicket was pretty flat.
"The runs are there it's just a matter of us applying ourselves."
Clayton admitted losing skipper Cam Lynch for just one run in the dying stages of play last weekend wasn't ideal but he was confident others could stand up.
"It's going to take someone to put their hand up and make a statement and give us that shot at getting into finals contention," he said.
Launceston are also having a family day with their first and second grade sides playing at the NTCA grounds.
"It's an opportunity to invite family members down to say thank you as much as anything," Clayton said.
"It's also an opportunity to connect with the juniors at the club as well."
South have three big ins with wicket-keeper Nathan Philip, spinner Jack Crane and speedster Jackson Young making a timely return for the bowling innings.
Captain Jeremy Jackson said it was great to have two bowlers return to the line-up and day two would be about keeping the pressure up.
He reiterated how pleased he was to see 16-year-old Lochie Taylor make 76 last weekend and he also talked up Brodie Jarrad's effort.
"That was Brodie's first game of first-grade for quite a while now due to injury," Jackson said.
"For him to come back in and make a really important 55 not out and be part of a 130-odd run partnership with Taylor - that was definitely the defining partnership."
Mowbray are 3-68 with captain Luke Scott optimistic about his team's chances of chasing down Westbury's 295 at Invermay Park.
"There were 350 runs scored for the day (last week) so it certainly showed the good conditions and runs are there to be had if we do the hard work," he said.
Pace bowler James Storay continued his consistent form with 5-54 on day one.
Scott praised his work after lunch when the Eagles had only taken two wickets for about 160 runs and the wicket was flattening out.
"It was a monster spell in pretty tough bowling conditions," he said.
Westbury skipper Daniel Murfet, who may be selected for the Greater Northern Raiders again, was thrilled to hear about James Tyson's breakthrough century.
"I was so happy for him, he's the type of player if you asked him to run through a brick wall for you, he'd do it for you," he said.
And Murfet said that was the attitude Tyson took when asked if he'd open the batting for the Shamrocks in recent weeks due to others being unavailable.
The captain said it could be considered a questionable decision in two-day cricket to have your wicket-keeper opening the batting because it can be hard for keepers to juggle both roles in that format.
Murfet said youngster Cooper Kedey would substitute in for Matty Allen.