Bush and ‘Burbs: Last year’s finalists Geraldton and Albany winless after two games at senior country week

The West Australian’s sports reporters take a look at what’s happening in the country and amateur leagues around WA in this weekly column. A pair of traditional country cricket powerhouses have found the going tough in their opening two A-section games at senior country week. Defending champions Geraldton — fielding a new-look line-up without several players from last year’s side — and 2025’s beaten grand finalists Albany sit on the bottom of their respective groups after the first two days of the tournament. Only the top two sides from each group will progress to semifinals on Thursday which grant the winner a place in Friday’s grand final at the WACA Ground, with the other four competing in relegation play-offs. Geraldton went down to Eastern Goldfields by five wickets on Sunday and followed up with a two-wicket loss to Upper Great Southern on Monday, while the Whalers lost their opening game to Bunbury by four wickets before suffering a 150-run thumping at the hands of Busselton-Margaret River. The reigning champions now stand no chance of finishing any higher than third in Pool A, meaning they will not feature in this year’s decider. Albany remain a mathematical chance of finishing second in Pool B if they win their final pool stage game in comprehensive fashion and have other results go their way, but a poor net run rate means their grand final hopes have been all but dashed. UGS, who missed out on finishing in the top two of their group at last year’s country week despite losing only one of their three pool stage games, have won both of their games to sit atop Pool A. They figure ahead of second-placed Eastern Goldfields and third-placed Peel Country, who had their game on Tuesday abandoned due to a wet pitch at College Park in Nedlands. Undefeated BMR top Pool B ahead of Bunbury and West Pilbara, who have both had one win and one loss. After a rest day on Tuesday, the competition will resume with the last pool stage fixtures on Wednesday, with BMR taking on Bunbury, UGS coming up against Eastern Goldfields, Albany facing off with West Pilbara and Geraldton playing Peel Country. A three-day women’s country week tournament begins on Sunday.