Persistent rain forced the cancellation of Saturday’s round of cricket, with the Ex-Services-Armidale City game at Lambert Park game also called off .

14mm had fallen Friday night in Armidale but it was a sharp downpour Saturday morning which washed away hopes of a crucial round between the top two teams as well as clash between City and Servies chasing the third and final finals spot.

“It was a little bit disappointing,” Hillgrove’s stand-in skipper Matt Baillie said

“We were looking forward to playing East and have a run before the One Day Final against them on Tuesday.”

Hillgrove skipper Brad King and allrounder Matt Schaefer were to have missed Saturday’s match but Emu skipper Michael Dawson was right to play.

“It would have been interesting to see how we would have gone although we were expecting it  not to be the best batting track like last week’s sticky wicket,” Baillie said.

Baillie said King and Schaefer would be back in the side for tomorrow’s One Day Final, however.

Easts skipper Sam Uphill reckons it will be an interesting One Day Final even though he will have a few missing.

“Ed Brentnall hasn’t qualified to play in the One Day Final,” he said.

“But he will be right for the rest of the season.

“And Tom Toshack did his hamstring last week. 

“I can’t see him being right but we will give him right up  until the start of the game to see if he’s right.”