The opening rounds of the 2026 Senior Country Week cricket tournament have delivered a major shock, with both of last year's A-section finalists struggling without a win after their first two matches.
Reigning Champions' Title Defence in Tatters
Defending champions Geraldton, fielding a significantly changed team from their 2025 triumph, have suffered back-to-back defeats to start their campaign. They fell to Eastern Goldfields by five wickets on Sunday before a narrow two-wicket loss to Upper Great Southern on Monday.
These results leave Geraldton languishing at the bottom of Pool A and with no mathematical possibility of finishing higher than third. This means their reign as champions will definitively end, as only the top two sides from each group progress to Thursday's semi-finals.
Albany's Grand Final Hopes All But Dashed
Meanwhile, the 2025 runners-up, the Albany Whalers, have also endured a tough start in Pool B. They lost their opener to Bunbury by four wickets before being comprehensively beaten by Busselton-Margaret River on Monday, succumbing to a 150-run defeat.
While Albany retains a slim mathematical chance of finishing second in their pool, it would require a huge victory in their final group game and other results to fall their way. Their severely damaged net run rate makes progression to the WACA Ground grand final on Friday highly unlikely.
New Leaders Emerge as Tournament Heats Up
In stark contrast, Upper Great Southern (UGS) tops Pool A with two wins from two, avenging their narrow miss from last year where they won two games but still failed to qualify. They are ahead of second-placed Eastern Goldfields.
In Pool B, Busselton-Margaret River (BMR) sits undefeated at the summit, leading Bunbury and West Pilbara who have each registered one win and one loss.
The tournament now heads into its decisive final pool matches on Wednesday following a rest day on Tuesday. The key fixtures see BMR taking on Bunbury, UGS facing Eastern Goldfields, Albany battling West Pilbara, and Geraldton playing Peel Country.
The action continues later in the week with a three-day women's country week tournament commencing on Sunday.
