BEN Cox and Jack Shantry will be looking to help Greenvale Kangaroos upset the form book when they entertain Carlton in a Victorian Premier Cricket Bartercard Men’s Premier First encounter today.

Worcestershire wicketkeeper Cox and New Road paceman Shantry have both made telling contributions with the bat and the latter with the ball.

But the Kangaroos lie second from bottom in the 18-team table with just nine points from eight games and now have to face the current leaders who are on 31 points.

Cox is top of the batting averages with 352 runs at an average of 50.29, including four 50 plus scores in nine innings in addition to 14 catches and a stumping.

Shantry is occupying second spot with 194 runs at an average of 32.33 and on the bowling front has figures of 99-22-253-9 — an average of 28.1 runs per wicket and an economy rate of 2.6.

County all-rounder Joe Leach is top of the bowling averages for North Canberra Gungahlin, who entertain Eastlake in the first of a two-day fixture in the Australian Capital Territory first grade competition.

Leach has picked up 17 wickets in seven matches at 15.65 apiece for fourth-placed NCG and also weighed in with 220 runs at an average of 31.43 to lie in third spot.

England under 19s wicketkeeper Joe Clarke’s side face a challenging second day against Willetton, who last weekend scored 339-5 after being put into bat in the Western Australian Cricket Association first grade clash.

Clarke has clocked up two half-centuries against Melville and Subiaco Floreat and scored 116 runs at an average of 58.00 in addition to claiming seven catches.

His County and under 19s colleague Ed Barnard tops the bowling averages for Queanbeyan District, who start a two-day game away to ANU in the Australian Capital Territory first grade.

Barnard’s 11 victims have cost him 22.45 runs apiece and an economy rate of 4.69 but he has an impressive strike-rate of a wicket every 28.73 deliveries. He has scored 127 runs in seven innings at an average of 21.7 Worcestershire opener Richard Oliver’s side Geelong City entertain North Geelong on the first day of a clash in Division One of the Geelong Cricket Association.