By Lauren Wright

HILL TOP look set to claim an outright victory over Robertson after claiming first innings points at Hampden Park on Saturday.

It was again the batting which let the Spuds down after they capitulated for 80 in the first innings.

Matt Kellond top scored with 28, with Chad Stephenson's 24 the only other runs of note for Robertson.

Matt Doust took four wickets, Dave Malcolm claimed three while Andrew Rae, Dean Webb and Chris Packer also got a wicket each.

Hill Top then fired up with the bat and in-form batsman Steve McNaught put in another solid performance for his 57.

Skipper Simon Reid scored 22 and Tim Goldfinch also chipped in with 15.

Both Mark Bisby and Robertson skipper Scott Shepherd claimed two wickets each, with Ricky Allen, Arron Ditton and young Jesse Mauger picking up one each.

Reid said it was a good day's play and was pleased to have secured the 10 points for a first innings win.

"Everyone bowled really well," he said.

Reid said they were looking to score around 160-170 this Saturday and get up to around an 80 run lead to give them a good chance of bowling them out and claiming an outright victory.

"There's plenty of time for an outright," he said.

With a few consecutive 50s next to his name, Reid said McNaught was looking very good at the top of the order.

Reid said one of the highlights in the field was a catch by Packer out in the deep to dismiss Shepherd for a duck.

"They're [Hill Top] definitely in the prime position with three wickets to go," Shepherd said.

While it appears unlikely Robertson will take any points away from the match, Shepherd said if they could bowl Hill Top out quickly on Saturday then there was still a chance of an outright.

"I'm pretty confident we can give it a fair crack," he said.

"We need to get the last three wickets as quick as possible and go out there with an aggressive mindset and don't throw our wickets away just to try and get a win."

While Robertson have struggled with the bat this season, Shepherd said they were capable of a better performance.

"We seem to bat better in the second innings. We put too much pressure on ourselves in the first innings," he said.

"There's a slim chance but they're definitely in the box seat."