IT HAS been eight seasons since one of Warrnambool and District Cricket Association's division one sides has come close to finishing a season faultless.
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Undefeated ladder-leaders Brierly-Christ Church is capable of claiming the title without losing a regular season game.
And the way the season has played out everything is pointing in the right direction for the Jason Mungean-led Bulls, who have 13 wins and three draws - one which was a dramatic tie with Merrivale in round 15.
The last team to come close to the rare feat was Nestles in 2011-12.
That year Factory, led by Brett Eldridge, recorded 10 wins and two draws as they stormed to a grand final berth against West Warrnambool.
Ultimately the Panthers proved too strong in the final, claiming a 73-run victory.
Allansford was the most recent side to attempt the feat.
In 2017-18 it was on track until a round six one-day game against West Warrnambool became its only blemish en route to the grand final, where it fell to Russells Creek.
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So what makes this Brierly-Christ Church side capable of achieving the feat?
For starters it has proven wicket-takers and has proven on six occasions its ability to bowl sides out.
Its total of 117 wickets is six more than its nearest rivals Woodford and 13 more than defending champions Russells Creek.
The Bulls also boast the top-two bowlers in the competition in medium-pacer Mark Murphy and spinner Jason Greer.
The pair both have 30 wickets from 16 and 15 games and show no signs of slowing down, helping the Bulls continue to charge through teams.
The second reason is Brierly is putting an extremely high value on its wickets with bat in hand.
It has lost just 65 wickets so far this season - 18 less than Russells Creek.
The Murphy brothers - Nathan and Mark - are leading the way for runs this season with totals of 414 and 359 respectively.
The Bulls' batting line up can be further boosted by the Loves - Matt and nephew Campbell - who are still searching for consistent form.
But there is one hurdle I see stopping the Bulls from completing an undefeated charge to a maiden WDCA division one premiership.
Their last five finals have proven they have the yips when it comes to high-pressure games, losing four deciders in under two seasons.
They lost last year's two-day final to Russells Creek chasing down a gettable total of 102. They also fell short to the Creekers in the one-day decider earlier in the summer.
This season they were comprehensively beaten by Woodford and shocked by Dennington in the one-day and twenty20 finals.
The Bulls' only wins in finals in the past two seasons came in twenty20s when they secured the WDCA title and the Sungold Cup in 2018-19.
That finals record is the only thing capable of halting the Bulls' charge to an undefeated season.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
