The Knights have now dipped to third place on the ladder, sitting equal with the Pirates, while the Eden club moves into outright second behind Tathra. 

The Bluedogs are still outside the top four, but now just sit 10 competition points behind after downing the Knights on Saturday. 

The Knights won the toss and went out to bat first, but were quickly set back by the bowling attack of the Bluedogs. 

Openers Brendan Daley and Matthew Lawson were both returned to the sheds early after scoring 12 and 6 runs respectively. 

Tom Kellar had 10 runs when he was dismissed by a Josh Hammond catch. 

However, it was Merimbula’s middle order that clawed back some runs and got a solid score on the board for the visitors. 

Dylan Jordan came in at four and knocked 27 runs, while Patrick Whittard joined him at five and scored 28. 

Jay Richmond and Zac Wells also had meaningful contributions to the Merimbula total, scoring 14 and 19 runs respectively. 

During their stint, Tom Keath had already begun his dissection of the Merimbula team that would accumulate in four wickets for the Pambula bowler. 

Keath’s figures also included two maidens, while the Knights scored just 14 runs against him across five and a half overs. 

Ray Fisher, Matt Priem and Dean Loudon had all been bowled cheaply as the Merimbula tail end was swept aside. 

The visitors finished their innings in the 31^st over all-out for 145. 

Gabriel Walker and Tom Baker had also been influential with the ball for the Bluedogs, securing two wickets apiece. 

When Lewis Hopkins was bowled for a duck, Pambula’s own innings looked in early danger. 

However, Hammond built to a steady 22 before he was dismissed, while Keath added 15 runs to the tally at three. 

It was Liam Allan who really switched on for the hosts, batting out of the middle order with a solid knock of 46 runs. 

Ethan Adams’ 20 and a good contribution of 30 from Gill Mitchell meant the Bluedogs kept pace with their rivals and chased down the total in the 31^st over. 

The Bulldogs finished with figures of 7/148 to secure the competition points. 

Zac Wells was the pick of the Merimbula bowlers with his three wicket haul. 

His efforts also included two maidens, while Patrick Whittard also had a maiden over and claimed one wicket. 

After six rounds, the Knights have borne mixed results taking three and three on the leaderboard, while the weekend is just the second thumbs up for the Pambula outfit. 

This weekend, the Bluedogs face Eden at the Eden Cricket Ground. 

The Knights will host the South Euro Pirates at Berrambool. Both games run Saturday from 1pm.