The Meerkats restricted Hawkesdale to just 122 last week and posted 2-64 in the final 25 overs of the day.

Captain Chris Lenehan (8) remains unbeaten at the crease while Justin Coates has also been prolific, hitting a score of 31 not out.

Lenehan said his side entered the game unsure of which Hawkesdale side they would meet as the Cats had been plagued by unavailability.

“We thought restricting them to anything under 200 would have been a good result as they had a good partnership through the middle,” he said.

“When you go into the second innings already having batted on the first day you have to take the first 10 to 15 overs to steady up and to get your eye back in.

“You don’t want to lose three or four wickets to put the pressure back on yourself.”