THERE remains only one chance for four teams within the Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade competition to claim a spot in the one day final against runaway leader, Tyrendarra, when the season resumes today.

The Darras booked its place in the decider two rounds ago and have sat back and waited, as the other sides battle it out for the remaining spot.

College v Portland Colts

THIS game at College Turf assumes match of the round status, due to Colts currently sitting in second spot on the ladder and being favourites to claim the spot in the final.

Reigning A grade premier, College, sits seventh on the ladder, and is far from where many expected the team to appear before the summer began.

Narrow losses to Casterton District in round one and to Gorae-Portland in round nine have stymied the Eagles’ title defence, with a loss against Colts possibly seeing the side fall from finals contention with only four rounds remaining after today.

Portland Colts has been the quiet achiever of the season to date after winning six games, but two rain events stopped that tally, possibly rising to eight and a much closer gap to Tyrendarra on the ladder.

Gorae-Portland v Portland Tigers

GORAE-PORTLAND will host Portland Tigers at Alexandra Park in what is an important matchup in the context of both side’s seasons.

Go-Ports are just on the outside looking in of the top four, sitting in fifth place, but only two points behind fourth-placed Casterton District, and as such every opportunity to gain points is vital at this stage.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will be looking to turn over a new leaf in 2024 after a disappointing first half of the campaign, which saw them register just two wins to sit second to last on the table.

St Andrew’s v South Portland

THERE are no second chances for St Andrew’s at Clem Young Oval today, as a loss to the Demons will rule the home side out of contention for a place in the final.

The last time St Andrew’s lost was back in round five against College, as the Drews have won four games and had another washed out since that loss to be one of the form sides of the competition.

With a spot in the A grade side opening due to James Guthrig returning to the Gold Coast, the opportunity is there for the taking for a batsman to grab and make the spot his own.

At home, St Andrew’s should be too good for the Demons, but form is fickle.

Casterton District v Tyrendarra

THERE is a mathematical chance Casterton District can sneak into the one day final if the Maroons can defeat Tyrendarra at Island Park 2.

The Maroons also require Portland Colts, Gorae-Portland, and St Andrew’s to all lose their respective matches for a spot in the final to open for them.

The home side was the form side of the competition for the opening five rounds, posting victory in every game, but that form fell away from round six through round nine, as defeat followed defeat to see the side tumble from the top rung of the ladder.

The side has several players who are vying for a place in the association’s Melbourne Country Week team, with Carey Megaw, Rick Killey, Jacob Edwards, and Logan Gibbs right in contention.

Tyrendarra is the benchmark that all other teams are striving to match this summer, and with its place in the final assured the team can look towards booking its place in the season-ending finals.

Macarthur v Grampians

MACARTHUR Recreation Reserve will host this game and the home side is in form and favoured to claim the points against the Pumas.

In a quirk of the draw, these two teams will battle it out over the next three weeks with this one-day game followed immediately by the two-day match at Dunkeld Turf next round.

The Demons finished 2023 with victory against South Portland and claimed the T20 title too with the batsmen all in great touch.

Ollie Wortley posted 122-not-out against South Portland, while Michael Brilley knocked up a lazy 90 in the same game, with Kyle Smitten amassing 278 undefeated runs in the shortest format.

Grampians skipper, Will Collins, has been the driving force for his beloved Pumas with the bat and ball, having scored 388 runs before Christmas and collecting 14 wickets with the ball.

With only Ty Gilmore having reached the 200 run barrier, the pair have performed very well at the top of the order, but the rest of the batting order must improve drastically if the Pumas are to reach the finals.

Pigeon Ponds v Hamilton

WITH only five games remaining for the summer, these two teams have vastly different agendas, as they meet at Pigeon Ponds Recreation Reserve.

Pigeon Ponds needs to win as many of its remaining games as possible to try and claim a finals place, while Hamilton needs to forget 2023 and begin 2024 with a renewed intent to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

Ponds have had great difficulty against Hamilton at this venue, as Hamilton has batted and bowled well in the last few years, but the form of the visitors doesn’t bode well for this to continue today.

Nic Cullinane will look to continue with his impressive form from the 2023 games, continuing his partnership alongside Xavier Stevens at the top of the order for Hamilton.

The remaining Hamilton batsmen must stand alongside this pair and put 250 runs on the board if they hope to carry the day.

Ponds skipper, Hamish McCrae, is leading the home side well and is doing a fine job with both bat and ball in hand, while Peter Staude and Noah Hildebrand will give the side another great start with the bat.