THE Hamilton and District Cricket Association (HDCA) A grade season is edging closer to the end with the penultimate round of regular season matches being played today.

Fourth-placed St Andrew’s will travel south to Macarthur Recreation Reserve in search of a win against the second-placed Demons.

The Demons are the form team of the competition and will go into the clash with a full-strength side, offering the visitors a good test of where they’re at just two weeks out from finals.

St Andrew’s is building and after a strong start to the season and a mid-season lull, the team has found its groove once again.

It shapes up to be an intriguing contest and one that will be important for both teams with the winner likely to finish the round in second place.

College v Pigeon Ponds

PIGEON Ponds will travel to College Turf to take on the Eagles in a game the visitors simply must win.

Sitting six points out of the top four in fifth position, Ponds need to put in a good performance today to keep their finals hopes alive, but it will not be easy against the ladder leaders.

College has won 12 games and the Eagles are the highest scoring team in the competition with 2457 runs, but interestingly, Ponds are second highest with just 20 runs less, despite their current ladder position.

With the game to be played on turf, the home side will know what conditions to expect and the likes of Charles Murrie, Heath Schmidt and Hamish Bailey have all put together big knocks during the season.

Simon Close will be important for the visitors, while Peter Staude will be searching for form, only averaging 23.5 with the bat so far this season.

It is a game the home side will go into as favourite, but the visitors are more than capable of firing with the bat and ball and will be no pushover for the College team, as it searches for a win to claim the minor premiership.

Casterton District v Grampians

IT is a bottom two clash to finish round 20 matches with Casterton District hosting Grampians at Island Park.

The two teams have struggled this season with just six wins between them; the Maroons sitting in bottom spot with just one win, but today offers a good chance to collect a win and go into the off-season with some positive results.

Despite Kane Forbes playing today, Rick Killey has been named Maroons skipper, and his experience throughout the season has been important for the team, along with some important knocks with the bat.

The Pumas on the other hand have blooded some youth this season and the youngsters will be better for it, as they work their way through a rebuild year.

This afternoon is also likely to be the last time the Maroons play a home game on a synthetic pitch – barring weather forcing a change in future - with the new turf wicket expected to be ready for next season.