THE Portland and District Cricket Association’s 2022-23 season is drawing near to it’s close, with the 15th and final A grade round of the season to take place across the next two weekends.

The top three who will play finals is all but locked in, with Portland Colts, Portland Tigers and Tyrendarra to spend the next two weeks jostling for position with that all-important top spot still up for grabs.

Colts, who currently sit on top of the ladder, will face off against Gorae-Portland as they look to secure a ticket straight to the grand final.

A win would almost assuredly mean they hang on to their position on top of the ladder, as they currently have a six-point lead on Tyrendarra and 16 points on the Tigers.

In the other match of the round, the Darras and Tigers will clash in what is quite likely to be a preview of the semi-final, with these two sides sitting in second and third place respectively.

Barring a shock outright victory, the best case scenario for the Tigers is for them to reclaim second place on the ladder.

While it would matter little to the complexion of the finals given the lack of home-field advantage, such a win could prove to be a valuable psychological advantage heading into the finals, with the Darras thus far having gotten the best of them in two out of three prior matchups.

Tyrendarra has slightly more to potentially gain, as should they win, and Go-Ports upset Colts, they would likely jump into the top spot and therefore be the ones that head straight to the grand final.

All-in-all, expect an enthralling two weeks of cricket as the top three look to gain an advantage both on the ladder and in their heads.