THE Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade season continues today, with most games moving back to the usual Saturday schedule after last weekend’s Dunkeld Cup, with the Pigeon Ponds game set to be re-scheduled to next Sunday as a catch-up game.

Grampians v St Andrew’s

THE Drews will travel out to Dunkeld Turf in what shapes to be a top four defining clash against the Pumas today.

Grampians sits seventh, four points behind the fourth-placed Drews, with the Pumas needing the win to keep in touch with the top teams.

The visitors will likely go into the clash without Brendan Huf once again, as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

The bowling stocks will also play an important role, with the Dunkeld ground offering plenty of value for shots.

St Andrew’s captain, Russ Elton, knows the ground well, having spent seasons at the Pumas, and will knows his opposition’s strengths.

The Pumas’ bowling stocks have shown plenty of potential, relying largely on medium and fast bowlers, to inflict damage.

With plenty to play for, it shapes up to be a thrilling contest which could go either way.

College v Hamilton

HAMILTON will travel to College Turf to face the Eagles in what is the only A grade clash in town this afternoon.

The Eagles will see this as a chance to grab a fifth win and move into the top four, but Hamilton will be full of confidence after notching up its first win of the season last weekend.

The College Turf deck usually offers a good balance for both bat and the new ball bowlers, with early wickets critical for both sides, but particularly the visitors.

Charles Murrie has yet to go big this season and getting him and Heath Schmidt early will go a long way to restricting the home side’s total.

Hamish Bailey and Adrian Burn are the other key wickets.

Nic Cullinane is the only Blues batsman in the top 20 run-scorers to date, smashing 257 including a century last round, and will need support at the crease if the Blues are to be competitive.

Jordy Anthony and Lachie Brown both sit in the top 10 for wickets taken, with the College bowling pair playing important roles for the Eagles through the innings.

Casterton District v Gorae-Portland

GO-PORTS is set for an island getaway, travelling to Island Park to face Casterton District in round eight action this afternoon.

The Maroons have been one of the big surprises so far this season, sitting second and looking hard to beat.

Jacob Edwards has had a stunning start to the season, leading the competition’s wickets with 16 and causing plenty of headaches for opening batsmen.

The visitors will have to be at their best to combat his diligent bowling, while Kaden Humphries has also enjoyed a purple patch with the ball.

Stephen O’ Brien has 13 wickets to his name at the top of Go-Ports’ tally, in what shapes as a game that bowlers will be hoping to dominate.

With some rain forecast for the day, conditions could make things unpredictable, as the Maroons go into the clash desperate to retain a top two spot.

Portland Tigers v South Portland

THERE will be plenty of local action in the southern parts of the association, as Portland Tigers hosts South Portland at Hanlon Park.

Both the Tigers and South suffered losses on the weekend, and both will be eager to get themselves back in the winners’ column with a strong performance this afternoon.

With both sides currently in the bottom four, the time is now for them to make a move if they still want to keep their finals hopes alive, with the season passing the halfway point with today’s round eight games.

Tyrendarra v Portland Colts

PORTLAND Colts will meet Tyrendarra at Tyrendarra Recreation Reserve in the final game of the round.

The Darras and Colts are flying high in first and third position on the ladder and will be full of confidence going into the important clash.

The Darras enjoyed another convincing win on the weekend against Gorae-Portland, which now sees them a game clear on top of the ladder.

Meanwhile, Colts are in a slightly more precarious position, despite sitting in third position there are currently three other teams on four wins and a further three with one fewer victory, meaning a negative result this weekend could see them slip backwards in the table.

Tyrendarra sits a game clear of second-placed Casterton District, and with only two one-day games to play following today’s clash, a spot in the one-day final beckons should the Darras grab the points this afternoon.

Pigeon Ponds v Macarthur

THE Ponds v Macarthur game has been re-scheduled and will be played as a catch-up game on Sunday December 3, due to the wedding of Ponds’ Peter Staude.

It will mean both sides will play back-to-back games next weekend, with Ponds set to play their round nine clash at Cavalier Park on Saturday, while the Demons will be at home against St Andrew’s.