THE 12 teams of the Hamilton and District cricket Association (HDCA) A grade competition have the finals in sight with only four rounds remaining of the 2023-24 season - all played under two-day format rules.
Red ball cricket is what the players strive to perform their best at, and with more time for each player to bat and longer spells to bowl, those skills are brought to the fore as the teams prepare for the charge towards the grand final in March.
Tyrendarra is favourite to claim the William (Billie) Hewett Cup as A grade minor premier, as the Darras enjoy a well-earned 18-point lead over second-placed St Andrew’s, with Portland Colts third and Gorae-Portland only one point in arrears in fourth.
Casterton District only trails second place by seven points, with Macarthur a further six points behind the Maroons.
College, Pigeon Ponds, and Grampians would need to win every game remaining and have other results go their way to pinch a spot in the top four, with South Portland, Portland Tigers, and Hamilton all now concentrating on putting a spanner in the works of those teams that are chasing finals success.
Grampians v Macarthur
THE most intriguing match of the round is the clash at Dunkeld Turf between Grampians and Macarthur after these teams battled out a draw last Saturday at Macarthur.
Macarthur is riding a form wave at present with great performances in the two shorter formats recently, and it’s to be hoped they carry this form into the longer format.
Grampians on the other hand has been up and down with its form this summer, and after finishing runner-up last season, the Pumas are a chance of missing finals.
The home side will be buoyed by the return to batting form by Carl Joyce, who enjoyed his time in the middle against the Demons last week by making 83, but it was a lone hand as only one other player made double figures.
The batting form of the Demons has been first rate in the shorter formats with Michael Brilley, Ollie Wortley and Kyle Smitten all posting big scores.
The addition of Brayden Buchanan has been a huge bonus for the Macarthur bowling attack, which is now more settled with he and Smitten taking the new ball, while Wortley provides the spinning option that will test Grampians’ middle order.
St Andrew’s v Pigeon Ponds
ST Andrew’s will be looking to carry the day against Pigeon Ponds when they meet at Clem Young Oval over the next two weeks, with the home side currently sitting second on the ladder.
The Drews must be eyeing a home final with the competition now entering the longer format matches, as this is the preferred format of the team.
They will be without opening bowler Latham Wishart for the match, but will be replaced by Josh Nield.
Pigeon Ponds gained a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern victory against Hamilton last round before the rain ended its game prematurely, but they showed signs that they are still a force that cannot be discounted.
Hamish McCrae, Jack Beaton and Anthony Close all played well with bat and ball, while George Austin recovered from a horror opening over to claim a couple of wickets and bowl economically.
Peter and Will Staude were in great touch with the bat, as they found the fence seven times between them and they should enjoy the short square boundaries of Clem Young Oval.
Hamilton v Gorae-Portland
DAHL Turf will see Gorae-Portland play its first ever game at the venue after this match was switched from Alexandra Park.
The two teams are at opposite ends of the ladder with the visitors staring at a finals berth in its maiden season in the HDCA, while Hamilton is rebuilding its A grade squad by promoting younger talent into the team.
The depth in the visitors’ batting order has been a major reason the side is eyeing finals and Nick Williams as skipper has led his side well.
Last round the side chased down Portland Tigers’ score of 206 in the last over of the game, as Finn Saurine (62), Stephen O’Brien (36), Damien Compton (39-not-out) and Zac Stuchbery (25-not-out) led the run chase, and the side will hoping to carry that form into today and beyond.
College v South Portland
COLLEGE will have to win all remaining matches if it wants to defend its Dundas Cup success of the last two summers, and today it hosts South Portland at College Turf, as the race to the top four begins.
The Eagles are in form after defeating Portland Colts last round at the same venue, as Adrian Burn and Ross Milne grabbed six wickets between them, while Hamish Bailey (86-not-out) and Harry Austin (59) who posted his maiden A grade half century added 109 for the third wicket.
South Portland needs to get back on the winning band wagon after being thrashed by St Andrew’s last week, but the Demons have several youngsters who will become very good cricketers.
They are a better team than they showed last round when bowled out for only 118 and supporters can expect better days ahead.
Portland Tigers v Casterton District
HENTY PARK will host this clash and Casterton District is desperate to regain winning form if it hopes to finish in the top four.
The Maroons started the summer with five undefeated rounds, but then lost its next four games before winning in round 10 and gaining a draw in round 11 when it appeared likely another loss was on the cards, before wind eventually ended the game prematurely.
Portland Tigers batted well against Gorae-Portland last round to post 7-206 only for the opposition to hunt down the target in the final over.
Tyrendarra v Portland Colts
TWO of the best teams the competition has to offer will go head-to-head, as Tyrendarra takes on Portland Colts at Tyrendarra Recreation Reserve.
The Darras have been flying high all season long but weren’t afforded the chance to add another win to the tally last weekend, as their game against Macarthur was called off due to excessive wind.
Meanwhile, Colts’ 2024 didn’t get off to the start they would’ve wanted, defeated by College despite a strong performance with the bat.
The key will be greater potency with ball in hand, as they weren’t able to take the necessary wickets to keep their opponents under wraps on the weekend.
