FOUR games in round 13 of the Hamilton and District cricket Association (HDCA) A grade competition will shape the finals aspirations of eight teams which are still in mathematical contention to reach the finals.

The other two games feature teams who cannot make finals and the teams are playing for not only pride but also the future, as they search for combinations and team balance for next summer.

St Andrews v Tyrendarra

ANY match that features the top two teams in a competition is always going to earn match of the round status, and this is no different this round, as second-placed St Andrew’s hosts run-a-way ladder leader, Tyrendarra, at Clem Young Oval.

The Drews are the only side this summer to defeat the Darras this summer after gaining the points in a one-day game back in round three, when the dreaded Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method stopped Tyrendarra from another victory.

Tyrendarra may well be tired for the game after a Sungold Cup T20 campaign yesterday, which may give the home side a slight edge.

The Drews will be bolstered by the return of Latham Wishart, Taine Morris and Liam Walsh, but will lose Jacob Hill, Simon Hatherell and Josh Nield which means the home side is still to play a game with its best 11 players.

Looking at these two teams on paper, Tyrendarra appears to have the edge with both the bat and the ball, as the Drews fall away in its batting order after number four, but those top four are all in sublime touch with three registering in the top 10 run getters for the season.

They will be tested by a Darras attack that boasts the least number of runs conceded in the competition, while taking the second most wickets of all teams.

These teams play their own version of ‘BazBall’ with Tyrendarra scoring at 4.7 runs per over and the Drews at 4.04 runs per over, while each team takes a wicket every 30 balls.

These figures say that the sides are evenly matched, but St Andrew’s is 25 points adrift of the Darras on the ladder and is the outsider for the game.

Casterton District v Gorae-Portland

JUST as first and second are meeting in this round, so too are third and fourth, as third-placed Gorae-Portland travel to Island Park 2 to tackle fourth-placed Casterton District.

The home side has regained its spot in the top four after going through a form slump that saw the side lose five games in succession, after it started the summer with an undefeated run in the first five games.

Gorae-Portland was not expected to be among the finalists when the season began, but the side has performed brilliantly to date and victory here will all but secure a finals spot.

Nick Wills has his team performing as a unit with both bat and ball, and he has led from the front as skipper, while getting great support from Finn Saurine, Stephen O’Brien, and Sam Roberts.

Casterton District must utilise its home ground advantage to defeat the visitors, otherwise that top four finish may disappear.

Rick Killey, Carey Megaw, Jacob Edwards, Logan Gibbs and skipper, Kaden Humphries, must be at the top of their respective games to ensure the home side gains the points.

Grampians v College

ONLY 10 short months ago these two teams met in the 2022-23 A grade final, but move forward and both teams sit outside the top four with three rounds remaining to rectify this anomaly, starting with this game at Dunkeld Turf.

College is seeking a rare threepeat of Dundas Cup victories this summer, and that goal will all but disappear should the Eagles lose this game.

Likewise for the Pumas if they should drop this match, as they need to win all remaining games and hope for other results to go their way if they are to play in late March.

College chased a rare outright victory last Saturday and only came up three wickets short, while Grampians battled all day to dismiss Macarthur 18 runs shy of the target.

Both teams are expected to be at full strength with College utilising its pair of spin bowlers, Adrian Burn and Ross Milne, to full effect, while Grampians need Carl Joyce and Daniel Jones to be supported by the rest of the attack if they are to claim the win.

Portland Colts v Macarthur

PORTLAND Colts will host Macarthur on the turf wicket at Henty Park in what could prove to be a pivotal clash for both sides’ finals chances.

With Colts currently fifth and Macarthur in seventh, a win for either side will ensure they remain well in the hunt, while a loss could prove devastating for their hopes of making the top four.

Both teams suffered tough losses last round with Colts going down to Tyrendarra and Macarthur failing to reach the target set by Grampians.

With over 510 runs to date and the top spot on the competition run getters list, Colts skipper, Luke Evans, is the key player for both sides.

Colts need their skipper to continue his great form, while Macarthur needs to dismiss him early to apply pressure to the rest of the order.

When the teams met in the shorter format game back in round three, the game was washed out, but Colts were leading at the time of the rain arriving.

Hamilton v Pigeon Ponds

DAHL Turf is the venue for this meeting between two teams that cannot reach the top four but are looking to build for next summer.

It was only two rounds ago that the sides met in the one-day format with Pigeon Ponds winning via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after a storm swept through and forced the game to be abandoned.

Oscar Newell will again play for Hamilton on permit from Hamilton North, and the young Englishman did well against the Pigeons in round 11, grabbing 2-19 to be the best of the Hamilton attack, and he will be looking forward to playing on a natural surface.

Hamilton needs its younger players to take the next step in their development and start to produce higher scores with the bat and bigger bags of wickets, as Anthony Read, Nic Cullinane and Cameron Templeton will not always be in the side to carry the load.

Hamish McCrae is leading from the front for the visitors this summer, batting at number three in the order and taking the new ball to good effect.

Peter Staude is playing his usual opening batsman role well and Jack Beaton is bowling brilliantly with the new ball, but the rest of the side needs to lift performance and this game will be one the club eyes as a victory.

Portland Tigers v South Portland

THE two Portland sides which have struggled the most thus far in the 2023-24 season will go to battle at Hanlon Park when Portland Tigers hosts South Portland.

The Tigers weren’t too far away from toppling Casterton District in their match-up last week and will be hoping that a solid showing in a loss can translate into a win on the board in this game.

Meanwhile, after starting the season in a reasonable position at 3-3, South Portland has well and truly hit a rough patch, losing their last five games to sit one spot ahead of the Tigers in 10th place.

While both sides are out of the finals picture at this stage, there’s still plenty on the line in this local rivalry.