BIG game experience was on show at Clem Young Oval on Saturday, as St Andrew’s hosted Tyrendarra in round 13 of the Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade competition, with the home side rattling up a formidable 8-280 from its allotted overs.

Russell Elton won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket that was an unknown quantity after the Drews curator had problems with his roller, and after Tyrendarra had spent a taxing day at the T20 finals in Warrnambool the day before.

Brendan Huf, Michael Fitzpatrick, and Damien Logan posted big runs against Pigeon Ponds the previous round and the trio did so again against the Darras.

The surface gave the bowlers new ball assistance, but Huf and Fitzpatrick battled through and added 71 for the first wicket from 24 overs, giving the side a solid start before Fitzpatrick was caught by Darren Killmister from the bowling of Jake Wilson for 50.

Logan walked to the middle and was bowled from the third ball he faced but the bails lifted from the grooves in the top of the stumps only for the bails to fall back on top of the stumps and not fall to the ground, so the batsman was reprieved.

That piece of luck allowed Logan to post 80 (to add to his 93 from the previous round), and along with Huf (72) took the tally along to 167 before Huf fell to the bowling of James Williams, just as a century seemed likely.

Darryl Fry (38) joined Logan and the pair carried the score to 237 when Fry was bowled by Ben Menzel, and when Logan followed him back to the pavilion only 12 runs later, the Tyrendarra bowlers grabbed 5-31 late in the day as the home side chased late runs.

Killmister was the pick of the visitors’ attack with 4-66 from 24 overs, but he had support from Menzel (2-50) and the rest of the attack.

Hamilton v Pigeon Ponds

HAMILTON is on the verge of posting only its second victory of the summer after a great first day at Dahl Turf saw the home side finish the day on 1-67 after dismissing Pigeon Ponds for only 102.

Cameron Templeton led from the front, as all good captains do in claiming 6-25 from his 17 overs following Ponds skipper, Hamish McCrae’s decision to bat first at the toss.

The visitors only lasted 45.2 overs, as the wickets tumbled to the experienced duo of Templeton and Anthony Read (3-25), with the Blues refusing to allow the batsmen to gain a foothold and post a tally that the bowlers could defend.

Only Anthony Close (36) made a worthwhile contribution at number six, although three other players reached double figures.

With 28 overs to bat, the home side batted well to reach 1-67 at stumps with Xavier Stevens finishing unbeaten on 45 when the umpire called time for the day.

The Pigeons tried seven different bowlers, as they searched for more wickets, but only Close could trouble the batsmen, removing Jake Lang for 10 after he and Stevens added 51 for the first wicket.

With only 36 required for victory and nine wickets in hand, Hamilton will be confident a win is in sight.

Grampians v College

DUNKELD Turf hosted this must-win match between the two teams that squared off in the 2022-23 grand final with Carl Joyce grabbing career best bowling figures of 7-31, routing the College side for only 139.

It was a cautious start from the visitors after winning the toss and electing to bat first, with Charles Murrie and Jock Barrie adding only 14 from the first eight overs, as Joyce and Daniel Jones delivered a diligent line and length that tested the batsmen.

Joyce struck a double blow with the last two balls of his fifth over, as he had Murrie (seven) caught by Justin Coote and then next ball he trapped Jack Austin LBW, and the visitors were 2-14.

The bowler missed the hat-trick with the first ball of his next over, but grabbed a third wicket in four balls, as he had Barrie (six) clean bowled and followed that up with a fourth wicket in Hamish Bailey (three) only two overs later to have the Eagles reeling at 4-22.

Riley Alexander and Ross Milne were left with having to revive the innings and added 56 for the fifth wicket before Milne (21) lost concentration and holed out to Jones from the bowling of Joe Sutherland.

Adrian Burn joined Alexander and took the tally to 100 before being bowled by Joyce and becoming his fifth wicket, and when Alexander (59) fell with 116 on the board, the end was near for the Eagles.

Joyce carried on and finished with 7-41, as College was dismissed for only 139, but the home side had to bat for four overs before stumps and the vital wicket of Will Collins (two) fell to Lachie Watt to leave the Pumas at 1-5 at stumps.

Casterton District v Gorae-Portland

ISLAND Park turf wicket is hosting this clash between the fourth-placed home side and the third-placed visitors, with a spot in the top four all but assured for the victors.

This game is going to be a battle right from the start and the hosts were asked to bat first by Gorae-Portland after Nick Wills won the toss.

With Rick Killey not available for the first week, that may have been the reason that Wills sent the opposition into bat, as Killey is the best player in the Maroons team, and not having his contribution to the score may hurt the prospects of Casterton District.

Ben Holmes (29) and Oliver Foster (11) saw off the new ball until the first ball of the 15th over, when Holmes was caught by Ryan Gadsden, as Wills broke through for Go-Ports.

Foster (11) and Carey Megaw (14) followed with only 74 on the board, as the visitors fought back, but Jedd Rhook (23) and Kaden Humphries came together and returned the balance of the game in favour of the home side with a 74-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Humphries carried on and scored 74, as the skipper led from the front, but when he walked from the middle with the score at 7-188, the Maroons were in danger of not posting a target the bowlers could defend.

Kane Forbes (30-not-out) played his natural game, as he punished the bowlers and he and Jacob Edwards (13) added 43 for the next wicket to ensure the visitors must make in excess of 230 next week to win.

It was Thomas Roberts with his great spell of leg spin bowling that ran through the batting order and kept the Maroons from posting a target far out of reach, claiming 5-45.

Gorae-Portland had to bat for four overs to see out the day and Finn Saurine (four-not-out) and Sam Roberts (two-not-out) saw the visitors to stumps without losing a wicket.

The inclusion of Killey will be vital next week, as his spin bowling will be a major attacking weapon for the Maroons, while Go-Ports will be aiming to secure a finals place with a victory away from home.

Portland Colts v Macarthur

PORTLAND Colts’ skipper Luke Evans produced a fantastic display of bowling at Henty Park, finishing up with six wickets, as his side bowled out Macarthur for 224 before getting to 0-15 at stumps.

The game was evenly balanced early, with Evans and company keeping themselves in the game with some top order wickets, while Macarthur’s batsmen were able to create some decent partnerships.

Charlie Summers’ knock of 64 was key to putting Macarthur in a strong position through the middle order, however Evans was able to continue to find the right areas and get wickets.

Eventually, Macarthur was bowled out for 224, with Evans finishing up on 6-32 from 16.5 overs, while Mat Belden (2-36), Oscar Barbary and Matthew Payne also got in the wickets.

Openers, Alister Stannard and Glenn Hollis, got Colts off to a decent start and will resume next weekend on 0-15 with a further 210 runs required for victory.

Portland Tigers v South Portland

PORTLAND Tigers has secured a dominant first innings victory over South Portland, bundling the visitors out for 51 runs before making it to 5-102 at Hanlon Park on day one.

The Tigers won the toss and elected to send their opposition in to bat, a decision which paid dividends in the very first over, as Craig Blackberry had Scott Martin caught with South yet to trouble the scorers.

The situation continued to improve for the Tigers, as Blackberry and Llewellyn Oakley also claimed wickets early.

A partnership between Harri Dennert (15) and Tighe Warburton righted the ship for a brief period, before the Tigers’ newest recruit, Gerard Kissane, along with Joel Hollis were brought into the attack.

With each picking up three wickets apiece, the Tigers cleaned up South’s middle order, and while Paul Drew and Jamie Ross occupied the crease for the 10th wicket, eventually South was all out for 51.

Hollis (3-6 from seven overs) and Kissane (3-7 from seven overs) were nearly inseparable in terms of who was the Tigers’ best bowler on the day, while Blackberry (2-19), Llewellyn Oakley and Will Oakley also picked up wickets.

A half-century at the top of the order from Ben Atwell ensured the Tigers got over the line comfortably, as Paul Procter (20) and Blackberry (16) chimed in with some solid performances.

The Tigers will resume next Saturday at 5-102 with Kissane and Nik Oakley at the crease, with their hopes set on consolidating their position and potentially going for an outright victory.

South will take some consolation in their solid bowling performance to close out the day, with Tighe Warburton picking up 3-35 from 12 overs, while Eamon Drew (1-2) and Dennert (1-15) also picked up wickets.