HAMILTON and District Cricket Association A grade round 13 resumes today with all games still in the balance, as those teams that have finals in their sights seek maximum points with only two rounds remaining in the jostle for a top four position.
St Andrew’s v Tyrendarra
LADDER leader, Tyrendarra, faces, its toughest test of the 2023-24 summer when day two of the round 13 clash with St Andrew’s gets underway at Clem Young Oval.
The Darras will be looking to hunt down the 281 runs required to defeat the Drews after the home side posted 8-280 on day one, with the top three in the batting order all registering half centuries.
The turf wicket at Clem Young Oval did give the new ball bowlers assistance with variable bounce and lateral movement, but the batsmen rode their luck and came out on top.
Tyrendarra has been the best team this summer and they lead St Andrew’s by 17 points on the ladder with the Drews sitting second and looking to secure its finals spot with victory here.
The Darras are in the middle of a very busy playing period for the side with another weekend where Saturday and Sunday games are drawn.
Two weeks ago, the Darras had the regular Saturday fixture then the quarter finals of the Sungold Cup T20 competition on the Sunday, then last Friday the side won the Sungold Cup and backed up on Saturday, and this weekend they have to play Saturday and then follow up with the one-day final tomorrow.
For players not used to such game time, it becomes fatiguing, and the schedule must start to take a toll on performances across the three different formats.
Cam Mather and Lachie Kirk have given the team solid foundations on which to build the innings at the top of the order, while Sam Wilson is an attacking batsman who will cause damage batting at number three.
Jordi Withers has struck form with the willow in the new year, so his wicket is key to the Drews’ chances of bridging the gap at the top of the ladder.
The home side needs Latham Wishart, Josh Nield, Taine Morris, Bailey Walsh, Brendan Huf, and Russell Elton to hunt wickets as a unit and put the visiting batsmen under pressure with every ball.
This is a litmus test for the home side, as the visitors are the best team in the competition and victory will put a dent in the Darras’ armour heading to finals and give the Drews a mental edge if the sides should meet again come March.
Grampians v College
DUNKELD Turf was surprisingly tough to score runs on last Saturday, as College was dismissed for only 139 after Carl Joyce delivered career-best bowling figures of 7-41 to dominate the Eagles’ batting order.
The visitors struck back late in the day to oust Will Collins for only two, as the Pumas’ leading run-getter fell cheaply which will now test the depth of the home side’s batting stocks.
Grampians finally has its best possible 11 players on the field for a game and there is depth all the way to number nine, and even the last two in the order are no slouches with the willow.
The worry for the Pumas is that many of the players haven’t played much of late, so there is no indication of whether they are in form or not, but no doubt they will give their best for the cause.
College captain, Charles Murrie, will be looking to Jordy Anthony, Lachy Watt, Lachie Brown, Jack Kruger, Russell Bennett, and the spin twins, Ross Milne and Adrian Burn to get the job done with the ball in hand, as the visitors look to defend a below-par score.
Milne and Burn have been excellent for the past four round, dominating the opposition bowling in tandem and not only taking wickets but also restricting the run rate.
The Eagles cannot make mistakes today with so few runs on the board, but the taking of wickets regularly will make the 139 seem a lot further away.
Grampians is almost out of finals contention but do have a slight mathematical possibility of reaching fourth spot, while College cannot afford to lose, as it would make the Eagles’ final chances all but disappear.
Hamilton v Pigeon Ponds
VICTORY is staring Hamilton in the face at Dahl Turf this afternoon with the home side requiring only 36 runs against Pigeon Ponds to record only its second win of the summer.
Pigeon Ponds collapsed against the new ball bowling of Hamilton captain, Cameron Templeton (6-25), and Anthony Read (3-25) who deceived with his leg spin bowling.
The visitors will have a change of personnel this week, as Michael Close and Hugh Douglas come into the side with Douglas strengthening the attack as a past A grade premiership player with Byaduk, while Close will maintain even more pressure in the field.
Xavier Stevens will resume on 45-not-out and will be looking to carry on making as many as possible, while the likes of Nic Cullinane, Read and Oscar Newell are all capable of scoring freely.
Even though Hamilton only requires 36 runs, Pigeon Ponds are still alive in this contest and could yet claim the points, but early wickets are critical to the visitors’ hopes.
Casterton District v Gorae-Portland
BOTH Casterton District and Gorae-Portland could end up sitting on the second rung of the premiership ladder tonight if they gain victory in this game and St Andrew’s fails to defend its total against Tyrendarra this afternoon.
Go-Ports skipper, Nick Wills, won the toss and elected to send the Maroons into bat on their own turf wicket, and the home side was cruising at 3-148 as the top order batted solidly without being exceptional.
Kaden Humphries has been leading his team from the front this summer, with his middle order runs vital for the Maroons’ success.
He came to the wicket at 3-74 and was finally out with 188 on the board, adding 74 of the 114 runs scored while he was at the wicket.
The final tally of 234 came from 67.4 overs as the home side made the sin of not batting out its allotted overs, but it did allow the opening bowlers to have a quick burst at the visitors’ opening batsmen who managed to see their team to stumps with all 10 wickets in hand.
Finn Saurine and Sam Roberts will resume with six runs on the board this afternoon.
Logan Gibbs, Jacob Edwards, Carey Megaw, Humphries, and Rick Killey must contain the batsmen today if they want to see the points stay in Casterton, while Go-Ports have a batting order that is more than capable of hunting the target down, with Stephen O’Brien, Finn Saurine, Wills, and Sam Roberts all in good touch with the willow.
The visitors bat deep into its batting order, so for Casterton District to reverse the earlier season result between these teams, the Maroons are going to have to bowl ball after ball on the spot to create pressure on the Go-Ports batsmen.
Portland Colts v Macarthur
PORTLAND Colts will resume on 0-15, and with a target of 225 ahead of them will be looking to bat out most of the day in order to secure victory against Macarthur at Henty Park.
The Demons’ bowling stocks are capable of restricting the home side but will need early wickets to make inroads into the Colts’ batting order.
Portland Tigers v South Portland
WITH Portland Tigers having already secured a first innings victory against South Portland at Hanlon Park – and currently ahead by 51 runs – the focus now will turn to if they can earn the first outright victory of the 2023-24 season.
To do so, the Tigers would likely look for a lead of over 100 before sending South back in to bat with hopes of dismissing them for a second time before stumps on day two.
