ROUND six of the Hamilton and District Cricket Association (HDCA) A grade competition starts today, as the season reverts to the long format games and the clash between second-placed Tyrendarra and third-placed Macarthur is the highlight of the round.

Tyrendarra travels north to Macarthur Recreation Reserve to battle the locals knowing that top spot on the ladder is on offer, as ladder leader, Portland Colts, has the bye this round.

Neither team has tasted defeat this summer and the four-point gap on the ladder can be put down to the washed out round one match between Macarthur and St Andrew’s.

The game is being played on a synthetic surface and will see the batsmen from each team excel with the predictable pace and bounce.

On these surfaces, the batsmen tend to get themselves out rather than the bowlers, as there is little movement from the surface to undo a batsman.

Each team is full of stars and there doesn’t appear to be any weak links in either team with the batsmen all performing well, and the bowlers claiming plenty of wickets.

Portland Tigers v St Andrew’s

FOR the second game running, St Andrew’s will make the trip south, this time to battle Portland Tigers at Hanlon Park after the Drews took care of business against South Portland last week.

Tigers had last Sunday off due to their game with Pigeon Ponds being postponed due to the bushfire that engulfed the Ponds district last weekend, so they will be roaring to go against the Drews today.

Yet they are far from being a two-man team with Llewellyn Oakley also scoring runs at the top of the order, along with Procter for the Tigers and skipper, Will Oakley, also doing damage.

Bailey Walsh and Latham Wishart have been the best with the ball for St Andrew’s, and Josh Nield will come back into the side after missing last Sunday.

Hamilton v Pigeon Ponds

DAHL Turf will host this match after the covers failed to stem the water that inundated the venue last Sunday morning in the early hours, causing the Hamilton-Gorae-Portland game to be switched to the neighbouring hard wicket.

Historically the surface has been good for both batsmen and bowlers and the opening batsmen for the team that bats first must be prepared to place a very high price on their wicket and not be tempted to hand it over cheaply.

A 50-run opening stand last Sunday was the highest for the summer to date for Hamilton, with Xavier Stevens alongside A grade debutant, Nick O’Brien.

Of course, they will be tested when they face the likes of Jack Beaton, Hamish McCrae, Simon Close, and Anthony Close.

Anthony Read is getting better and better with every passing game, as the veteran leg spinner continues to weave his magic around opposition batting orders.

Peter Staude and Simon Close scored centuries the last time they batted, and both are in stunning form, while Michael Close can tear a game away from the opposition in the space of four or five overs.

Gorae-Portland v College

VICTORY finally found its way into the Gorae-Portland dressing room last round when the team took the points home with them against Hamilton, but College will pose a much different proposition at Alexandra Park today.

It’s another game that will be played on a synthetic surface with batsmen from both teams enjoying the pace and bounce that comes with these surfaces.

College opening batsman, Charles Murrie, missed out against Portland Colts last Sunday and will no doubt be looking to regain his form against the home team, while Adrian Burn continues to score freely in the middle order while taking wickets with his wily spin bowling.

Nick Wills has been outstanding for Go-Ports with both bat and ball this summer, sitting second on the runs list.

He has been the player the rest of the order has batted around, and if the Eagles can dismiss him cheaply, they will go a long way to keeping the home side in check.

Tahara v Grampians

TAHARA hosts Grampians at Tahara Recreation Reserve this afternoon and the Blue Caps will be seeking to post their second win of the summer, while the Pumas are searching for a top four finish.

Grampians had last weekend off for the bye due to the local races, but Tahara ran headlong into reigning premier, Tyrendarra, and came away with a greater respect of what is needed to get to the top of the competition.

Taine Morris has posted scores of 70 and 40 in his last two innings and is the one Tahara top order batsman who is in form, while Brad Gaucci, Sam Brewer, and Marcus Rhook are all capable of playing match-winning knocks.

The bowlers are performing well, and Luke Barnes is near the top of the wicket takers list for the competition, while Morris grabbed five wickets against St Andrew’s and Nathan Slaughter has shown great improvement in his last couple of outings.

Donald Collins is the star batsman for Grampians and as the captain he leads his team of youngsters very well.

Collins can call on the experience of Carl Joyce and Justin Coote with the ball, while Joyce holds down the number four spot in the batting order.

Zach Burgess is scoring freely at number three and is producing his best summer to date, offering Collins great support in the middle.

Casterton District v South Portland

ISLAND Park Turf will host this game which features two teams on the wrong side of results last round.

The Maroons have a two-two win-loss record and sit just under seven points out of fourth spot, while the Demons are yet to taste victory this summer despite being in good positions in all its games.

The home side is expected to be without Logan Gibbs who suffered a hamstring injury last Sunday against Macarthur, which may well keep him on the sidelines for a few weeks.

His absence will mean that more of the workload with the ball will fall to Jacob Edwards, Carey Megaw, Rick Killey, and Kaden Humphries.

South Portland skipper, Scott Martin, is leading the way with the willow for the Demons and along with Tighe Warburton and Karsen Edwards, the trio is scoring the vast majority of the teams’ runs.

The rest of the top order must stand up and assist these players with posting targets the bowlers can defend.