WILL Strathfieldsaye hang on to its spot in the top four?
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Can Bendigo push its way in?
Has Golden Square regained its spark and is about to make its charge at the finals?
These are three of the burning questions heading into the final three rounds of what has been an enthralling Bendigo District Cricket Association season.
LUKE WEST takes a look at the run home for each of the 10 teams and makes his predictions - which is fraught with danger this season - on how the ladder may end up.
1st. Strathdale-Maristians - 42 points, 1.47%.
Still to come: v Huntly-North Epsom (a); v Golden Square (h); v Kangaroo Flat (h).
The Suns don’t meet a fellow top-four team from here and play two of their last three games at home.
Sounds easy, but not necessarily.
The Suns have already lost to both Huntly-North Epsom and Golden Square this season, and beat Kangaroo Flat by just three runs in round eight.
Nine points inside the top two with a monster percentage, it would take a catastrophe from here to miss out on a home semi-final.
2nd. Bendigo United - 42 points, 1.27%.
Still to come: v Bendigo (h); v White Hills (a); v Eaglehawk (h).
Lost top spot on the ladder after a disappointing batting performance against Kangaroo Flat last week.
Host the in-form Bendigo this week in the match of the round, while they will take on an Eaglehawk side in round 12 that may well be playing for its season.
The Redbacks shouldn't slip below second.
3rd. Strathfieldsaye - 33 points, 1.06%.
Still to come: v Golden Square (a); v Eaglehawk (h); v Sandhurst (a).
There would be plenty of those around the BDCA - myself included - who have waited for the Jets to fall over this season.
It hasn’t happened, with the Jets - who have only played finals once since 2001 - sitting third.
Their credentials will be further put to the test in a massive two games coming up against Golden Square and Eaglehawk.
Put in too much hard work to let it slip from here.
4th. Eaglehawk - 30 points, 1.00%.
Still to come: v White Hills (h); v Strathfieldsaye (a); v Bendigo United (a).
Lost their past two games and now just percentage inside the top four.
Tough run home includes their last two matches both away against teams above them, Stathfieldsaye and Bendigo United.
Going to have to play well to hold onto their shaky position in the four.
5th. Bendigo - 30 points, 0.84%
Still to come: v Bendigo United (a); v Kangaroo Flat (h); v Golden Square (a).
Behind Strathdale-Maristians, the Goers are the form side of BDCA with four wins in a row.
As well as having won the Twenty20 flag, the Goers are full of momentum.
The question is can they sustain it for another six weeks against the Redbacks, Roos and Square to force their way into the top four?
They are close enough if good enough.
6th. Golden Square - 24 points, 0.99%.
Still to come: v Strathfieldsaye (h); v Strathdale-Maristians (a); v Bendigo (h).
Season was slipping away on the back of four losses in a row, but a convincing win over White Hills last round has Square back within sight of the top four.
They are one game out, but importantly, two of their last three games are against sides they are jostling for a finals berth with - the Jets and Goers.
7th. Huntly-North Epsom - 21 points, 0.88%.
Still to come: v Strathdale-Maristians (h); v Sandhurst (a); v White Hills (a).
Had the Power been able to eek out one more run against Strathfieldsaye last Saturday, they would have been within one game of the top four.
They are instead nine points out, with a tough game coming up against Strathdale, who they beat in round one, before closing out the season against bottom two sides Sandhurst and White Hills.
Need plenty to go right, but all the Power can do is worry about winning their games and let other results take care of themselves.
8th. Kangaroo Flat - 18 points, 1.02%.
Still to come: v Sandhurst (h); v Bendigo (a); v Strathdale-Maristians (a).
Two games outside the four makes it too big a gap to bridge for the Roos.
But they can still have a say on the top four when they take on Bendigo in round 11, plus they could throw a spanner in the works of Strathdale-Maristians’ aspirations of finishing on top if they upset the Suns in round 12.
Wouldn’t write the Roos off in any of their remaining games.
9th. White Hills - 18 points, 0.68%.
Still to come: v Eaglehawk (a); v Bendigo United (h); v Huntly-North Epsom (h).
Not an easy finish to the season for the Demons, with their next two assignments against top-four teams Eaglehawk and Bendigo United.
But the Demons have long run out of puff, with only pride left to play for now.
10th. Sandhurst - 12 points, 0.89%.
Still to come: v Kangaroo Flat (a); v Huntly-North Epsom (h); v Strathfieldsaye (h).
Finals are off the radar for the Dragons, but what’s left is three opportunities to try to turn around what has been a frustrating string of close losses into some wins to carry some momentum into next summer.
PREDICTED LADDER:
1. Strathdale - 60 pts.
2. Bendigo United - 54.
3. Eaglehawk - 48.
4. Strathfieldsaye - 39.
5. Golden Square - 36.
6. Bendigo - 36.
7. Kangaroo Flat - 24.
8. White Hills - 24.
9. Huntly-Nth Epsom - 21.
10. Sandhurst - 18.