The last round before Christmas of the 2021-22 Hoggies Wines Barber Shield shapes up to be an early present with three cracking games starting this Saturday.

Wins before the festive season break are like gold and with ladder positions so close, each result could have a bearing on who makes the final four at summer’s end.

Penola, East Gambier and West Gambier are all locked at the top of the ladder with three wins each, while Mil Lel, South Gambier and North Sportsman’s are on level playing field for the coveted fourth place.

Two of the leading protagonists, the Roos and Eagles will do battle for top spot at McCorquindale Park.

It will be the first two-day contest between the foes since November 2019 after last summer’s affair was abandoned due to a COVID-19 enforced lockdown.

In the previous red ball clash the wickets tumbled with 26 falling for just 338 runs, while the Eagles took home the chocolates by the skin of their teeth.

The highest individual score from a Penola player was just 28 from gritty opener Lewis March.

Current captain Mark Smith made a duck due to an Oliver Miles screamer, while his opposing number Richard Crute struck a gutsy game-high 44.

The last two one-day games have been evenly shared with the previous contest going to the Roos by just four runs.

However, runs should flow off the bat much more easily this weekend as two century makers go head to head.

George Kidman and Connor Prior might be at different stages of their careers, but they both compiled match-winning hundreds in tricky run chases last Saturday, but the latter may only play on the opening day.

With so many classic battles in recent years both captains are fully aware of what is at stake.

“West is a really good side and the history between us is great because we seem to have some very close games, so I am sure it will be another even contest,” Smith said.

“It is a dangerous game for us and I am confident we will give it a crack.”

“They have match winners throughout their bowling and batting line-ups, so it will be another good test for our team,” Crute said.

“I think we will match up pretty well and obviously the more early wins before Christmas the better for us.”

Fresh from its unexpected maiden win of the season against ladder leader East Gambier, Mil Lel suddenly sense the opportunity to reach finals for the first time since 2013-14.

The big reason behind the club’s rise is its improvement with the willow as at least one individual has scored a half century in each innings, while the team has surpassed 200 in the last three games.

The key to Mil Lel’s success with the bat has been the destructive William Rowland, who is the only man to score more than 200 runs this season at an average of 60.

But last round Josh Smith stole the show with a century of his own highlighted by his aggression against spin, while Nick Walters offered strong support.

The game was cleaned up by Logan Smith’s vicious swingers which any batter would struggle to play.

Jack Miller’s men have also developed a strong bond forming a tight huddle after each wicket and session.

“We have sent a message, but still need to get a couple of wins under our sails,” Miller said.

“We have been waiting for red ball cricket for so long and it is good to see everyone clicking together.”

Mil Lel now flies into its battle against South Gambier with plenty of momentum.

The Demons on the other hand are on the back foot following defeats to West and North and are desperate to score a win from three successive home games.

Bulk runs have been missing from South’s scorecards as Daniel Loupos is the leading run scorer with 95 runs at 23.

North Sportsman’s has suffered an uncharacteristically slow start to the summer with only one win under its belt.

Strangely, the Tigers attack featuring names such as Nick McInerney, Declan Kenny and Tim Young is the least productive with the ball, but it faces the least prolific team with the bat East Gambier.

However, the Bulldogs’ low scores have mainly sourced from chasing small totals, but their batters were badly exposed by the swinging ball at Frew Park.

North only has to rewind eight days to think back to skittling East for 91 in the Big Bash opener.

But the yellow and black must be weary of the competition’s leading wicket-takers Liam Turley and Alex Hentschke.