While there is plenty of anticipation towards the hit-out, just as many eyes will be on the weather forecast as rain hit Ballarat hard on Thursday and with more expected in the coming days.

If the two-day match does go ahead, it bodes as a pivotal encounter for the two sides.

Mt Clear skipper Darcy Thomson said his side was eager to get one back against the Hawks after the early-season twenty20 defeat.

Thomson said there had been a strong focus on the batting in the lead-up to the key match.

“They got one-up on us in the twenty20 and there’s a good chance we’ll come up against them in finals so we want to get them back,” Thomson said.

“If we can get one back now and then hopefully later in the year get a win when they get a loss, that would be handy. But you can’t think too far ahead, we’ve just got to do what we can.

“We really need to work on our shot selection. Last week should not have got as close as it did. We made it a lot harder than what it should have, just by shot selection.

“We know that our batters are going to have to work really hard to get runs out there.”

Thomson said while there had been much work on the batting during the week, clearly its execution with the ball would be just as telling.

“We’re going to have to bowl well and not give them those freebies that we’ve been leaking too much this year. When you’re playing the top sides, you can’t afford to give them those freebies because they hurt you a lot harder than the lower teams do.”

Mt Clear will go in with an unchanged first XI.

As East Ballarat, it is looking at the clash as an opportunity to test itself against one of the league’s top sides in the longest format.

Captain Josh Brown said he was hoping to get out and play, despite the not so encouraging forecast.

He said there were elements the side could take from its twenty20 victory earlier in the season, even though the formats are completely different.

Regardless, this would provide a huge test.

“It would be good to play them in a two-dayer, I think that’s what you judge your season on, playing the best teams in the two-dayers,” Brown said.

“Yeh, you can (take something from a twenty20 game, leading into a two-dayer)...we’ll take the good bits out of it. You can take little things from it, but you know what you’re going to get from a lot of them.”

James Nichols and Brad Whittaker will return to the side while Oscar Pryor is unavailable.

BROWN Hill and Wendouree will lock horns in another crucial clash.

The Bulls have lost four of their past five matches and consequently slipped out of the top four – after being on top of the ladder in the early stages of the season.

Wendouree is also under pressure to stay in touch with the top four.

The regular finals team is a game outside the top four, with this match set to have a big say on its finals aspirations.

DARLEY will be looking to repeat the feats of its twenty20 clash with Golden Point.

The Lions were too good on the day for the reigning premier, a victory that makes up a four-game winning streak it is currently enjoying.

The Pointies have not lost since then and will be looking to further enhance its standing in the top four.

NAPOLEONS-SEBASTOPOL will be seeking its first victory when it hosts North Ballarat.

Equally, North will be wanting six points in order to remain in touch with the top four – currently a game outside.

MEANWHILE Ballarat-Redan will take on Buninyong.