As another Grades season enters its final month most of outstanding issues, at least in the top Grades, seem to relate to who will win the various knockout trophies.

Having retained the Small Clubs Cup last Sunday, Bon Accord are free to concentrate this weekend on their aspiration of making a clean sweep of all the trophies for which they are eligible, and repeating Cults’ record of going through the league season with a 100 per cent record, albeit over fewer games given that most washed out fixtures are not now replayed.

The latest team to try to upset the Bons are Banchory; while Cults, despite dropping back slightly recently, look to have a relatively easy fixture against Gordonians, whom they put out of the Aberdeenshire Cup in last Sunday’s delayed semi-final.  Bottom side St Ronald meantime face Mannofield at the Links.

At the top of Grade 2 Grammar FPs will hope to extend their league lead against 2^nd Banchory; but who goes up with them is still too close to call with Methlick looking strong favourites to beat 2^nd Kintore while Queens Cross will hope to repeat last Sunday’s Cup Semi-final defeat of Fraserburgh.

Anchorians and 2^nd Gordonians, who drew a fortnight ago, still look favourites to take the two promotion spots from Grade 3; though both face potentially tricky away games on Saturday; while at the foot Kemnay will need to beat Turriff if they are to avoid any lingering hope of going down to Grade 4 with Dunecht.

2^nd Queens Cross and 2^nd St Ronald are both in action at Sheddocksley in the increasingly tight race to secure promotion from Grade 4, ahead of the two sides’ second attempt to resolve the Johnston Cup Final at the links on Sunday – a day which also sees 2^nd Ellon take on 2^nd Methlick at Inverurie in the final of the Reid Cup, while 2^nd Cults play 2nd Banchory for the right to play Queens Cross in next week’s final of the Bon Accord Cup.

Ellon will now play Bon Accord in the semi-final of the Aberdeenshire Cup on Sunday 16^th, with commitments at Mannofield meaning that the Final is now likely to be put back to the weekend of September 5^th/6^th.