Killarney and Hawkesdale will play the first of their three-fixture shield on Saturday as they work to raise awareness for Let's Talk.

Both clubs have donated $500 to the charity, while the Grassmere Cricket Association executive has equalled that amount.

Killarney president James Cole said the initiative was about cricket giving back.

He said Hawkesdale counterpart David West and the Grassmere Cricket Association "jumped on it straight away" in support.

"I basically thought it could be a good thing to do. Hawkesdale have done a bit with Let's Talk in the past and we thought it was a relevant charity for cricket," Cole said.

"We wanted to make it something that cricket can do. We deliberately didn't ask club sponsors or league sponsors to put their hands in their pockets.

"Without hesitation, Hawkesdale and the GCA were on board and Cricket Victoria and the Western Waves were committed to supporting it in any way they can."

Cole said Hawkesdale, the three-time reigning premier, would prove tough competition on-field.

"They've really been the benchmark for a lot of years," he said.

"Last year we were very average to say the least but we've had a few players come back this year which is good.

"Hopefully it's a good game. Us and Hawkesdale have some links across the board. Our captain (Brayden Buchanan) has a brother-in-law that plays there and his cousin players there too.

"A lot of our guys went to Hawkesdale P-12 for school as well. Hopefully it's a good game (on Saturday) and we can come out on top."

The second clash for the shield will take place on January 16, with the third on February 20.

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