SENDING IT DOWN: Trent Frazer in action for Molong, a side guaranteed a place in the Royal Hotel Cup semi finals. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 1130twenty2
TONIGHT’S Royal Hotel Cup match between Molong and Centrals is a strange one - regardless of which side wins, neither’s standing in the Orange District Cricket Association day-night Twenty20 competition can change.
Molong are locked in as one of Pool B’s semi-finalists while Centrals are no shot of making it.
Essentially, the eight points on offer means nothing tonight.
So, with each side entering its final pool game of the competition with nothing on the line, how will Molong, arguably the form side of the Twenty20 competition with two wins from two games, approach the Centrals clash.
“No different, I don’t think,” Molong skipper Trent Frazer said, indicating tonight’s clash will be business as usual for his side.
“I’d say Centrals will be wanting to put a score on the board. They’ll come out firing but we’ve just got to do what we’ve been doing well and that’s get some runs and go from there.”
When Frazer says Molong - a side made up of teams from Cudal, Manildra and three Molong-based teams - will go into tonight’s game with the same mind-set as they have their last two, he’s essentially saying the boys are going out there to have fun.
It’s a simple formula, but an effective one for Molong.
“Exactly. We don’t get the chance to play together very often so it’s been a lot of fun,” he said.
Batting has been Molong’s strength at Wade Park this season.
Luke Wood hit 84 not out in his side’s four-run win over CYMS.
Frazer has also batted well, hitting 25 in the same game before belting an unbeaten 74 in Molong’s six-wicket win over Kinross.
The skipper said while his side’s batting had been the standout, there was still plenty of improvement to do in both the bowling and fielding departments.
For Centrals, fielding is also an issue.
Finishing runners up in the 40-over format of the Royal Hotel Cup last summer, Centrals haven’t clicked in the shorter structure competition in 2012-13 and it’s resulted in tonight’s game being a dead rubber.
Centrals skipper Jarrod Simpson said while tonight’s match might not mean anything to the Royal Hotel Cup ladder, it would give his side another chance to build.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to continue to work on our running between the wickets, fielding and bowling at the stumps,” he said.
“It’s good practice for the rest of the year.”
Tonight’s game begins at 6.30pm.
n MOLONG: Trent Frazer (c), Aaron Wilson, Nige Brazier, Brett Whites, Luke Wood, Warrick Fazakerley, Steve Fairley, Andrew Drady, Glen Miller, Chris Beatty, Joel Gough, Joe Parmeter.
n CENTRALS: Jarrod Simpson (c), Christ Hutchinson, Wes Roweth, Mark Wiegold, Dan Sandford, Dave Aldis, Matt Tedeschi, Jake Pauletto, Matt Weller, Ben Hyde, Anthony Salmon.
