MITCHELL Cricket Council disciplinary, disputes and protest (DPP) committee decided Mudgee will go unpunished for fielding an over-age player, and Orange coach Andrew Litchfield said his players must accept the decision whether they agree with it or not.
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“I spoke to Terry Ford (Mudgee 21s manager) about this recently, and I don’t think either of us thought it would come to a head like this,” he said.
“If the player has genuinely marked his birth year wrongly, then Mitchell has made the right decision. I trust Terry, and the MDCA’s take on it. We all do this in a voluntary capacity and no one can sit and go through it all [registration forms] to check everything. There is a certain faith put in everyone.”
Litchfield said Orange had put themselves in this position (missing out on the right to host the major semi-final) anyway.
“We lost to the Blue Mountains, a game we should have won,” he explained.
“If we win that game, there is no issue. Travelling will make it harder, and I think a few boys are unavailable. But whatever 11 we put on the paddock will represent Orange well.”