With a win and a loss each after two games, the equation is exceedingly simply for the Bathurst City Redbacks and Lithgow Lightning on Friday night.
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Win, or be eliminated from the title race.
Whichever side scores a victory in Friday’s round nine Royal Hotel Cup fixture will win through to the semi-finals, joining the undefeated CYMS in progressing to the final four.
The two sides have had identical results so far this summer, they’ve both thumped Kinross and been beaten comfortably by the pool B-topping green and golds.
“CYMS outclassed us in that game, for sure, but we were also down a few key players as well, and if you take out Mick Delaney there goes 34 runs and their best bowler,” Redbacks all-rounder Joey Coughlan said.
“We didn’t have Ben Orme or Trent Hemsworth and (skipper) Matty Willis was basically playing on one leg so it’s all positive on that front coming into the Lithgow game.”
Coughlan explained Hemsworth will return to Redbacks’ line up but he was unsure of the Orme’s status, the hard-hitting former Mitchell Cricket Council all-rounder is suffering from a knee injury.
“We’ll get Trent back but we may be without Ben again, he has a meniscus tear in his knee I think,” Coughland said.
“But he made 94 on the weekend in [round 11 of Bathurst District Cricket Association’s top grade competition] so if he does play that will help.
“Mick Waldren made 83 as well, so we have guys in form coming into this game.”
Coughlan said his side will fly blind in Friday’s game, admitting “we know nothing about Lithgow”.
“Nothing at all, actually,” Coughlan said.
“Sometimes you say you know nothing but there’s a couple of players you’ve seen, I don’t even know who is in their team so they’re a bit of an unknown.
“Hopefully a couple of the other boys know a bit about a few of them, but I think we’ll just go in with similar plans to the last two games and try to make sure we execute this time around.”
Based on numbers, Redbacks’ biggest focus should be dismissing the Lightning’s powerful opening pair of Ben Sheehan and Ryan Gurney.
Although Gurney failed against CYMS, he blasted a magnificent 45 not out against Kinross while Sheehan is the Twenty20 competition’s leading run-scorer.
He smashed 53 not out against Kinross and then top-scored with 34 against the green and golds.
Friday night’s clash kicks off at 6.30pm, and is the first of three games over the next seven days.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
