While it was a blessing for Orange after the searing heat January has provided, Friday’s downpour proved to be the bane of the Baby Bluebaggers’ Mitchell Cricket Council colts campaign.
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The deluge late last week – which drenched Orange, Mudgee and Bathurst in almost 100ml combined – quelled any chance Orange had of regaining the title from Bathurst along with one crucial lost toss.
Orange co-coach Max Dodds labelled his troops “a gun side” in the lead-up to their tournament opener against Mudgee on the road on Friday, but rain forced the game to be abandoned after just two overs. The Baby Bluebaggers were 0-4, all wides.
With that draw in mind, Orange had to claim a victory over the Blue Mountains on Saturday to have a hope of the title and then beat Bathurst in Bathurst on Sunday to be guaranteed it.
After waiting until midday to kick off proceedings and sweating on bowling first on a damp Wade Park wicket on Saturday, Orange skipper Jack Dodds lost the toss.
The Cattle Pups sent Orange in and the Baby Bluebaggers immediately slumped to 7-33 after 11 overs. Orange fought hard, Max Dodds explained, to make it to 104 but with the wicket drying out as the day went on it was never going to be enough.
Blue Mountains chased it down with seven wickets and 27 overs in hand. The Mountains thrashed Mudgee on Sunday too, to give themselves a real hope of claiming a first colts title in a long time.
“We needed to win that toss on Saturday, it wasn’t a good one to lose because that wicket was doing plenty early on but Blue Mountains used the conditions well and we didn’t adapt,” Dodds said, highlighting Cattle Pups’ quick Jack Bragg (6-14) as a standout.
“So losing that toss certainly had an impact but we didn’t bat very well in the conditions, so we’ve only got ourselves to blame in that regard.
A big win over Mudgee would’ve really set our competition up but you can’t control the weather.
- Orange co-coach Max Dodds
“The washout on Friday is probably the more frustrating one. A big win over Mudgee would’ve really set our competition up but you can’t control the weather, as has been said so often in cricket.”
Orange worked its way to a dominant position against Bathurst on Sunday, but let it slip.
The Baby Bluebaggers had Bathurst reeling at 6-74, before Ben Parsons and Ricky Webb turned it on.
Parsons slammed 94 not out while Webb posted 39 to add 112 for the seventh wicket and catapult Bathurst to 243.
Orange fell well short in the chase, being skittled for 140.
Despite their dominant display against Orange, Bathurst were still pipped for the title by Blue Mountains on net run rate.
“We didn’t field particularly well, we had a great chance and let it slip against Bathurst. Congratulations to them though,” Dodds said.