Think back to February of 2007, the 18th to be precise, a Sunday.
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John Howard was still in office and Beyonce was topping the charts with Irreplacable, appropriately considering Australian selectors were in disarray after Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer’s simultaneous retirements the month before.
That date, a full 3,941 days ago, was also the last time Orange defeated Parkes, that Bluebaggers’ victory coming in a Grinsted Cup game on the back of a Dave Boundy seven-wicket haul.
It’s some drought, but it’s one current Bluebaggers skipper Daryl Kennewell is “very confident” his side can break in Sunday’s fourth round of the Western Zone Premier League (WPL) at Wade Park.
“That’s a long time between drinks, a very long time,” he said, after guessing 2006 was the year of Orange’s last win over the Lachlan side.
“I’m confident the blokes we’ll have on the paddock can get the job done this weekend though, really confident actually.”
A crucial factor, for Kennewell, is the fact the majority of this crop of Bluebaggers bear no scars from those 11 years of defeats.
The last time Orange played Parkes was in 2015-16, only Kennewell and Mick Hannelly remain from that side, while Nick Dunlop and Ed Morrish are the only other two to have played against Parkes in that period.
“We just play what’s in front of us, we don’t really care about that sort of thing and that’s a real positive,” Kennewell said.
“There’s a really good camaraderie among the group at the moment, a good vibe. The results haven’t been there this summer, sure, but it’s coming. We’re building to something, and I think we’ll get the job done on Sunday.”
Orange will be without Western Zone quick Jackson Coote and Cavaliers skipper Matt Corben, but Josh Doherty returns to the side and Joel Crosswell will make his debut.
“Coote and Corben leave a gap, sure, but we’ve got some good players coming in,” Kennewell said.
“It’s just about scoring runs really. We’ll always bowl well, we’ve shown that, but we need to be better with the bat, it cost us a win against Bathurst so we don’t want that to happen again.”
Kennewell did acknowledge the fact his side’s attack might have to be extra diligent this weekend though, considering Anthony Heraghty is skippering Parkes.
A former Western Zone ace, Heraghty’s record against Orange is absolutely stunning.
Since Orange’s last win over Parkes, Heraghty has blasted 511 runs against Orange at an average of 85, including two big tons.
Orange’s WPL clash against Parkes ,at Wade Park, kicks off at 10am on Sunday.
- ORANGE: Mick Hannelly, Nick Dunlop, Josh Doherty, Dean Turner, Mitch Winslade, Fletcher Rose, Charlie Greer, Joel Crosswell, Gus Cumming, Ed Morrish, Daryl Kennewell ©, Zac Reimer