Orange skipper Daryl Kennewell didn’t hide his disappointment and frustration after his side was gifted a victory to finish Mitchell Cricket Council’s President’s Cup, thanks to Lithgow forfeiting Sunday’s final round clash at Riawena Oval.
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News that Lithgow wouldn’t turn out for Sunday’s dead rubber – neither side could push for a spot in the final – thanks to “not having enough players available”, as Kennewell put it, filtered through on Saturday evening and came on the same weekend Mudgee forfeited to Bathurst.
“Yes it’s a dead rubber and I’m sure Lithgow didn’t want to travel, but you just do it, you know. These guys were in the final of the Twenty20 Cup, so I can’t really see how they’d be struggling for numbers that badly a week later,” Kennewell said.
“It’s frustrating and it’s disappointing, because it was our last game of the summer as well and everyone was keen to try and finish on a high.
“Honestly, I can understand Mudgee forfeiting a lot more than Lithgow but it does look bad when it happens on the same weekend. Mudgee struggled in the early parts of the competition too, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. It’s unfortunate though.”
Lithgow’s forfeit amplifies the need for discussion surrounding the relevance of the President’s Cup in its current format, a debate brought back to the table by Mudgee’s forfeit last Friday.
Kennewell, like many others, said he’d support it returning to its old format – a single weekend carnival in Bathurst, at the beginning of the season.
“I was having a think about that after the news of Mudgee forfeiting came through, and I think I’d be in favour of it going back to one weekend at the start of the summer,” the Bluebaggers’ skipper said.
“It’d certainly be easier for us to field a stronger team and the same team over a weekend rather than having it played out over the whole summer.
“I think it’d also give the Mitchell guys more of a chance to push for Western Zone selection too.
“I wouldn’t agree with the President’s Cup being used as the Twenty20 trophy though, it should stay as 50-over cricket. There’s room for both, I think.”