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BATHURST will use aggression and a full-scale bowling assault when they take on arch rivals Orange in their opening President's Cup match this Saturday.
The hosts will seek to defend the title they claimed for the first time last season.
Having defeated Blue Mountains and then Mudgee in the final of the 2008 version of the competition, Bathurst will be aiming to claim some early-season bragging rights over their neighbour in the 60-overs-a-side match.
The team charged with defending the trophy was announced yesterday with a few surprises included in the squad to tackle Orange on Saturday.
Russell Gardner will captain the team on the back of a successful 2008-09 season and will take the responsibility of opening the innings, but this time around he will have City Colts premiership batsman Greg Adams up the other end.
Adams had a brief run in the district side last season and earned his place based on 299 runs in his team's premiership push.
Overall the side has a decidedly attacking appearance.
"It is probably at the fore-front of my mind, the aggressive nature of most of these players," Gardner said.
"I'm very conscious of the way these players play and it could be what we require to win.
"Guys like Greg Adams, Chris Albon and Brendan Inwood are all capable of playing solid innings but at the same time they know how to put the bad ball away and if it is there to hit I will be encouraging all our batsmen to take advantage."
Making his return for the senior side will be right-arm quick Craig Hanrahan, who has accrued plenty of experience representing the district under 21s team, but has only made fleeting appearances for the senior side.
Hanrahan took 22 wickets at a tick over 17 last season and he will partner new-ball specialist Chris Novak, and all-rounders Dan Casey, Joey Coughlan, Ben Orme and Nathan Dennis.
ORC batsman Ben Cummings will make his debut with the side after Matt Willis withdrew due to work commitments.
Cummings has established himself in his team's top order with some good innings at the end of last season, while he has added scores of 49, 26 and 36 in two trial matches and last week's opening round of local first grade.
The rest of the batting looks strong with Gardner, Adams, Josh Toole, Albon, and wicketkeeper Inwood.
Toole made a half-century in Oxford's opening first grade match against Rugby on Saturday, and while Inwood made a duck though he did put together an impressive 41 in a pre-season trial match for ORC.
Casey and Dennis both hit centuries in first grade last season and generally score at close to or better than a run a ball, and it is this versatility through the middle and lower order that has Gardner confident of a strong showing.
"You could bat pretty much anyone in this line-up at the top of the order or down near the bottom, there is a lot of quality there," he said.
"We have tried to pick the team based on both last season's performances as well as current form. We've gone for a few line-and-length bowlers in the likes of Nath [Dennis], Joey [Coughlan] and Dan Casey and there is also a bit of extra firepower there with Craig Hanrahan and Chris Novak."
BATHURST: Russell Gardner (c), Greg Adams, Chris Albon, Josh Toole, Ben Orme, Dan Casey, Nathan Dennis, Brendan Inwood, Joey Coughlan, Craig Hanrahan, Chris Novak, Ben Cummings.