Freshly-mown outfields, liniment, sunscreen, linseed oil and of course the unmistakable pong of unwashed whites, forgotten after last summer’s final game and driven to the bottom of the kit bag, whether out of frustration or jubilation, where they’ve marinated all winter.

Yep, almost unbelievably, it’s cricket season again.

It doesn’t seem like it was almost seven months ago that Orange City just about swept Orange District Cricket Association’s senior ranks, but here we are, although the opening round has already been washed out.

We’re in Orange, what did we expect.

Even so the pre-season’s been busy and former Orange skipper and absolute never-was MATT FINDLAY has the low down on all five of the ODCA’s top grade sides.

Boots, crampons, ice axe, carabiners, head lamp, ropes, oxygen tanks, sherpas….

Don’t worry, you haven’t just opened Mountaineering Weekly and you’re not going crazy either, this is most definitely a cricket column.

But that is a list of what, from the outside, it looks like the Warriors might need to pack in their kits leading into the 2018-19 summer because, simply, the size of the mountain they’ll have to scale to defend last summer’s title is bordering on Everest proportions.

That may sound harsh, but consider this first.

The Warriors were heading into this weekend’s first round with a side that included just five of that which downed Cavaliers in last year’s grand final, with decider MVP and the club’s player of the year Taylor Beatty one of those not turning out.

READ MORE: Tough act to follow: Morrish to lead Warriors' effort to back up stunning 2017-18 summer

Tim Low, Brad Johnson and Nathan Rosser aren’t expected to play either.

Those four combined for a total of 1069 runs last summer and took 32 wickets as a group as well.

That equated to 46 per cent of the Warriors’ total run tally in 2017-18 and 26 per cent of the side’s wickets as well – see where I’m coming from now?

Of course it’s not dire straits because newly-appointed skipper Ed Morrish, title-winning captain Craig Rogan, perennial run-pumper Shaun Grenfell, young gun Lachie Coyte, the experienced Shaun Churchill and rock solid seamer Brett Causer are all still there.

READ MORE: Beatty produces MVP effort to finish off stellar season in Warriors’ premiership

Western Zone quick Jackson Coote isn’t named this week, but will return in the coming weeks too. Morrish has the luxury of calling on players that won second and third grade premierships last summer and the club has some boom juniors too, so there’s plenty of reason for promise.

But it’s still a drastically new-look side, under new – although very capable – leadership, so it looks likely it will take some time for the greens to click.

Don’t get me wrong, they’ll be there or thereabouts come season’s end, but what’s that old saying?

Oh, yeah – it’s tough to win a premiership, but it’s even tougher to defend one.

LAST SUMMER: Premiers

GAINS: Nil

LOSSES: Taylor Beatty, Tim Low, Brad Johnson, Nathan Rosser

THE INSIDE WORD: “Last year was a pretty incredible season, but the battle now is to try and back that up this year with some new faces” – skipper Ed Morrish

PREDICTION: Third

The maroons look like they’re in a pretty good place coming into the summer.

They've kept largely the same side that, against the odds for me, progressed all the way to the decider and but for a ridiculous showing from Taylor Beatty probably would’ve won that game, and with it the Challenge Shield.

Chris Brown is an omission from that side but former Wagga Wagga Sloggers spinner Mitch Black has linked with the club and from all reports the bloke can play.

While Brown was solid without being outstanding last summer, earning a Plan B Regional Bash nod is a fair indication of a player’s chops so Black looks an excellent replacement and provides Cavaliers another spinning option.

READ MORE: Maroon’s the new Black for Cavaliers’ boom, finger-spinning recruit

Crucially, kids like Bailey Ferguson, Hudson Izzard, Hugh Middleton, Alex Wiegold and Cam Laird are a year older and more developed physically and mentally, while the likes of Ryan Kurtz and Wes Lummis are firmly established in the club now too.

They're all positive signs, but I haven’t addressed the biggest factor to Cavaliers’ success just yet.

I’m not talking about Josh Doherty either.

The reigning ODCA player of the year will front up and he certainly does have a tough task in backing up last summer’s efforts – for the record, I don’t think he quite will but he will have another good season.

READ MORE: The real MVP: Doherty the destroyer crowned the ODCA's best after incredible season

I’m talking about veteran tweaker Brad Wright, Corben confirmed mid-week he won’t play this summer.

Wright’s saved the maroons on countless occasions in the last few seasons with both bat and ball, often acting as a massive thorn in their rivals’ sides, and the hole he’ll leave in terms of experience and leadership will be just as tough to fill.

Although he’s not quite as imposing as the likes of Richie Venner or Stu Middleton, a Cavaliers side without Brad Wright is still much less intimidating.

LAST YEAR: Runners-up

GAINS: Mitch Black 

LOSSES: Chris Brown, Brad Wright

THE INSIDE WORD: “We've got five blokes under 20 and three of them (Hudson Izzard, Hugh Middleton and Cam Laird) have been picked in the CHS side so we'll look for them to play a bit more of a role and not just make up the numbers” – skipper Matt Corben

PREDICTION: Runners-up

Prepare to see a very, very new-look CYMS side this summer.

The green and golds have lost a plethora of their biggest names from last summer, with the likes of two-time premiership-winning skipper Hamish Finlayson, Peter Gott and Joel Crosswell all moving on.

Stalwart Matt Baker has moved down to skipper second grade while Mick Hannelly and Mitch Winslade have moved to Sydney for university too, although the two latter may return to play in the holidays.

Although CYMS were far from the force they had been in previous seasons last summer – largely due to constant chopping and changing due to availability – the sheer amount of experience they lose will hurt, a lot.

But it also provides the chance for a fresh outlook and approach, and you could say a rebuild is afoot at the club.

Chris Novak will take the reins from Finlayson and he says those holes will largely be filled with the club’s juniors and deserving lower graders of recent seasons, while another English import has landed in wicketkeeper-bat Sonny Day-Tennant too.

What those winds of change also offer is the chance to get that much-needed consistency in terms of the side’s make-up week-in, week-out, and that so often translates to results.

For the most part CYMS’ camp has been pretty quiet in the pre-season and although the ins and outs are now clear, they still remain a bit of an unknown.

Time will tell how they fare, of course, but a lot of the side’s potential success will come down to whether those incoming players can handle the step up to the top flight.

LAST SUMMER: Third

GAINS: Sonny Day-Tennant

LOSSES: Hamish Finlayson, Matt Baker, Peter Gott, Joel Crosswell, Mick Hannelly, Mitch Winslade

THE INSIDE WORD: “We’ve got a younger group this year, a lot of guys that were in second grade last year will step up and we’ll look to build on their experience this summer” – new skipper Chris Novak

PREDICTION: Fourth

I’m not sure I’ve ever written this in the past, but Centrals look every bit the team to beat right now.

They finished last in 2017-18 but, as cliche as it sounds, that wasn’t a real reflection of the red and blacks as a side, certainly not the ability in their ranks anyway.

They let a few results slip mid-season and had issues posting decent scores, but the signs were there and they did show what they were genuinely capable of a handful of times.

They’ll be far better for that season together, regardless of those results.

READ MORE: Centrals given kiss from a Rose as former Kinross skipper comes into fold

They’ve lost Dan Sandford and the lack of his metronomic seamers leaves a hole, but it’s one former Kinross and NSW Schoolboys quick Fletcher Rose and former Australian under-16 rep Mitch Harvey will more than fill.

Anyone in and around the ODCA is no stranger to Rose, he has bucketloads of potential and if he gains the consistency he’s lacked a bit at times in recent seasons there’s no reason he can’t be the competition’s premier quick.

Harvey has been away from the scene for a while, but even so, as a skiddy left-armer he was as tough a prospect for batsmen as any in his heyday and as they say, it’s like riding a bike.

Jake Pauletto returns full-time as well after battling a knee injury last summer, and with Dean Turner, Nick Dunlop and Nathan Gander all in the fold too, I’m thinking Centrals are the side to watch.

But that’s it, and only if, they can find some much-needed consistency.

The red and blacks play reigning premiers Orange City in Saturday’s opening round, at Wade Park.

LAST SUMMER: Wooden spoon

GAINS: Fletcher Rose, Mitch Harvey, Cam Rasmussen, Ed Dodds

LOSSES: Dan Sandford

THE INSIDE WORD: “We play Orange City first-up, I know they’ve lost a few players but even so knocking off the reigning premiers would be a huge thing for us in the first round” – skipper Daryl Kennewell

PREDICTION: Premiers

Retaining players once they’ve finished school has always been Kinross’ biggest battle, but it’s one they look to have somewhat overcome this summer.

Charlie Greer and Angus Cumming will both turn out for the side again this season and although they won’t be available until late October once they’ve landed back from England, it’s a huge boost for what will be a young Kinross outfit.

Especially since Fletcher Rose has moved to Centrals.

Ben Ronald, the school’s new Master in Charge of Cricket, will also act as a player-coach for the side and provide a nice little experience boost, and Stu Crisp is expected to front again too.

The likes of Will Luelf, Max Powell, Alex Brien and Sam Ridley are four exciting, young players that club coach Andrew Litchfield says will have more responsibility put on their shoulders, although Powell is sidelined for the opening part of the season after knee surgery.

For the most part they’re all positive signs but until Greer, Cumming and Powell are back, the Kinross will field a very inexperienced side, so the early stages of the season look to be the most crucial.

A win or two during that period could make or break their season, while early losses may just be too much to come back from once their stars return.

LAST SUMMER: Fourth

LOSSES: Fletcher Rose, Cam Rasmussen, Ed Dodds

GAINS: Ben Ronald

THE INSIDE WORD: “It’s a pretty young side we’ll have, but having Charlie (Greer) and Angus (Cumming) play out a second season post-school, once they’re back, will really bolster the ranks” – Kinross club coach Andrew Litchfield

PREDICTION: Wooden spoon

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