That’s what will be driving the Orange Invitational side in the Under 13 Western NSW Junior Cricket Carnival when it kicks off on Monday. 

The outfit is a development squad, with a large chunk of the side made up from the Orange under-12 side, with some bottom-aged representative under-14s scattered about for some experience and exposure ahead of trials for that age group for next season. 

They’ll be coming up against some of the best cricketers in the state, but that won’t stop coach Dan Brincat and his charges from giving it their all. 

“They’re all keen, they’re all excited and it’s going to be an exciting four days,” Brincat said. 

“Whether we go out there and get four wins or not, if they’re having fun and learning then that’s a win for us as well.” 

While he admits the tournament is “a bit of an unknown”, he knows competition will be tough.

“We’ve said to them these teams aren’t coming from all across NSW to make up the numbers or for a holiday,” Brincat said. 

“We’ll probably be the youngest side, we’ve got a few 10-year-olds and a lot of 11-year-olds, whether we win four games or none, [manager] Matt French and I have said they have four days of carnivals, 50 overs a side, it’s a great experience.” 

All the boys in the side have played on turf with Orange or Mitchell sides, but all of their Saturday cricket is played on synthetic, meaning these next four days of cricket will be a “fantastic” opportunity to adapt to the conditions. 

The 50-over matches are also double what the boys play in their Saturday games, and Brincat said it was a chance for them to learn how to grind out an innings and bat for long periods of time.

The side will be led by Matt McKenna as skipper and Johnty French as vice-captain. 

Brincat said he was was hoping the pair would “lead the rest around the park” and set the tone for the Orange side. 

“Matt’s in the under-14 representative side and will open the batting for us … and Johnty’s a good young leggie and playing on turf will give him a chance to rip his spinners. ” he said.

Considering the competition for spots at the carnival, the decision from the Orange District Junior Cricket Association to give a place to the Orange side isn’t lost on Brincat. 

“It’s a privilege to represent the town,” he said. 

“What we’ve said to them is this is an honour, lot of other players in age groups in the association could have been picked but they should be excited, and they are.”

Orange start their campaign against South Eastern at Kinross’ John Sharpe Oval on Monday before playing North West Sydney Maroon on Tuesday. 

ORANGE SQUAD – Matt McKenna (C), Johnty French (VC), Will Rodwell, James Harper, Tom Blowes, Ollie Brincat, Darcy Kelly, Toby Middleton, Will Cornish, Dan Ritchie, Harry Greenhalgh, Seth Munchall