With his side still in a position to potentially win both, Orange skipper Daryl Kennewell is hopeful last weekend’s Mitchell Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup win will act as a catalyst for success in the President’s Cup and the Western Zone Premier League too.
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Kennewell’s Bluebaggers picked up their second title in the T20 competition’s three-year history on Sunday afternoon and he said while it’s a big box to have ticked, his outfit’s 2018-19 job certainly isn’t done.
Although they’ve already locked up a spot in the President’s Cup final on February 24, their last preliminary game against Bathurst this weekend doubles as a premier league clash, a vital one in terms of the Bluebaggers’ decider dream.
Sitting third on the standings, Kennewell’s side must down Bathurst to have a hope of featuring in the premier league grand final on February 17, although they’re relying on Cowra to take down Dubbo too.
“We’ve been working towards getting a solid bunch of guys together regularly for a couple of seasons now and that’s happening, which I think transferred into results in the T20 Cup and I do hope that pushes us in the other competitions,” Kennewell said after Sunday’s win.
“Even though it was a different format we’ve proven we can beat Bathurst now, I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it again this coming weekend.
“They’re obviously a good side and they’re still a chance for [the President’s Cup and premier league finals] as well.”
In terms of the President’s Cup a Bluebaggers victory at Wade Park this weekend would actually, potentially, knock Bathurst out of the race.
That does rely on the Blue Mountains knocking off Lithgow, but the Cattle Dogs did so in the opening round of the T20 Cup so it’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.
On the premier league front Orange trails second-placed Dubbo by one point, with competition leaders Parkes a further three ahead and all but guaranteed a place in the decider despite having a final-round bye.
Kennewell admitted his side made it tough for themselves with their round two hammering at the hands of Parkes, but conceded the Bluebaggers simply weren’t ready for the conditions they faced at Woodward Oval.
“We just weren’t ready to go to Parkes,” Kennewell said.
“I think we underestimated how hot it was going to be over there and we let that get to us on the field, it was tough but we needed to be better prepared.
“We’ve learned from that and now for the rest of the summer we’ll make sure we’re completely fit and ready to go before these big games.”
Kennewell also alluded to a potential end to his representative career after this summer, although he certainly wasn’t trying to use that to motivate his troops in any way.
“I’m not saying I’m definitely finishing but I do think we have to have a [succession plan] or it might set us back from the hard work we’ve done the last few years,” Kennewell said.
The likes of Cavaliers skipper Matt Corben would be an obvious choice to lead the side into the future should Kennewell end his time in blue, while Orange City captain Ed Morrish is a regular in the outfit too.
Orange is expected to name its side for this weekend’s massive clash with Bathurst midway through the week.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
