Those are the three focuses of the Veteran’s Cricket NSW Over-50 State Championships as 20 sides from across the state flood into town this weekend. 

The championship is building on the success from the National championships, which were held over the Easter long weekend in 2018, which was hosted in Orange, Bathurst and Molong. 

While this year’s tournament will include the Canobolas Cougars, a composite side with veterans of Molong and Orange cricket, the biggest addition to the carnival in its third year will be an exhibition Twenty20 game on Saturday night. 

Veteran’s Cricket NSW secretary Mick McCormick said the Twenty20 was built off a meet and greet event which the sides traditionally hold on the night before the carnival for sides to come together and meet. 

In a similar vein to the Western NSW Junior Cricket Carnivals, the exhibition game will be thrown open to one or two members from each outfit travelling to Orange, which will be split into a city side and a bush side. 

McCormick said wrangling the sides together wasn’t an easy task, with plenty of older bodies looking for one last night of preparation before three days of cricket. 

The invitation was extended to each of the coaches and managers, who – despite most of them playing – was taken up. 

“It’ll be a City vs Country game and it’s worked out quite well that the Sydney sides with Illawarra and the Central Coast guys making up the city side,” McCormick said.

“There’ll be a trophy to make it more interesting.” 

This is the first time Orange has hosted the state championships, but after the experience with Cricket Australia running the national championships, top-tier seniors’ cricket has returned to the colour city. 

Molong’s Dr Ross Oval and Bathurst’s George Park will host games alongside eight grounds in Orange. 

Ten sides will take part in division one, including the Cougars, while another 10 will feature in division two. 

The Western Wildfire will also return, with a side featuring players from Bathurst and Lithgow to line up in division two. 

“We’ll have three Australian over-50s players so the standard will be quite good,” McCormick said. 

“Holding the championships in the country is a great way to get people in regional areas involved in over-50s cricket – a lot of the Sydney guys have regular competitions but for these other guys they might play once or twice a year.” 

Several NSW sides to travel to Perth in November will also be picked from the three days of play. 

Championships kick off on Sunday, running through to Tuesday.