Due to plummeting air quality and the ongoing bushfires around the state Orange District Cricket Association postponed Friday night's Royal Hotel Cup fixture between Lithgow and Bathurst City, with the new date yet to be decided.
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The ODCA executive made the call early on Friday afternoon after the Air Quality Index rated Orange's air at 1588, which is significantly higher than the hazardous rating on the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) website.
With bushfires still burning state wide and closing in on the Lithgow region the Lightning side's ability to travel to and from Wade Park was also a big consideration in the decision, which most expected after the ODCA began monitoring the situation on Friday morning.
The ODCA sent a message of support and well-wishes to everyone impacted by the blazes, in the Lithgow region and beyond.
There looks to be little doubt the game will be rescheduled in 2020 considering it was a must-win fixture for the Lightning and Redbacks could have cemented a semi-final berth too.
The ODCA will continue to monitor conditions in Orange, particularly air quality, in the lead-up to Saturday afternoon's final pre-Christmas games.
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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.
