But when rain arrives at some point, the teams that make the most of the play they can squeeze in will enjoy a huge advantage this summer.

Cavaliers' rapid demolition of Kinross on day one last week ensured the ladder leaders extended their buffer on the rest of the BOIDC, despite virtually no play on the second day.

Where as, across town at Wade Park, St Pat's and City, after the Warriors batted all of day one, didn't manage to see much play at all last weekend after 28mm fell in Orange.

There was more play in Bathurst, though, and Centrals and Rugby Union both got close to wins in a tight clash at the Sportsground, but ultimately the match was drawn.

That's a result that could came back to haunt both sides, with Rugby five points adrift from the top four and Centrals now 11 points.

Nearly 140 overs were bowled in that game, and the evenly-matched sides were taking the match down to the wire.

The Western Zone colts carnival was played in Orange over the weekend, giving the zone's best under 18s players a chance to press for selection ahead of the under 18s country championship.

Scheduling it in December, during regular first grade cricket, is madness though.

Orange City lost Harry McGregor, Jarryd Seib and Blake Weymouth to the Orange rep side, in the middle of an important BOIDC clash with St Pat's Old Boys.

It can't happen in the future.

The integrity of the BOIDC must be maintained, particularly in such an important clash, and surely those under 18s players already plundering runs and taking bagfuls of wickets in top grade cricket are the ones who will be picked in a zone colts side anyway?

If a zone carnival has to be played, play it in the pre-season. There's just no sense in disrupting association cricket to run it in December.

We're a round off completing half of the 2020-21 season and I'm backing Russell Gardner to end the year as the competition's leading batsman.

Matt Corben scored 504 runs to top the charts last summer in the BOIDC's return, and in just five bats so far this season Gardner has 308 runs.

The City Colts veteran will pass Corben's previous season high with rounds to spare.

It's been a tough start to the summer for Centennials, no doubt about that.

But you get the feeling the Bulls boys would have loved watching Cameron Kerr dig in coming in at No.11 to help the club record its first BOIDC win of the season.

In his first bat of the summer, Kerr survived two balls to help Tyler Horton guide Centennials home with one wicket to spare, sneaking past Bathurst City's all-out-total of 184 to be bowled out themselves just one run the other side of that mark.

Well done, Kerr. Well done, Bulls.

St Pat's Old Boys,

The blue and whites, fresh off last week's drawn with premiers Orange City, take on fellow top four side City Colts in the final round before Christmas.

With one day cricket then resuming in the new year, Adam Ryan's men take on competition leaders Cavaliers at Morse Park 1.

Wins in both of those clashes will be huge for St Pat's - a side clearly capable of going deep in the 2020-21 premiership race, but one currently lacking a big scalp to back up that claim. There's a few opportunities in the coming rounds.