It wasn't the result he was after but Bluebaggers' coach, Frank Weymouth 'couldn't be prouder' of his young side in the wake of a nine-wicket loss to Dubbo on Sunday, a force that he marked as 'the benchmark' of the Western Zone Competition.
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It's been a tough campaign for Orange so far as it's failed to win throughout two matches, falling to Bathurst in the opening assignment, and now Dubbo in round four.
But, it's not all doom and gloom for the men in blue... in fact, Weymouth has a rather optimistic approach. And why wouldn't he?
After all, this team has been thrown into the deep end with a very raw roster.
"The average age of this team is 19," Weymouth said.
"Throughout the first two games, not a single one of these blokes have given up or stopped trying.
"The side [Dubbo] we played on Sunday was a cracking team... that's where we want to be in three years."
Weymouth spoke heavily about the progression he hopes to see the side make in the next few seasons as the players who are now 17-18 years old will be entering their prime then.
And even though there's a stack of optimism within the side, Weymouth admitted that the side lacks experience.
"Ed Morrish and Hugh Le Lievre anchored the ship for us on Sunday but I wish there were more experienced guys like them who would put their hand up," he said.
"I'd love a Matt Corben in the side... he's the best keeper in Orange, he's one of the best sticks in Orange, and he's been one of the leading cricketers in town for a good while.
"Emus and City run a very good show."
"But, when these blokes are unavailable, what can you do?."
That's the issue the outfit has faced throughout this campaign as a host of rep-ready athletes have withdrawn from the competition leaving a group of talent, but inexperienced guys to carry the load - with the exception of Le Lievre and Morrish, the former turning one on in round four with a team-high knock of 57.
"If we can keep this group together, we're going to have a very strong side," he said.
"But, I could not be prouder of the team right now. The commitment they showed was sensational and they're truly playing for each other."
Orange is scheduled to host Parkes at Riawena Oval in round five and Weymouth is welcoming the inclusion of any and all new faces.
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