KINROSS has gone, ORC has returned and the finals series has been expanded to a five-team format, but you can expect more of the same epic battles and individual brilliance in the 2021-22 Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket season.
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Orange City will line up as defending premiers, but they have labelled this coming campaign as a rebuilding period, so it poses the question, can they repeat that effort or will there be a new champion?
Last season's runners-up St Pat's loom as favourites, but there are plenty of skippers with finals cricket in mind and with the expanded format, it presents greater opportunity.
Before the first deliveries are bowled and first shots played, we take a look at the 10 teams who form part of this season's BOIDC competition and their title chances.
BATHURST CITY REDBACKS
SINCE the revival of the BOIDC competition finals cricket has eluded Bathurst City, but skipper Joey Coughlan feels that will change this season.
Redbacks' squad features five members of the team that won the 2016-17 Bathurst District Cricket Association first grade grand final, others who have settled into the top side since then and sprinkling of talented juniors.
"This is sort of the year where we are now really looking to have a crack at finals. Last year that was a goal but we were still sort of rebuilding," Coughlan said.
"We are a bit more balanced this year with age and mature heads and with the talent and more experience of the younger fellas, they're not just raw, we can ask them to do a fair bit more this year and hopefully they can bring it."
Redbacks will play all but two rounds in Bathurst and Coughlan hopes that will be an advantage for his side.
"It will be interesting to see what happens with no Sportsground and I don't think we've got a single game at Wade Park. So we've got a lot of games in Bathurst, that could be key for us," he said.
CAPTAIN: Joey Coughlan.
SQUAD: Joey Coughlan (c), Mark Day (vc), Ben Orme, Tom Lynch, Craig Townsend, Cohen Schubert, Jarrod Urza, Clint Moxon, Jacob Pepper, Oliver Simpson, Liam Cain, Blake Kreuzberger, Connor Whale, Susamon Saha.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ben Orme.
"If he can play every game this year, It would be Ben Orme. He's coming towards the end of his career but he's the most talented cricketer I've ever played with," Coughlan said.
"He's just cricket smart, his sense on the field is second to none and if he has a big year, we'll go close to winning the comp."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Fifth.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Fifth.
CAVALIERS
FOURTH place might be good enough for some, but not for Cavaliers.
The normally dominant outfit were far from their best last season, but skipper Matt Corben expects that to be a one off as he once again gears up to lead a title chase.
"Our goal I think is to continue to progress from last season. I don't think we were anywhere near our best form with both bat and ball last season, but somehow still managed to scrape into the four," he said.
"Now finals are five, we'll be looking to make that top five, but looking to put some more consistent performances on the board.
"Since getting back after the lockdown it's been pretty good. We've got good numbers at training and competitive battles between bat and ball. We've got good numbers which means competition for spots which is always positive."
CAPTAIN: Matt Corben.
SQUAD: Matt Corben (c), John Warrington, Hugh Middleton, Bailey Ferguson, Cam Laird, Wes Lummis, Harry Pearce, Mitch Black, Kyle Buckley, Hugh Britton, George Cumming.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Harry Pearce.
"He's coming back from the last couple of seasons where he had shoulder injuries. He's back bowling equal to or better than before those shoulder injuries," Corben said.
"So he's been a really challenging prospect in pre-season training, so he'll look to continue on with that come the season."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Fourth.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Third.
CENTENNIALS BULLS
THEY have a new look captain and while he's not setting the expectations too high, Kyle Aubin is hoping to cause a few upset with his young Centennials Bulls team.
Bulls finished last season in seventh but had a solid end to their campaign, going undefeated in their last fourth games. That included a draw against minor premiers St Pat's Old Boys and an away win over finalists Cavaliers.
Centennials is a fairly young side compared to other BOIDC teams and while that might present a challenge, Aubin is looking forward to causing a few headaches.
"It's a fairly young side this season, which is what I like, with a bit more enthusiasm in the side," he said.
"There's not really any big expectations. Hopefully we can cause a few upsets here and there and just be competitive like last year, which is kind of the goal."
CAPTAIN: Kyle Aubin.
SQUAD: Kyle Aubin (c), Kurt Toole, Blake Aubin, Tom Siede, Tyler Horton, Dan Bryant, Michael Hutchinson, Troy Oxley, Eshan Ahmed, Peter McCleary, Zane Newham, Nathan Maher.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Tyler Horton.
Aubin has labelled Tyler Horton as the player to watch and is hoping he'll hit a few more runs than last season.
"If he stands up, it'll be good for our team because when he played well a few years ago, our whole team played well," he said.
"He probably didn't score as many runs as he would've liked last season, but hopefully he can get back to his form that he can be at."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Seventh
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Seventh
CENTRALS
THEY have brought back largely the same side as last season and only time will tell if that consistency will pay off for Centrals.
One thing that is different is the man in charge, with Ed Dodds taking over as captain. He is looking for his side to be more aggressive in how they go about things.
"We're now doing about two or three trainings a week and everyone's coming down and we're starting to look as good as you can for the start of the season," he said.
"Making finals, I think everyone has the same goal. Last year I think most games we were only about 30 or 40 runs off. We just need to start winning a lot of crucial games and I think it's definitely on the table for us, it's doable and it's definitely our aim to be in the top five by Christmas and continue on from there."
CAPTAIN: Ed Dodds.
SQUAD: Edward Dodds (c), Max Powell, Cameron Roberts, Cameron Rasmussen, Jack Dodds, Graeme Judge, Adam Shepard, Daryl Kennewell, Colin Starkey, Zac Reimer, Arron Chaseling, Rowan Dray, Kyle Nonnimaker, Kurt Gander, Angus Norton, Adam Danielson, Nic Dunlop, Jake Pauletto.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Zac Reimer
"Every year, mister consistent in our team is Zac Reimer," Dodds said.
"He always seems to get two or three wickets a game and it's always handy to have that players that you can rely on."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Ninth.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Ninth.
CITY COLTS
NEW skipper and the 2020-21 BOIDC player of the year Russell Gardner wants City Colts to go all the way this season.
After enjoying a stellar return to Bathurst last season, Gardner replaced Dan Casey as the captain of Colts. He is determined to do better than their sixth placing last summer and he's thinking big picture.
"We're in it to go all the way, if you would like," he said.
"We certainly put in every effort to get a result and if we can do that, we can put ourselves in a mix come the end of the season."
CAPTAIN: Russell Gardner.
SQUAD: Russell Gardner (c), Dan Casey, Josh Toole, Henry Shoemark, Pat Hill, Garth Mangan, Nick Babcock, Dave Rogerson, Dave Henderson, Tom Murray, Oliver Shoemark, David Giorgio.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Watch this space.
Gardner wasn't able to pick one player to watch, as he admitted there was a number of players that could step up and perform on their day.
"I wouldn't like to identify a particular player because I think we've got a number of players that can step up and perform really well and shine," Gardner said.
"I guess my role to provide everyone with that opportunity to do that.
"I'm hoping to not only be surprised, but delighted with the progress individuals will make. To me, it's all about the team progressing."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Sixth.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Eighth.
ORANGE CYMS
MOST would agree that it will be an uphill battle for CYMS to make the top five this season.
They've managed to grab a few young guns to bolster the batting ranks, but will it be enough for Hugh Le Lievre's men?
"The goal for me and the club is to take a step forward from last season. I think that we weren't as consistent as I'd liked for us to have been," the captain said.
"I would like to see us really fighting each game and really taking it to the better teams this year. We were certainly outclassed playing most of the teams that played finals last year and I thought that our ladder position reflected where we're at.
"I think that being around the mid table mark would be great for us and I'm not going to say any expectations around finals or anything like that, because if that was to happen that would be great. I would like to see us being super competitive. I think if our best players perform consistently and our younger guys show some improvement, based on last season we'll be super competitive."
CAPTAIN: Hugh Le Lievre.
SQUAD: Hugh Le Lievre (c), Dave Neil, Peter Gott, Tom West, Rory Daburger, Tom Belmonte (vc), Mac Webster, Charlie Tink, Aqwinder Dhillon, Jeron Sijo, Jonty French, Tom Wilson, Ben Bartlett, Nick Murphy and Harry West.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Mac Webster.
"He performed very well last year for Kinross and came around third in the Orange player of the year category as well," Le Lievre said.
"He's scored a BOIDC 50, taken a rep five-for for Cowra and still hasn't left school yet, so I think he's one to be reckoned with because he's always in the game be it with bat, ball or in the field."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Eighth.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Sixth.
ORANGE CITY
IT has been called a rebuilding year by many, but when you're a defending champion the pressure will always be on.
Brett Causer will be leading the charge for Orange City this season and despite losing a few talented players, he still believes they have enough firepower to challenge for the finals.
"We've obviously got a bit of a rebuild happening at our club at the moment," he said.
"Everyone plays to win the comp and I'd be lying to say that we weren't still playing for that, but our aim is to make sure we are thereabouts come finals time so we can play in those playoffs and when you get to five it's a different competition."
CAPTAIN: Brett Causer.
SQUAD: Brett Causer (c), David Boundy, Blake Weymouth, Shaun Grenfell, Shaun Churchill, Edward Morrish, Fletcher Rose, Jarryd Seib, Nelson Shepherd, Katie Letcher, Angus Cornish, Shaun Kirby, Brad Johnson, Nathan Rosser, Tynan Southcombe, Glenn Robinson.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ed Morrish.
"I'm going to have a no-brainer here and say Ed Morrish," Causer said.
"He wasn't supposed to be playing this year. He's had a bit of a re-think over the off-season, so he's coming back which is fantastic.
"It's been really interesting talking to him and seeing what he's like because he wasn't keen at the start and then he was only going to play as a batsman and now he is back doing all the rep stuff again and the last week at training I've seen that little glint in his eye.
"He's up for a big one I think. He doesn't have the pressure of captaining so he can just go out there and play some free cricket."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Champions.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Fourth.
ORC
THERE is so much unknown around the ORC squad.
Of course they've welcomed back plenty of talent in the likes of Dave and Wayne Sellers, while Trent Fitzpatrick, who captained the Tigers in Bathurst second grade last season, brings plenty of experience.
There's also some talented juniors that have jumped from St Pat's Old Boys across to join the Tigers, such as Hamish Siegert - who will likely open the batting - Ben Cant and Hugh Parsons.
Dave Sellers, who will skipper the team this season, said the older heads will play a big role in nurturing the younger faces at the club.
"We've got quite a few younger guys coming through. They've played a lot of cricket together, so that'll put them in good stead, but obviously it's a big step up from second grade," he said.
"We've got a few blokes coming back. Myself, Wayne, Tim McKinnon. Trent Fitzpatrick is still there and we've all won comps before, so there is a bit of experience there as well."
CAPTAIN: Dave Sellers.
SQUAD: Dave Sellers (c), Hamish Siegert, Wayne Sellers, Ben Cant, Ethan Muller, Trent Fitzpatrick, Thomas Judge, Tait Borgstahl, Justin Stephenson, Tim McKinnon, Jacob Ryan, Angus Daymond, Fletcher Norris, Ricky Webb, Hugh Parsons.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Wayne Sellers.
Dave Sellers has heaped the pressure onto his brother Wayne in the lead up to ORC's return to BOIDC.
"I'd put that onto my brother Wayne. He's probably the best in the team. He's played Wranglers and Western Zone stuff," he said.
"I'm putting the pressure on him whether he likes it or not."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Did not play, Bathurst second grade premiers
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Tenth
RUGBY UNION
IN the run to last season's BOIDC finals, Rugby Union looked one of the strongest teams in the competition.
The Bulldogs ultimately finished third, but they proved they can be a real title threat.
They also won the Bonnor Cup, defeating BOIDC premiers Orange City in the final of the Twenty20 competition by 29 runs.
With basically the same team from last season, plus the inclusion of former Penrith cricketer Lachlan Coad, Bulldogs will be a force once again in the 2021-22 season.
Rugby Union captain Ryan Peacock believes there's no reason why the team can't go any further.
"I don't see any reason why we can't emulate what we did last year," he said.
"I think especially in the white ball stuff and the Bonnor Cup, I just don't think there's any reason why we can't go all the way."
CAPTAIN: Ryan Peacock.
SQUAD: Ryan Peacock (c), Lachlan Coad, Brad Glasson, Evan Jones, Oliver Newton, Tyson Newton, Tim Powell, Imran Qureshi, Jameel Qureshi, Percy Raveneau, Brad Rayner, Jeremy Thackray, Sam Macpherson, Hugh McIntyre, Aidan McBurney, Phil Tonkin.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Sam Macpherson.
Peacock believes Macpherson - a former Bulldogs skipper - will have a big season.
"I think Sam Macpherson had a pretty good season last season," he said.
"I think with a few more white ball games this season, I think that might play into his hands a little bit."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Third.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: Second.
ST PAT'S OLD BOYS
THEIR rival Bathurst clubs have labelled St Pat's Old Boys as the premiership favourites, so no doubt the pressure will be on them.
But St Pat's captain Adam Ryan has that a premiership in mind too - he is determined to make amends for last season' grand final defeat to Orange City.
"We want to go one better," he said.
"That's what you play for. You want to challenge yourself against the best and you want to be the best. If we consolidate on what we did last season and go a step further, that would be unreal.
"Early in the season, we'll aim for a finals spot and we'll give ourselves that chance at the end."
While last season's minor premiers have had some members of their squad depart, they have welcomed back Nic Broes, a formidable player with both bat and ball.
CAPTAIN: Adam Ryan.
SQUAD: Adam Ryan (c), Nic Broes, Bailey Brien, Cooper Brien, Andrew Brown, Connor Slattery, Derryn Clayton, Joshua Willcox, David Cant, Angus Parsons, Jack Goodsell, Mitch Taylor, Matt Fearnley.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Bailey Brien.
While Broes will no doubt be a big inclusion for St Pat's, Ryan believes Bailey Brien is to fire given has impressed in pre-season training.
"I feel like it's going to be a hard season for our players to win individual accolades, so I feel like it's going to be a lot of contributors across the park," Ryan said.
"Early season, looking in the nets, I'm feeling Bailey Brien is going to be one of those players that will have a really good season. He's another one of those players that does the extras in the off-season.
"In the past few years, he's really cemented himself in the first grade side and he got a call-up to Western last season. Watching him in the nets so far in pre-season, he looks more confident in what he wants to do."
LAST SEASON FINISH: Runners-up.
PREDICTED 2021-22 FINISH: First.
ROUND ONE DRAW
- Cavaliers vs City Colts at Wade Park
- Bathurst City vs Orange CYMS at Morse Park 2
- Centennials Bulls vs Orange City at George Park 2
- Centrals vs Rugby Union at Riawena Oval
- ORC vs St Pat's Old Boys at Morse Park 1