IN the lead up to the weekend's action Rugby Union captain Ryan Peacock confidently stated that if his side turn up to play at their full potential then the team deserves to be considered one of the lead contenders, alongside St Pat's and Orange City.

Those words carry a lot of merit following the demolition job Rugby Union - and more specifically, Sam Macpherson - carried out on the Warriors at Wade Park.

Macpherson's five wicket haul kept the hosts well short of the target and took Rugby to an early two-from-two record.

You never want to be too reactionary at an early point of a competition but will this be the game that catapults Rugby into the 'team to beat' slot?

It's hard to argue that such a title doesn't belong to St Pat's Old Boys, given the way they've started their season as well, but Rugby's two great team performances have them knocking at the door.

MATT Corben is, deservedly, enjoying plaudits for his game-winning effort of 98 not out against Bathurst City over the weekend but the Cavs bowling attack has sent out a message over the first two games: We're going to be a headache for the rest of you.

George Cumming (4-17) came in to clean up the Redbacks middle and bottom order after Hugh Britton and Harry Pearce wore down the top end.

Kyle Buckley was on target in his first stint of BOIDC bowling this season and Joel Thomas, who jumped up into first grade on Saturday, had excellent economy.

Cavs didn't even have one of the competition's top spin talents, Mitch Black, on hand for Saturday's latest game.

And in the opening round success against City Colts not a single batsman, outside of Henry Shoemark, had an answer for for Cavaliers attack, with a well-rounded performance from the entire lineup.

SATURDAY'S breakthrough success for ORC is going to be one massive confidence boost.

Taking the jump into BOIDC was going to push a young Tigers squad but their final over success against Centrals let's everyone know that the team has the potential to be a problem.

It was expected before the season that ORC's bowling unit was going to do most of the damage but the Ben Cant and Trent Fitzpatrick partnership showed that there's batters in the team capable of building up momentum.

ORC will be one of the most interesting teams to follow over the course of the two-dayers. They have some youth and fitness on their side but do they have the maturity and patience to craft a complete two-day performance?

THE upcoming two-day fixtures will be the opportunity Centennials have waited for to try and get things on track, after going down in their opening two games of the campaign.

Minus Kyle and Blake Aubin on Saturday, Bulls had no answer for a Colts team who were in their element in the big-hitting one-day cricket environment.

Bulls won three of the five two-day fixtures that reached a result last season, and there's nothing to suggest that they would be any less comfortable in the longer format this time around.

Centennials went undefeated over the last three two-day games of the 2020-21 season, and two of those games were victories over Cavaliers and CYMS.

IT'S only a small sample size, but in the early stages of the season it's been the away teams enjoying the bigger share of joy.

Four of the five games over the latest round were won by the visiting squad and across the two rounds completed so far the home side's win rate is a measly 30 per cent.

Home teams did end up with a better overall record in 2020-21, but will that be the case again?

But here's a fun facts for the statistics lovers: The home team was undefeated at Morse Park 1 in all seven games last season - but both hosts have lost this season.

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