The final day of play before the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket mid-season break again delivered plenty for the highlights reel.

Cavaliers head to the break on top of the ladder and though Rugby Union couldn't get the job done against Orange CYMS, the Bathurst outfit still did enough to hold second.

ORC, Orange City and St Pat's Old Boys round out the top five after another Saturday which taught us a few things.

CENTRALS and two-day cricket - it's not been a happy relationship since the return of BOIDC but as the lads from Orange sealed first innings honours over City Colts on Saturday, it could be a sign that better things lie ahead.

Last season Centrals managed just one win across its two-day fixtures - beating a Kinross side that is no longer in the competition - while the previous summer when all games were the longer format there were only two successes.

On day one against Colts it certainly did not look great with Centrals at 7-80, but then things changed. Instead of capitulating as has happened in the past, they fought.

Centrals clawed themselves back into the contest to reach 205 then on day two backed up with the ball.

Zac Reimer led the way with 4-42 but the rest of the attack contributed too. Daryl Kennewell backed up his batting heroics with a pair of scalps while Cameron Roberts and Kyle Nonnenmacher also found joy.

It's a win that will no doubt give Centrals some confidence and may see two-day cricket become more of a love and less of a hate relationship after the mid-season break.

OKAY, so we might have already known that Mitch Black is one of the most talented spinners in the BODIC, but he gave another reminder of what a weapon he could be on Saturday.

The Cavaliers' tweaker helped his side to a comprehensive first innings wins over last season's grand finalists St Pat's Old Boys, taking 5-42 off his 10.5 overs.

It is the fifth time that Black has claimed a five-for since the revival of the BOIDC - that's more times than any other bowler in the competition.

Saturday's efforts also took his overall tally of BOIDC victims to 53 from 23 outings.

Overall Black has now taken eight wickets for the season at the impressive average of 8.88 and given he's only played two matches for Cavaliers, it once again reflects his talent with the ball.

If the former Wagga Wagga Sloggers star turns out for more games after the mid-season break he will certainly be a man rivals should be wary of.

WHEN ORC announced it would be returning to the ranks of the BOIDC competition this season, there was a big question mark over just how competitive the Tigers would be.

They had some experienced players like brothers Dave and Wayne Sellers, but would that be enough to inspire the younger talents to lift alongside them and upset more fancied rivals?

The answer it seems is yes.

While ORC did have matches against Orange City and Cavaliers washed-out and beat Bathurst City when they weren't at full strength, to reach the mid-season point sitting third on the ladder shows they are not a side to be taken lightly.

Their first innings win over Centennials Bulls was built around an unbeaten 103 from skipper Dave Sellers, but he was not the only Tiger to contribute.

His brother Wayne took 3-26 and made an unbeaten 41 against Bulls, while Hugh Parsons returned his best performance with the ball thus far with 3-32.

With Ben Cant having scored his maiden senior century representing Bathurst a week earlier in a Rod Hartas Trophy team that included fellow Tigers Dave Sellers, Hamish Siegert, Justin Stephenson and Parsons, it's another reflection of the talent in ORC's squad.

It remains to be seen if ORC can build on its impressive start, but the Tigers have certainly proved they belong back in the BOIDC's ranks.

TRYING to chase down 324 for victory - it was an assignment in which Bathurst City fell short on Saturday but they certainly did not let Orange City have it all its own way.

Redbacks skipper Joey Coughlan, Marcus Turnbull and Muditha Adikari were aggressive in the way they approached the chase at Bloomfield Oval.

Opening the batting Coughlan sent out a reminder of what he is capable of as he belted 60 off 61 in a knock that included 11 boundaries.

That same sort of intent was shown by both Turnbull (31 off 35) and Adikari (45 off 44) as well.

While ultimately not any of that trio were able to go on and make the big score that Redbacks needed to get the better of Orange City, it was still an effort to make note of given more one-dayers are on the way in the new year.

ORANGE CYMS is a side with talent in its ranks, but it is talent that has not always translated into results as the squad has struggled to have more than one or two players fire each weekend.

However, in upsetting Rugby Union in their two-day clash, the CYMS squad showed what it is capable of when things click.

On day one Jack Cale (3-13) and Thom Wilson (5-18) did a brilliant job with the ball and on Saturday at Morse Park 1, CYMS was able to back that up with the bat.

Cale made it an excellent all-round performance as he hit 58 coming in at number eight, while Hugh Le Lievre - a man so often relied upon with ball in hand - also notched up a half century.

Add to that 44 from Dave Neil and Ben Bartlett's 46 and it gave CYMS a chance to declare and chase an outright win.

That didn't eventuate, but in taking first innings honours CYMS still got a confidence-boosting victory.

The season will resume on January 15 with a round of one-day matches.

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