WESTERN'S Bradman Cup campaign might not have ended in success on Friday afternoon in Newcastle but with three wins from seven matches there were still reasons for the boys in blue and red to smile.
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Central Northern handed Western an eight wicket defeat in the closing game as they comfortably chased down a target of 54 but in the previous two days of action there were far more brighter moments for the team.
Fletcher Hyde (57) and Harry Roscarel (53) put on a second wicket century stand on Wednesday to help Western reach 9-220 from their 50 overs, and figures of 4-34 from Roscarel with the ball helped his side keep their opponents 68 runs short of the target.
Things got even better for Roscarel in Thursday's big win over hosts Newcastle when he hit 121.
This time it was Riley Keen (80) who came along for the ride with the bat, with the pair putting on 155 together for the fourth wicket, leading to a final total of 2-291.
Tyson Deebank (4-26) did the damage with the ball for Western as Newcastle were stopped 49 runs short.
Roscarel's century was a huge highlight for a Western side who will take plenty away from their experience at Newcastle.
"We were definitely very happy for him and it was really exciting to get that win," Bathurst representative Liam Cain said.
"The games that we won were the games that we batted out all our overs and where we were able to build our partnerships."
Friday's game was an unfortunate way for things to end for Western.
Bathurst District Cricket Association player Kayne Veney (13) was the only player to reach double digits with the bat.
Extras, at 15, would be the top scorer in the innings.
Roscarel would still end his tournament with an average of 53.83 from seven innings.
Keen's pair of half centuries would see him the next best of the Western batsmen with 30.17.
Deebank's 10 wickets put him at the top of the Western list with the ball while Cain had the next-biggest haul with six.
Cain's father, Stephen, believed the team should be proud of the fight they showed.
"In previous carnivals Western have come away with no wins but they've come away from this one with three wins from seven games. That's not a bad go," he said.
"If they had won today they would have ended up coming third in the competition so I think that's a really good effort from the boys."
ACT Southern District were undefeated champions.
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