Five things we learned from the penultimate round of BOIDC action

To get you pumped up ahead of the last day of the regular season here's five things we learned from the penultimate round's play.

IT'S something that would have been an unexpected outcome just a few weeks ago, but the order of the BOIDC top four has been decided with one round still to play.

Cavaliers will play Rugby Union in the first-versus-second qualifying final to see who will be the first team through to the decider, St Pat's Old Boys will finish third and they await the winner of the elimination final between Orange City and their fifth-placed opponent.

It will no doubt be a weight off the shoulders for all four of those sides as they look to rest up and be ready for the finals games later into the month.

Knowing where they will finish gives them the chance to rest players and also go into this Saturday's last round with no pressure on them whatsoever.

LAST Saturday Centrals beat Centennials Bulls to keep their finals dreams alive.

Now they are about to become the Bulls' biggest fans this weekend.

Centrals have a scenario that gets them the last spot in the finals and it requires them to not only beat City Colts but also for the Bulls to bring down ORC in the last round.

It's a set of circumstances that seems quite plausible.

Centrals have already accounted for Colts this season, when the latter squandered a winning position at Loco Oval in a two-day fixture.

Colts will look towards their wealth of big-hitters in a one-day situation but Centrals are a team running strong on momentum.

THERE'S only pride to play for in this Saturday's game between minor premiers Cavaliers and third placed St Pat's Old Boys but if you're going to pick one game to follow then make it this one.

The two sides met in Friday night's Bonnor Cup grand final and it was St Pat's who were victorious in a much more one-sided affair than many would have been expecting.

After going through the first 12 rounds of the BOIDC undefeated - and every Bonnor Cup match up to the final - Cavaliers have now had two losses and a draw across all competitions.

That's rare territory for a squad who have fired on all cylinders throughout the season.

Entering finals off another loss to the Bathurst club will be a big blow for Cavaliers and you can bank on them bringing their best cricket to try and ensure that doesn't happen.

ONE for those who like a statistic: Cavaliers, Orange and St Pat's Old Boys have finished inside the top four across all three seasons since the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket competition was re-formed in 2019-20.

Naturally, teams don't lose have massive rotations of players going in and out of the lineup at the end of every season so you expect the same clubs to feature towards the top, but this still remains an impressive effort.

Rugby Union have moved one spot up from their third place finish on the ladder last season and they've certainly joined this group that deserves to be referred to as the 'big four'.

It probably comes as no surprise that the entirety of the Bathurst district first string side comes from just Rugby and the Saints, and that Cavs make up much of the Orange squad.

Don't just look at the teams ladder ahead of the last round - take a look at the leading batter and bowler charts as well.

City Colts' Henry Shoemark still holds the lead in the regular season run leaders battle with 423 but just four behind him is Cavaliers' top stick Matt Corben.

Orange City's Shaun Grenfell (407) and Centennials Bulls' Kyle Aubin (393) aren't far away either.

When it comes to the bowlers it's currently St Pat's Old Boys' Matt Fearnley and Darryl Kennewell neck-and-neck on 22 wickets each, with Brett Causer (20) close behind.

It's also worth shouting out the averages of Saints' Connor Slattery (7.6) and Warriors' Brad Johnson (9).

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