2022/23 BOIDC season preview with Orange City in the spotlight

From new signings to the always-popular ladder predications, how this season will play out is anybody's guess.

But with the league reverting back to a combination of two-day and one-day games, there is one certainty, which is that we are in for a cracking year of cricket.

Part two of the huge season preview featured Centennials Bulls and next up will be the ever-consistent Orange City.

In what was dubbed a "rebuilding year", the Warriors still impressed in 2021/22. They finished fourth by the end of the regular season but crashed out in the first round of the finals at the hands of City Colts.

While for many, this type of run would be something worth celebrating, but the for perennial title contenders, it was a step below was fans are used to.

So what has City done in the off-season to try and regain their spot in the upper echelon of the BOIDC? Well it's certainly a mixed bagged.

City's skipper for this season Brett Causer, was delighted to welcome Lachie Skelly (off spinner), Joshua Coyte (batting all-rounder) and Lachlan Harper (batter) as their main additions.

Skelly arguably boasts the best resume of the bunch, having represented the Riverina region at the McDonald's Country Championships as recently as 2019.

But above all of that, Skelly even had the chance to roll the arm over while donning the Australian colours.

The off-spinner was selected for an Australian under 15s side back in 2013, following an impressive School Sport National Championships.

He managed 11 wickets in five games against a touring junior West Indies side, while going wicketless in two match against India.

Most recently, you could find Skelly bagging wickets for Crookwell and South Wagga before that.

As for Coyte, he also joins City from the Wagga competition, but many around the Central West will remember him from his with Centrals and Centennials Bulls, having last played in the Bathurst first grade competition in 2017/18.

They will need to be at the top of their game if they are to replace the half-a-dozen players who have left the club this season.

Causer noted that Joey Kay and Jarryd Seib (both moving away), Katie Letcher (Manly) Blake Weymouth (Randwick) Angus Cornish (Sydney) and Nelson Sheppard had all parted ways with the club for the upcoming season.

But a re-jigged line-up doesn't mean City aren't still trying to take home the title.

"To win whatever and whenever we play," Causer said when asked what his side's goals were for the year.

"With more of our young talent leaving for bigger aspirations again, we are an ever ageing squad in the top grade.

"A few of us are still about from the four-peat of consecutive grand finals and we can't help ourselves - we play to win it all. With injuries from last season preventing some of our first graders playing to full capacity and a roster that is long in the tooth, making the finals will again be the major goal and great achievement.

"Furthermore, bringing through more youngsters across all the grades is a focus of the club and hopefully we have some youngsters perform in the lower grades so they can step up to 1st grade a some stage this season."

So which of his opposition will Causer be keeping a close eye on?

"St Pats have a side full of young, quality talent that stay in Bathurst and are surrounded by a few experienced heads. That's the recipe for success.

"They are great in the field, the youth results in minimal injuries and high enthusiasm, and they have the best pace bowling attack in the competition right now. They will be very hard to stop and will be short priced favourites no doubt."

So what will the City squad hoping to take home the BOIDC title look like in 2022/23?

Well, Causer provided us with a preliminary team list that looks like this: Brett Causer, Ed Morrish, Shaun Grenfell, Fletcher Rose, Brad Johnson, Lachlan Skelly, Joshua Coyte, Nathan Rosser, Shaun Churchill, Tynan Southcombe, Tom Markey, David Boundy, Shaun Kirby, Tim Hunt, Dan Burchmore, Glenn Robinson, Andrew Rutledge and Josh Cheney.

So having said all of this, where does this leave City positioned for the upcoming season? With the competition reverting back to a four-team finals series, it will be a tough task to reach finals, but it's a task we believe City are up to as we predict them to finish the regular season in fourth.