DUBBO'S Waratah League clash with Queanbeyan will not be the only major basketball match being played at Dubbo Sports World on Saturday night.
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For the second year in a row, members of the local police and ambulance services will go head-to-head in a curtain-raiser as Dubbo Basketball Association looks to raise some funds for local breast cancer charity Pink Angels.
The match between the emergency services was the brainchild of local basketball stalwart Peter Hargreaves, and while a couple of high-profile participants from last year will not be on the court, it promises to be an entertaining contest.
"Last year we had Mathew Dickerson lining up for the police and Troy Grant for the ambos but unfortunately neither can play this year," Hargreaves said.
"Mathew hurt his neck in a mountain biking accident a couple of months back, but he has indicated that he will still be there helping out in some capacity.
"The match serves a couple of purposes. It adds an extra element to our charity day, and it also gives the cops and the ambos a chance to mingle on a more social level than usual.
"They are the first ones on scene when a lot of terrible things happen, so this game gives them a way of getting away from that stuff and having a laugh and a run around.
"It's also all for a great charity in the Pink Angels, which is a local group so all the money we raise on the night stays in Dubbo."
With each team expected to draw a good group of supporters (or hecklers) it is hoped the majority of them will stick around to cheer on the Rams as they search for their second win of the Waratah League season.
It has been a lean season for the Rams as they integrate a number of players into the State League format, and while a couple of recent defeats have been heavy, Hargreaves hopes a large, vocal crowd can spur the team on.
"The boys have had a few tough results this season but they keep turning up, and that is all that can be asked of them," he said.
"Queanbeyan are always a tough team to play against but hopefully if some of the crowd from the police and ambos game sticks around we will have a larger-than-usual group of supporters there to cheer the team on.
"They haven't given up, they've kept plugging away so it would be nice if there was some good support there for them as this is their second last home games of the year."
The emergency services match tips off at 3pm, with the Waratah League fixture scheduled for 5pm.