Rugby was left “extremely disappointed” last week after a poor batting performance saw it slip from the top of the ladder and into the middle of one of the most fierce finals battles the RSL-Whitney Cup has seen in some time.
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The men in sky blue had a chance to stay clear at the top but a 58-run loss to Macquarie means they now sit just three points ahead of the fourth-placed Blues.
This round Rugby takes on Newtown, currently in fifth, and leading batsmen Jordan Moran said his side’s batting lineup simply needs to be better.
“It’s a massive round for the whole competition,” he said.
“We were extremely disappointed in our batting last week and we let ourselves down and put ourselves into this must-win situation.
“But at the same time it’s good because it means you’re playing good, hard cricket leading into the semi-finals.”
We let ourselves down and put ourselves into this must-win situation.
- Jordan Moran on last round's loss
Moran said his side failed to get back into two-day cricket mode last week.
Rugby was dismissed inside 47 of its 75 overs last week and only one batsman made it past 40.
“Our big push is on getting a couple of partnerships, not necessarily on who scores the runs,” Moran said.
“If you get one partnership of 100 and a couple of 50 then you’re definitely going to get a score in the high 200s. That’s our big focus.
“We have to adapt to two-day cricket. We didn’t do that last week after a few good one-day wins, we’ve got to switch the mindset and bat time.
“There were some very soft dismissals last week and there was a lack of application.”
While Newtown fell of the pace following last round’s loss to RSL-Colts, Moran isn’t expecting anything easy this time.
The Tigers beat Rugby by 65 runs in the first meeting between the two sides earlier this season before a James O’Brien century ensured the tables were turned in the second clash.
Moran said he didn’t know too much about the Tigers given he missed both of those games due to representative commitments but he’s played enough cricket in Dubbo to know what type of performance Newtown brings to the table.
“They’re always thereabouts,” he said.
“They’ve got experienced guys who can turn the game on its head really quickly or there’s someone like Steve Skinner who can just graft out a result with the bat and bowl a long spell.”
A win for Newtown would get it right back in the race for a top three spot heading into the final round of the season.
Saturday’s match at No. 3 Oval starts at 1pm.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
