Orange High School insists the homework has been done and its ready to stop Bathurst High School from claiming the Astley Cup for a second consecutive year.
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Bathurst heads to Orange on Thursday for two days of competition, knowing victory will ensure cup glory after a win over Dubbo College in last week’s opening tie.
“Being at home, knowing Bathurst is coming to try and win the cup, we have to win,” Orange’s Astley Cup coordinator Tegan Dray said.
“It’s good to know exactly what we have to do and I think maybe having the second tie will be an advantage for us.
“We’ve seen how well, or otherwise, the other schools have gone. We’ve been able to do a little bit of homework and prepare well.”
Bathurst is heading into the tie full of confidence.
“Last week we were pretty strong, smacking Dubbo and we’re hoping to do the same against Orange this week,” student Fred Gunning said.
Bathurst will arrive in Orange as favourites and will be favoured to take out the opening event of the tie, the tennis.
Bathurst dismantled Dubbo College 10 sets to two last week to lay the foundations for the school’s massive opening tie victory, but Hornets coach Peita Mages isn’t doubting her squad.
The tennis can set the tone for the opening day, which looks likely to play a huge role in the tie’s result, which will determine whether the cup is still alive at all when the Hornets travel to Dubbo.
Bathurst needs only to win this week’s tie – regardless of scoreline – to claim a second straight title win, but Mages says that puts more pressure on the reigning champions than the Hornets.
“We can consider ourselves the underdogs … the pressure’s on them,” Mages said at Monday’s launch assembly at Orange High’s Pickering Hall.
“I don’t want [my players] to be intimidated because I know they can bring it. Let them come here and see if they’re able to push around in our house.
Tennis, both football matches and athletics is contested on Thursday.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
