When it comes to representative cricket, Dubbo and Orange find themselves in two very different places.
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In Sunday’s Western Zone Premier League (WZPL) clash at No. 1 Oval it showed.
Orange, featuring a core group of players who have been part of a development program for a number of seasons, simply outclassed the hosts in a crushing 102-run win.
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Mitch Bower’s Dubbo lineup was still being finalised as late as Friday and it featured a host of new faces who proved no match for an Orange team which is undefeated this season.
“We knew they didn’t have some of their gun players but we just had to play what was in front of us and do our job,” Orange captain Daryl Kennewell said.
“It’s been a rebuild for the last couple of years and it’s been about getting those juniors into the right frame of mind to play rep cricket and take on the challenge.
“We’ve just focused on us and what we do and hopefully that works out for the best.”
Dubbo captain Mitch Bower simply asked his players to learn from the experience.
The captain lashed out prior to the game and labelled this WZPL side the weakest he had played in and he was a dejected man after seeing his team rolled for just 106 in reply to Orange’s 9/208.
“We had a batting lineup that wasn’t that bad and batsmen to win the match,” Bower said.
We had no excuses and we just weren’t good enough.
- Dubbo captain Mitch Bower
“We didn’t execute and we batted poorly. The value on the wickets and some shot selections wasn’t what it should be at this level and we didn’t even come close to winning a game where we chasing 200 on a flat deck.
“We had no excuses and we just weren’t good enough.
“Hopefully everyone who play learns something and as long as they don’t make the same mistake twice and always try and improve we’ll head in the right direction.
“If we start doing the same thing over and over you build a pattern and that’s where you’ll slip up.”
Ryan Kurtz set the platform for Orange after Kennewell won the toss and batted, the young opener adding 43 for the first wicket with Matt Corben (12) before continuing to build.
He went on to top score with 60 while Gus Cumming chimed in with a hugely important 36 not out from number eight.
Spinners Stuart Naden (3-30), Steve Skinner (2-28) and Greg Buckley (2-37) were Dubbo’s best with the ball.
The Dubbo run chase never got going with openers Wayne Dunlop (1) and Marty Jeffrey (4) falling early.
Naden made 31 and Bower scored 33 but only one partnership in excess of 20 was built by the hosts.
Orange spinner Mitch Black, fresh from an eight wicket haul against Lithgow last month, tore through Dubbo’s lower order on the way to finishing with 4-10 from six overs.
“He’s a very handy bowler to go to,” Kennewell said.
“He bowls tight and he makes the batsmen come at him and makes them play every ball. He’s got a couple of very good variations there as well.”
The win was just the third an Orange side has enjoyed over Dubbo in the past decade.
Dubbo will have the chance to rebound on December 9 when it hosts old foes Parkes while Orange welcomes Cowra to Wade Park that day.