Newtown has produced some brilliant performances so far this season and the class of their individual talents is clear when looking at the RSL-Whitney Cup statistics.
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Two Tigers top the main tallies at the Christmas and New Years break, with stalwart opening bat Wayne Dunlop the leading run-scorer while wily off-spinner Steve Skinner leads the wicket-taking charts.
Dunlop, with a highest score of 142, has is well clear with 371 runs while Skinner has 21 wickets to his name so far in the first grade competition.
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“It’s exciting,” Skinner said of the two standouts.
“We’ve got some players finding form too, and that’s always good.”
Dunlop is 75 runs clear of Brad Cox, while Stuart Naden of CYMS is just one run behind RSL-Colts veteran with 295 runs to his name.
While a handful of other Tigers have also high up on the wicket-taking charts, Dunlop is far and away the leading batsmen in the competition and in the Newtown club.
“Dunners is our main man and he has been for as long as he’s been here. That’s about 12 or 13 years,” Skinner said.
“He’s key to our batting lineup but we do have a lot of other talent there. Hopefully some others can go on and get that big one but ‘Dunners’ really is our main man.”
Ben Patterson is next best for Newtown with 248 runs to his name but the likes of Dan Holland, Mitch Russo, Doug Potter and Skinner himself have chipped in at times for a Newtown side sitting third on the ladder.
Patterson is also fourth on the overall wicket-taking tally with 14 scalps and Skinner said much of the work he, captain Mat Skinner, and Trent Smith has done has benefited his own haul.
“Our quicks up front have bowled well and sometime without a whole lot of success,” he said, his brother and Patterson the regular opening bowlers.
“They haven’t bowled badly and we’ve all bowled in partnerships.
“My job is pretty easy. I come on after those quicks and just bowl line and length. They have a go at me and I’d do the same if I saw a spinner come on after four or five quicks.”
Skinner’s 21 wickets is two better than the swag CYMS’ Ben Strachan has while another Cougars player, Bailey Edmunds, is third with 15 wickets.
The Tigers are one of the top three sides up to this point, locked on 45 points with RSL-Colts while CYMS Cougars is in top spot, just one point ahead.
There is a huge gap between the top three and bottom three but Skinner is adamant his side can’t take anything for granted yet.
“There’s not much in it (between the top three) and finals probably is decided unless one of the bottom teams really comes out and has a blinder,” he said.
“But any team really can still win it. I know when Newtown won its first competition it didn’t win a game before Christmas.”
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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.
