As a country cricketer, there's not much that can top the experience of playing on the hallowed turf of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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For a group of players from the Dubbo region that dream not only became a reality this decade, it turned out better than they could have even imagined.
At the start of the decade the chances of a bush cricket match at the SCG was near laughable, but the introduction of the Plan B Regional Bash changed that.
The Twenty20 tournament pitted sides from all over country NSW against each other, with the finals being played at the home of cricket in NSW.
The 2016 finals and the Orana Outlaws' run to glory is next up in our Moments That Mattered series.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
THE MOMENT
When the Plan B Regional Bash was announced and the first Orana Outlaws side was selected, it was clear there would be a chance of grand final glory.
Something of a golden generation was passing through Western Zone and the Outlaws were benefiting, with the likes of Jordan Moran, Mitch Bower, Greg Buckley, and a young Ben Patterson headlining the squad.
In 2015's first edition of the Plan B Regional Bash the Outlaws made the finals, earning the right to play at the SCG but disappointingly bowing out immediately in the semis.
Things were different the next year. Jason Ryan came onboard as coach and Mitch Bower stepped aside as skipper to allow marquee man Nathan Pilon - a former NSW state player - to take the reins.
After hard-fought but impressive wins over Central West and South Coast, the SCG was calling again.
It was Sunday, December 11 when the Outlaws took part in the finals.
The semi-final was so much sweeter for the Outlaws in 2016. Moran (75) and Pilon (71) set the tone early and led their side to a commanding win over the Wagga Wagga Sloggers.
Coach Jason Ryan described the following final against the Northern Rivers Rock as "the most nervous three hours I've had in my life".
Batting first the Outlaws struggled to really get going and only passed 100 in the 15th over.
Enter Bower and Mat Skinner.
Skinner hit three consecutive sixes in one over while 34 was taken off the maxi over.
Bower punished the attack in the final overs, smashing three sixes and one four of his own as he made a momentum-swinging 51 from 20 balls.
"It was awesome," Ryan said of the final overs.
"Mat got into them and then we did it again in the maxi over and we ended up adding 30 or 40 more runs than we thought we would.
"That was the turning point."
The Rock got off to a flying start in reply and put some nerves into the Outlaws camp.
But Greg Buckley (3/29 from four) and Wes Giddings (2/23 off four) tied things up and Pilon's exemplary captaincy and ability to strangle the batsmen with his fielding changes made all the difference in the win.
"We came here last year and fell just short but we got together shortly before we left 12 months and said we'd be back," Pilon said at the time.
"We put a lot of effort into it and the boys played for each other so this is a very, very big thing."
Making the victory even more special was Western Zone's had possession of the NSW Country Championship crown at that time, giving the region the undisputed title as most outstanding in the bush.
"We've been a good side for about five years now so to come out and win the double, as we're calling it, it does cement us as the premier zone in country cricket at the moment," Ryan said after that final.
LOOKING BACK
The winning coach was much more calm talking about the Outlaws' success these years later.
"It was a very special moment," Ryan said.
"The competition had not been going too long and we'd already had a bit of success. To make finals twice was great and to win it the second year was unreal.
"For blokes out here to get the chance to play on the SCG was one thing, but to play two good games and it win it was special."
The Outlaws' run to the final didn't only allow Moran and Bower, already NSW Country representatives at that time, the opportunity to remind everyone of their class.
It gave players who had plugged away in the bush for years the chance to achieve something they'll never forget.
The likes of Mat Skinner, Parkes' Anthony Heraghty, and Wes Giddings fit that ball, while there was also an opportunity for a number of young players to savour the experience of running out on the SCG.
And it gave all the players the chance to benefit from the knowledge and experience of Nathan Pilon.
A former Dubbo junior, Pilon was playing grade cricket in Melbourne at the time but had enjoyed a stellar career.
A former wicket keeper-batsman for NSW and Victoria, Pilon also joined the side as a member of Sydney grade club St George's team of the century.
"It was a pretty red-hot side," Ryan said, reminiscing.
"Having someone like 'Pilo' back made it even more special. To have a Dubbo junior who played state cricket come back, even for us older blokes to learn from him was special.
"Mitch Bower got runs, Jordo had a good competition, and it was all-round performance."
THE IMPACT
As Ryan said at the time, the impact of the Outlaws' win was everyone knew the quality of cricket in our region.
Western Zone was the NSW Country Championship winner at the time of the Outlaws grand final win, meaning the region had possession of the two biggest titles on offer.
"Western Zone cricket had been going under the radar a bit but ... we've made our mark," Ryan said.
"Western Zone winning, we added to that success and we got more respect from people from places like Newcastle, Illawarra, and country NSW as a whole."
The finals were also live-streamed, meaning people across the region and across the state got access to cricket.
It sparked conversation and provided a really bright moment for the game in the bush.
Those wins for the Outlaws in the finals also proved the quality of the side at the time.
Ryan has stayed at the helm of the side but no Outlaws team since has won the title and this 2019/20 season marked the first time Orana didn't advance to the SCG for the finals.
"Everyone had a job and since then has really proved how good that side was. We've struggled," Ryan added.
Moran and Patterson advanced and became an Australian Country representative in the coming years, further proving their talent.
Closer to home, Marty Jeffrey and Ben Knaggs, two of the real young players in the squad who had limited chances at the time of the Outlaws' title win, have now developed into RSL-Whitney Cup captains.