Orange will this summer take another step towards hosting the jewel in Cricket Australia's domestic crown when it welcomes two Women's National Cricket League matches to town in February.
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Cricket Australia confirmed an enhanced WNCL schedule this week, with each of the seven teams playing each other twice in the 2022-23 draw.
That beefed up schedule allows two games to be brought to Orange, where we'll see the NSW Breakers take on the ACT Meteors on February 10 and February 12 at Wade Park.
The WNCL is a 50-overs-a-side one day competition.
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At that point in the summer there's no international women's games on the calendar, meaning Orange could play host to some of the best women's cricketers on the planet. Alyssa Healy, Rachel Haynes and Ash Gardner are in the Breakers squad alongside Orange District Cricket Association graduate Phoebe Litchfield and Dubbo junior Emma Hughes.
The Breakers other home games will be played at North Sydney Oval.
"It is exciting to be taking the NSW Women's team to Orange," Cricket NSW's Chief of Cricket Performance, Greg Mail said.
The trip to Orange for the final two games of the NSW Breakers' 2022-23 WNCL campaign is part of a wider regional strategy by Cricket NSW.
The men - the NSW Blues - will also play in Wollongong.
"Regional NSW provides so much to Cricket in NSW and Australia in terms of talent development and it will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate cricket in those centres and for young girls and boys in the region to see elite cricket up close," Mr Mail added.
Orange District Cricket Association president Mark Frecklington said Cricket NSW's decision to bring games to Western Zone heartland was a big thumbs up for the facility at Wade Park.
The ground has undergone major renovations in the last decade; the venue now boasts turf practice nets, sight screens at either end of the ground and a new, indoor centre of excellence, which was opened at the end of 2020.
Mr Frecklington said hosting the WNCL was a boon in its own right for Orange, and didn't want to call February's looming twin fixtures a test case to see whether or not the ground was capable of staging first class men's cricket too.
But he believes the wheels are "absolutely" now in motion down that path.
"That'd be great for Orange and this area (to have a Sheffield Shield game at Wade Park). To have something like that, I'd welcome domestic cricket in any form here," he said.
"You're not going to get a lesser crowd coming out here (than you would in Sydney) but there would be deals with players to play shield games at SCG. Cricket NSW has been taking games to regional areas for years."
Undoubtedly the premier cricket ground in the Western Zone, Wade Park has been brought up to a level now where many players who play grade cricket in Sydney don't get to enjoy the same calibre of playing conditions, Mr Frecklington said.
The Western Zone chair and Central West Cricket Council boss too, Mr Frecklington added Wade Park was the ideal place for Cricket NSW to look at when considering bringing games to regional areas.
"And as long as the playing surface remains good then we're in a good place," he added.
"I would imagine down the track we might get a Shield game or something of that ilk. I don't know about BBL, but possible WBBL.
"But certainly now Wade Park ... it'd have to be up there. The Coffs Harbours, Alburys, Waggas; they're all top class as well that have hosted Big Bash. We'd be the best in Western Zone and one of the better in Country NSW."
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