Ben Wheeler might have produced the standout individual performance of the weekend but it wasn't enough for Rugby as RSL Colts' top order ran rampant at No. 2 Oval.
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Wheeler hit the first century of the first grade summer on Saturday, carrying his bat and making 101 not out from 104 balls as Rugby posted 7/181 from their 40 overs.
That appeared a competitive total but it proved anything but as Chris Morton (72 not out from 71 balls) and Greg Buckley (61 not out off 51) blasted Colts to the target in 24.1 overs to secure a bonus point win.
"We were always very confident," Morton said.
"We had our target to be one or two down, at most, for about 80 at drinks and I think we ended up being 140.
"At the end of the day we cruised pretty comfortably. We were always confident because we do have a long batting lineup."
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The match continued Buckley's fine return to life at RSL Colts after a stint in Victoria.
While Morton jokes the Englishman is not quite as fast and competitive as he once was, Buckley has started the season with back-to-back half centuries while he's taken two wickets in each of the first two games this season.
"He's a lot more casual this time. He doesn't overly stress about a great deal but he's hitting the ball pretty clean so that's a bonus," Morton said.
"He hasn't changed what he's done with the ball. He's always pretty tight."
As much as the victory was a pleasing one for the undefeated men in red, Morton said there's still a huge amount to work on.
The effort in the field has been a concern early in the season, with dropped catches a regular occurrence in the opening two games.
It proved costly on Saturday as Wheeler made the most of his chances on the way to an unbeaten century.
"We're far from our best. The fielding is pretty ordinary at the moment and I'd say in the last two games the dropped catches are in double figures," Morton said.
"Benny Wheeler scored a hundred but we dropped him five times, I think, and we missed a run out. That's not taking anything away from him but if we take those catches we probably roll them for under a hundred.
"We let it slip...in his (Wheeler's) credit he hit them clean at the end. In those last four or five overs he hit them clean and added another 30 or 40 on top of what they should have got."
While the clash at No. 2 Oval finished extremely one-sided, it was anything but next door at No. 3 where CYMS rallied late to score a tense win over Macquarie.
Defending a total of 4/206, the Cougars were in real trouble when Brayth Stevenson (44) and former Scottish under 19 representative Lyle Robertson (28) combined in a fourth-wicket partnership of 71 to get Macquarie to 3/174 in the 35th over.
But the return of leading quicks Bailey Edmunds and Ben Knaggs did the trick for CYMS and the pair tore through the Blues' lineup.
Edmunds finished with 4/40 and Knaggs claimed 3/19 as a crumbling Macquarie lost its last seven wickets for just 22 runs.
Earlier, Thomas Nelson and Tom Barber had set the platform for CYMS.
After a patient start, the Cougars accelerated after drinks. A 113-run stand between Nelson (76 not out) and Barber (58) proved key while there were handy contributions from Knaggs (22) and Fletcher Hyde (21).
Mitch Williams, Blake Smith, Brad Parker and Robertson were the wicket-takers for the Blues.
Rickey Medway also performed well for Macquarie, making 45 opening the bat to put his side in a strong position early on.
In the round's other match, Dan French powered Newtown to a 73-run win over South Dubbo.
French fell agonisingly short of a century, making a hard-hitting 92 not out from just 72 balls, as the Tigers piled on 6/219 against the Hornets.
Batting at number five, French came to the crease with his side 3/87 midway through the innings.
While the Hornets had a sniff, French put his side firmly back in control, while Steve Skinner also chimed in with 47.
Souths needed to begin well if they were to be any chance of a drought-breaking win but the loss of five wickets for 43 runs at one point before drinks put them firmly on the back foot.
Skinner did the bulk of the damage with the ball, rounding out a strong all-round match with 4/37, while Pruthviraj Parmar and George Smith took two wickets each.
Lockie Rummans top-scored for Souths, who were bowled out for 146.
Souths meet defending premiers CYMS next round while Colts clash with Macquarie and Newtown takes on Rugby.
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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.
