Dubbo CYMS Cougars are one step closer to being crowned the best team in Western Zone after defeating RSL Colts on Sunday.
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The two Dubbo powerhouse clubs met in the Western Zone Club Knockout semi-final at No.3 Oval, with the Cougars coming away with a comfortable 89-run victory, to advance to the competition's final.
Thomas Nelson and Fletcher Hyde led the way for CYMS with the bat before captain Ben Knaggs tore through RSL's batters, taking a five-wicket haul.
Now in the final of the competition, Nelson believes making 7/187 off their 40 overs was always going to be a very competitive score.
"We always knew if we could take the game deep then we would be alright, it's just about summing up the situation," he said.
"Fletcher got a bit frustrated in the middle overs but I always knew they needed a fifth bowler so the deeper we took our innings things work would in our favour.
"When you bat 40 overs you usually go pretty close to winning games, especially with our bowling lineup.
"I don't think there are too many teams who could blast 180 against us, it's just more about staying in the moment and taking it one step at a time rather than trying to blast your way to 200 and getting rolled for 120."
Things didn't start great for CYMS after Tom Barber was bowled by Grant Malouf in the first over of the match before Hyde combined with Dan Holland to get the Cougars into the match.
Holland was removed for 19 also by Malouf but Hyde kept the runs ticking over as Harry Bayliss also fell (four) early.
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Nelson and Hyde combined for a 60-run partnership which ended when the latter was caught for 51.
Knaggs strolled to the crease and hit a better-than-run-a-ball 30 to give CYMS all the momentum while Nelson passed 50 at the other end.
RSL took a few late wickets to restrict CYMS to 7/187 from their 40 overs with Malouf and Parth Bassi (2/24) the best of the bowlers.
The run chase got off to a horror start for RSL when Preston Beauchamp was trapped lbw by Matt Purse for 0 before Knaggs got into the action.
The Cougars' captain took 5/36 from seven overs to help bowl RSL for 98 as only Chris Morton (43) looked dangerous with the bat.
While he and Hyde may have looked the best of the batters on the scorecard, Nelson believes one player in particular changed CYMS' innings.
"Benny Knaggs kind of came out and changed the game for us," he said.
"He's got the ability to do that and we've got a few blokes who can do that for us in our middle to lower order. It's good to see those blokes contributing late like we know they can."
Nelson was more than happy to sing Knaggs' praises with the ball too, after an impressive showing once again.
"I reckon he is the best player in Western Zone, he's head and shoulders above most," he said.
"He bats, bowls and fields unreal, he's a great leader as well. He is head and shoulders above everyone else in my opinion, especially in the way he carries himself.
"He'd be the first bloke you'd put on a team list anywhere in Country NSW I think, he's great to play with and a game changer."
A spot in the final against St Pat's Old Boys now awaits CYMS and Nelson is confident the Cougars won't stop striving to be the best in whatever competition they feature in.
"We strive ourselves on being the best, we don't do it for the accolades or anything like that, we just want to have fun," he said.
"We get around each other but no one is going to outwork us, I said it earlier in the year but we are training two to three times a week.
"No one else can pride themselves on saying that they are doing that, I don't think there is any cheat code to it.
"The harder you work, the more success you will have and a lot of our boys are starting to fire at the right end of the season.
"The few blokes who haven't yet have more ability than anyone, it's a really exciting time and I'm looking forward to getting down to Bathurst on Sunday to mix it with those boys."
Macquarie was defeated by 90 runs in their match against St Pat's Old Boys at No.2 Oval in a one-sided affair.
The final of the competition will be played this Sunday likely in Bathurst.
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