Kelly Cup TOTS: Veterans headline this season's best XI

Almost every club is represented here in a team which is full of veteran stars as well as a few younger faces.

CYMS White dominates the team with three players while Newtown also has several players.

Let's take a look at our best players from the season.

Probably one of the easiest calls in selecting this team was including this man.

Larance had one of the best seasons in recent memory with the bat but it still wasn't enough for him to finish as the competition's top run scorer.

Finishing the season with 791 runs to his name at an average of more than 82.

During his 16 innings, Larance passed 50 on seven occasions with a top score of 125.

Unfortunately, the CYMS Green skipper and his side were knocked out of the finals on Saturday by Macquarie Blue.

A consistent performer at the top, Smith has been brilliant for CYMS White this season.

Opening the batting, Smith ended the year in the top five for runs with 508 while also chipping in with 13 wickets.

Smith has been the rock at the top of the order for the CYMS White outfit and will be crucial for the side in the grand final after they advanced through to the decider.

Player of the year for me.

Deebank single-handedly won games for RSL Colts and dragged the young side into the finals off the back of two centuries and two more scores of 90 plus.

Finishing the season with 802 runs, Deebank surpassed Larance in the final round due to scoring 99 not out before backing it up on Saturday against Narromine in the Dawson Cup semi-finals.

Chasing 242 for victory, Deebank scored 129 not out to get Narromine within 30 runs of victory but eventually, they fell just short.

Had Singh played more matches this season, I think he would've been the leading run-scorer.

Playing just 14 matches, Singh still managed to make 704 runs at an average of 64.

During the season, Singh produced probably the best individual performance we saw, making 170 not out on his own before adding another century later in the season.

Like the man above him, Kabir has a knack for making big centuries.

From his 11 matches this season, Kabir managed to make 518 runs at an average of 51.8 with two centuries to go with it.

Prior to Christmas, Kabir tore apart the RSL Colts' bowling attack on his way to making 166.

A former first-grader, Richards showed his all-around skill this season.

Playing alongside his kids in Rugby's third grade side, Richards was a consistent performer with the bat making 510 runs for the season, narrowly finishing ahead of teammate Glenn Healey.

Richards was no slouch with the ball either, taking 20 wickets to go with his impressive season.

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CYMS White is the first team in the RSL Kelly Cup final and Neill is a big reason why.

Not only does Neill captain the group but his bowling efforts have put opposition teams on the backfoot immediately.

The CYMS White skipper finished with 28 wickets for the season at an average of 15 with two five-wicket hauls to go with it.

One of the competition's leading wicket-takers, Thompson showed all his class this season.

The veteran all-rounder made a couple of handy scores with the bat, including 79 against Narromine but it's with the ball where 'The Duke' did most of his damage.

With a total of 31 wickets at just under 13, Thompson remarkably did not take a five-wicket haul but was consistent each week.

Like a fine wine.

Skinner may not be bowling as far as he once did but his left-arm 'spin' bamboozled batters this season including on Saturday.

The Tigers captain finished the season with 22 wickets while also taking a five-fa on Saturday to help his side advance through to the final of the Dawson Cup.

A handy batter as well, Skinner made 72 not out against CYMS Green late last year.

He might be a little bit low on this list but Thanippulige is continuing to be a nightmare to face.

The Macquarie Blue seamer was again brilliant on Saturday in his side's semi-final win but his 28 wickets across the season were more than enough to earn him a spot in this side.

Thanippulige and his teammates will face Macquarie White this weekend for a spot in the RSL Kelly Cup final against CYMS White.

The competition's best bowler, Turner has featured heavily in the Team of the Week column this season.

Finishing with 34 wickets for the season across 14 matches, Turner averaged just nine runs per dismissal in 2022/23.

Figures of 2/27 were impressive on Saturday but now he will have to face clubmates Macquarie Blue this weekend.

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