Having played two memorable and thrilling grand finals back-to-back in 2010-11 and 2011-12, ORC and Oxford Centennials have built a reputation for producing close matches.

Both sides will be desperate to get the better of the other this afternoon in an important early season one-dayer that will give the winner some nice momentum mid-way through the shorter matches.

The Tigers got themselves off the mark last Saturday with a big win over an undermanned St Pat’s Old Boys, led by a century from newcomer Andrew Best.

Ox-Cents were another team missing some of their best players but still found a way to win over Blayney Bushrangers, thanks largely to a grafting half-century by Aaron Bell.

“That was a bit of a danger game for us – though Blayney were without Jameel [Qureshi], it was still a match that we could have easily lost and it was a good effort from all reports to get together a defendable score,” Ox-Cents captain Josh Toole said.

“It wasn’t a perfect performance, but we did what we needed to do. Hopefully I can add a bit to that coming back in this week and, naturally, Aaron Seymour is going to make our attack a lot stronger.

“He’ll be full of confidence after taking five for Bathurst in the Presidents Cup.”

Toole himself is likely to still be below full fitness having virtually been forced to return far earlier than expected from injury just to make sure they had a full side in the round one loss to Bathurst City.

He had improved enough to play for Bathurst in the aforementioned Cup campaign last weekend.

ORC, meanwhile, are still waiting to put together their best team with middle-order batsman James Dunston still three weeks away and Trent Fitzpatrick and Dave Sellers non-starters today.

The military medium pace and often ineffective batting of Sam Debenham returns for the first time this season.

Captain Brendan Inwood says the match represents another good opportunity for the side to continue their attacking approach to the early games.

“We found a pretty good formula last season, I think. When we had Trent Fitzpatrick, Dave Sellers, Wayne Sellers, myself and others trying to be aggressive, I think we fared better than when we were just trying to play steady,” he said.

“We scored at nearly a run a ball last week – I’d love to make a habit of that. Of course, it helps if you can keep wickets in hand and be a little bit sensible initially, but we want to be pushing past that 200-mark every time we go out to bat.

“Bowling-wise we just have to build on what worked last week. We were solid without ripping through them. 

“Ox-Cents have a habit against us of finding a way to score runs no matter how much trouble we get them in, so if we do take early wickets it is vital that we don’t let them get away.”