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Despite their crushing win over Parkes on Sunday, Bathurst will still need a few things to go their way if they are to earn automatic grand final qualification in the Western Zone Premier League.
While Daniel Casey’s team were busy demolishing the defending champions by 10 wickets in Parkes, Dubbo and Cowra staged an enthralling battle at Cowra with the heavily favoured Dubbo team earning an unconvincing win in a low-scoring match.
The result means that Dubbo will finish on top of the ladder and go straight into a home grand final if, as expected, they defeat Orange in a fortnight.
Bathurst play Blue Mountains this week and can go to the top of the ladder with a win, but it would only be temporary, assuming Dubbo beat Orange. If that happened Casey and his team would have to settle for second and a home preliminary final.
Cowra and Parkes play one another on Saturday week, in a match that will effectively decide who finishes third to earn a shot at Bathurst in the preliminary final.
On Sunday, runs proved hard to come by, but Dubbo managed to survive a massive scare from Cowra in their match at Twigg Oval.
After being skittled for 70, Cowra put some fear in the visitors, removing six batsmen on Dubbo’s way to passing the required total in 26.1 overs.
Opening batsman Wayne Dunlop (19) was the main contributor, while skipper Mitch Bower guided the ship remaining not out 14.
Five bowlers were used by Cowra skipper Conor Crook, each taking one wicket.
Crook thought another 30 runs would have given his side enough time to pick up the final four wickets and declared his side had no luck.
“It just wasn’t our day, every chance they had they took but we had five or six half chances that just snuck down to fine-leg or just found the turf,” he said.
“It was a gutsy effort with the ball, you can’t knock our bowling effort but it’s hard to defend 70.”
After winning the toss and batting, Cowra found themselves fielding before midday as Greg Buckley (4-22) and Will Lindsay (3-17) destroyed their top-order.
Of the specialist batsmens, only Crook (18) and Michael Curtale (11) made it to double-figures, while Sam McNaught made 12 not out with the tail.
Cowra weren’t done with yet, though, and they immediately piled on the pressure.
Tight bowling from Nick Berry and Brendan Traves brought an early wicket when Stuart Naden edged behind off a Traves short ball.
Dunlop and Marty Jeffery looked to consolidate but runs were not flowing and Dunlop also miss-timed a pull shot which lead to his departure, this time off the bowling of Nick Traves.
Next ball Jeffery was run out looking to scramble his way back for two but some brilliant fielding from Zac Starr forced him on his way and Dubbo were suddenly 3-34 from 15 overs.
Drinks were taken and then Berry struck in the returning over taking a sharp catch off his own bowling to remove Greg Buckley (1).
Josh Carmody’s off-spin was introduced at the other end which brought Pat Berryman’s defence unstuck and Dubbo required 20 runs, while Cowra needed five more wickets.
Bower was joined by Mat Skinner, whose seven runs were extremely valuable, but he could not stick it out, finding the fieldsman off the bowling off Ben Houghton with still seven runs needed.
Bower put the game to rest in the next over in unconvincing style being dropped on the boundary and the ball then trickling for four.