SATURDAY will offer-up a battle between two play-off contenders, when City Colts host the Centennial Bulls at Morse Park 1.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While the Colts are currently third in the standings, the Bulls sit just outside the top four in fifth.
The two teams have won two games each and are separated by just four points.
The chasing Bulls will be missing their captain this weekend, with Josh Toole absent due to Western Zone representative duties at the Country Championships.
Colts captain Dan Casey said the absence of Toole will impact the Bulls performance.
“He’s [Toole] one of the best cricketers in Bathurst and it will hurt the Bulls with him gone,” Casey said.
“We’re both missing key players, with our best bowler Matt Stephen also out for Western Zone.
“It’s going to be a tough game and both teams are pretty close [in terms of ladder position].”
Although the previous meeting between Colts and Bulls was washed out, Casey is confident his team has a fairly strong understanding of their opponents.
“We’ve played them a lot over the years, so we know what we’re against,” he said.
“If we play to our potential we can win, but so can Bulls when they do the same.”
Henry Shoemark was in doubt for Saturday, but will play for the Colts.
Yet the Colts will be filling the sting when it comes to their bowling, with Jacob Bognuda missing, on top of Stephen.
Casey said the bowlers will have to step up to fill Bognuda’s and Stephen’s shoes.
“It will be a big job with the ball for some of the players filling in, but it will be good experience for them,” he said.
“The good thing about this competition is anyone can win on their day.”
Although both teams get on well with each other, Casey is determined to get the win, amongst the fun and toughness of the game.
A win for Colts would be a perfect way to bounce back from a disappointing loss to ORC on November 19.
ORC won by 59 runs, after the Tigers bowled the Colts out for 166 off 37.5 runs.
A win would also boost the confidence of Colts, leading up to their matches against the two best teams over the next three weeks – Bathurst City and Rugby Union.
Both the Redbacks and the Bulldogs sit first and second respectively on the ladder and a win by Colts this weekend will keep them in touch with the leaders.
Both Colts and Bulls will be desperate to get the win this weekend, as the competition gets closer to the half way mark in the season.
Any slip-up in form from either team, could prove costly come season’s end.