RUGBY Union Cricket Club have been given a huge opportunity to win a Bathurst District Cricket Association first grade game in their grand final rematch with Bathurst City this Saturday.
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Bulldogs are the only team yet to win a game this season but against a Redbacks side missing nine regular first grade players they will be heavy favourites for the match at the Sportsground.
The most damning statistic for the blue and gold is that their bowling attack has picked up just 15 wickets in the space of four games.
While the team will be far from desperation mode this Saturday there’s still plenty of improvements that need to be made if they’re to clawing back the margin to the competition’s top four.
Absent Redbacks captain Matt Willis is hoping the weakened City lineup can still put in a good show against a hungry Bulldogs lineup.
“We’ve got nine away so it’s just been about trying to get a team of 11 together,” he said.
“We’ve still got some game winners playing.
“Ben Orme will captain the team this week and we’ve brought in a couple of Stannies boys to help us out.
“Ben’s brother Adam is in. Mick Tobin and Clint Moxon are still there, as is Mark Day.
“The good thing is that it only takes one person to have a great day with the ball or put on a big score to steer the match your way.”
Rugby Union and Bathurst City met on five occasions last season.
Redbacks won the head-to-head 3-2 in what was a closely fought battle throughout the competition.
Saturday will be a great chance for Bulldogs to gain the early ascendancy in 2017-18.
Willis said it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Redbacks men in action this Saturday.
“Our goal is to win every game we can when we’ve got the best team we can get on the park,” he said.
“If we’re missing some people from here on out at least we’ve got those couple of wins already under our belts.
“We’d have a better shot if maybe Ryan Peacock was sick and if Jameel and Imran Qureshi were injured. Those three players are just guns.
“I’m super surprised that they haven’t won yet and despite that I think they’re still favourites to win the competition. They’ve just started the season a bit slowly.”
Peacock comes back into the Rugby Union ranks after missing last weekend’s match on Country Championships duty with Western Zone.
The toss will be crucial since the Sportsground’s bounce became impossible to read in last round’s match between Centennials Bulls and St Pat’s Old Boys.