A LACK of numbers has forced ORC to withdraw from the Bathurst District Cricket Association first grade premiership for season 2018-19, but the Tigers have vowed to return.
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Following on from last summer when ORC managed just two wins – although Tigers were more competitive than that suggests – the club did not have enough first grade calibre players to field an outfit this season.
It leaves Rugby Union, Bathurst City, City Colts, St Pat’s Old Boys and Centennials Bulls in the top grade.
The ORC decision comes after Blayney withdrew from first grade following a tough 2015-16 campaign.
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“It’s quite devastating for the competition to lose the sixth side, it’s definitely a step backwards,” Bathurst District Cricket Association president Campbell Graham said.
“But ORC have promised us, or put in a guarantee, that they will be back in first grade in two years. So we have to just work through this year and see how it pans out.
“I don’t know where ORC are actually situated, whether they’ve lost a core group of players, guys are not playing or have switched clubs – I can’t confirm what they are doing. But I think they are just actually low on numbers.
“I think maybe two or three might go to other clubs, but the other ones are just not playing. They probably had big off-seasons with their winter sport and feel they just need a rest.
“You’ve also got mature age guys that are starting young families.
“Obviously their president’s cup side won last year and they’ll still compete in that, but hopefully in two years we’ll see them back in first grade.”
ORC has a proud record in the top flight – having won nine first grade premierships since 1992-93 – while former skipper Bruce Webb was one of the first inductees into the BDCA Hall of Fame.
While there was initially talk that St Pat’s Old Boys – who had two teams in last season’s second grade decider – could field a second outfit in the top grade, Graham said that is not a possibility.
The way the Saints have decided to split their second grade players for 2018-19 means that neither side is a strong candidate for promotion.
“They have stated that their sides this year are polar opposites to last season,” Graham said.
“You are going to have one young side that are probably too young to go into first grade to fill that void, and the other side is older players who just want to enjoy their cricket.
“Maybe next year when some of those kids are older St Pat’s could have a second first grade side, they’ve certainly got the numbers and look after the players at their club.”
Still, while the first grade competition has taken some hits, there are plenty of positives for the BDCA.
It includes its representative first XI becoming a heavyweight of not just the Mitchell Cricket Council zone, but Western as a whole.
“We’ve proven that we are a dominant force in rep cricket which is great, it’s fantastic,” Graham said.
Bathurst’s first representative game is slated for October 14 against Dubbo.
The draw is still being finalised, but the competition will commence on October 13. The following week will be a general bye as Bathurst hosts the Regional Bash.
Then it is planned to have a set of one-day games, the Twenty20 portion of the draw and two-dayers after Christmas.