REGIONAL rivalry will be renewed on Saturday when the 2016/17 Regional Bash champions, Orana Outlaws, take on the Central West Wranglers at the Sportsground.
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The Outlaws were runners-up to the Newcastle Blasters last season. Successive victories over the Wranglers and Illawarra Flames on Saturday and Sunday will give the Outlaws the best chance to finish top of the Bathurst Pool and progress to finals day in December.
The Wranglers play the Flames in the final match of the Thunder Conference pool the Sportsground on Sunday.
Newcastle Blasters also play Lake Mac Attack on Sunday in the final match of the Newcastle Pool at Waratah Oval.
If the Attack win that match, run rate will be used to determine who finishes top of the pool. While, if the Blasters are victorious, the Central Coast Rush progress to finals day.
The Wranglers will be hungry for success after being eliminated during the early stages of the Plan B Regional Bash each year since the inception of the tournament in 2015/16.
The Flames are seeking to make their first finals appearance since 2015/16. Players to watch for the Flames are the Wright brothers – Ben and Mitchell, as well as the McDevitt brothers, Xavier and Tom.
Teenage all-rounder, Bathurst’s Ben Mitchell will one of the star players for the Wranglers.
He was part of the ACT/NSW Country side at the recent Under 17 National Championships that shared the title with Queensland after wet weather forced the final to be abandoned.
Mitchell collected five scalps at 20.2 at the Under 17 National Championships and scored 103 runs from seven innings.
Talented leg-spinner and top order batsman Marty Jeffrey will be a key player for the Outlaws. He claimed an important 3-26 in a tight three-run semi-final victory against the Wagga Wagga Sloggers last season to seal a berth in the final for Orana.
Jeffrey was also a member of the NSW team that emerged victorious at the 2018 National Indigenous Cricket Championships in February.
He was second on the leading wicket-takers list with 14 scalps at 11.00.