Redbacks begin their short-format campaign with games against City Colts and St Pat’s Old Boys, hoping to cement their place towards the top of the ladder.

City have proved their form in the big-hitting rendition of the sport having finished runners-up to fellow Bathurst club Centennials Bulls in last season’s Royal Hotel Cup final.

It’s a familiar face and a new recruit who Coughlan expects to lead the way for the club over their four Twenty20 clashes in the space of a week.

“Benny Orme is our biggest key player. He opens the bowling and opens the batting in the short form,” he said.

“Our import Aditya Adey played a lot of short form cricket over in Northern Ireland and in India so we’re looking for his experience in these sorts of games.”

Redbacks went down in their opening Royal Hotel Cup clash on Friday last week when Cavaliers caught their total with five balls to spare.

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A Ryan Kurtz half century proved the difference in a game that Redbacks could still take plenty of positives away from.

“The last Twenty20 game we played was on a very wet deck at Wade Park. We ended up getting 125 on the night which wasn’t quite enough, but it wasn’t far away from being enough," Coughlan said.

“It’s a situational game and we’ve got enough blokes that if we’re in a good spot we sent a couple of big hitters in, and then we’ve got blokes in the middle order who can save an innings.

“We’re confident in all three formats we’re playing this year. We did well over the one-dayers, hoping to do well in the Twenty20s then bring it home in the two-dayers, which we feel we’re most suited to.”

Coughlan’s 59 was a crucial knock for Bathurst City in their 2017-18 RHC semi-final success over the previously unbeaten CYMS.

Mark Day is one of the few returning players from last season’s team who can also provide some sting towards the top of the order.

Bathurst City haven’t played a game since November 10’s game against Rugby Union, their only loss of the season to date.

The general bye last weekend has whetted the team’s appetite for more cricket.

“The boys are keen to train on almost any afternoon they can get,” Coughlan said.

“It’s good to get more practice in when there’s a lack of game time. That’s no-one’s fault, you can’t help that.”

Redbacks face Centennials Bulls and Rugby Union over the following weekend’s play and will sit out the final round of matches with the bye.