THERE may be no one-day cricket taking place in the Bathurst and Orange Inter District Cricket season but Bathurst grounds will still get their share of Twenty20 action.
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Two Royal Hotel Cup games across the Australia Day weekend will take place in Bathurst to help expand the Orange competition into new territory.
Defending champions St Pat's Old Boys and Bathurst City will face each other while Lithgow Lightning will be spared a longer trip west by playing Centennials Bulls.
Bathurst District Cricket Association president Campbell Graham said he's happy to help make the city's grounds available for this season and into the future.
"As long as it works for Orange, since it's their competition, we'll be happy to help out," he said.
"If we've got teams entered into the competition it makes sense. If we have the grounds to host it then why not?"
The grounds for the games are yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, draws for the BDCA's lower grades are close to being finalised.
The association has received a boost in numbers across second and third grade this season, which greatly pleased Graham.
"We're just finalising grounds and they should be released by Friday," he said.
"For second grade and president's cup it will once again be a mixture of one and two-day games. We've also worked in a break for those grades over the Australia Day weekend."
Eight teams have been confirmed for second grade, mirroring last season's number, but president's cup has gained a side to take their tally from seven to eight.
Third grade is set to be a healthier competition across 2019-20 with a jump from four to at least six sides.
Graham said a winter packed with plenty of overseas cricket action has likely whetted the appetite of Bathurst players.
"In second grade and president's cup they'll play each other once in a two-day game and there will be four one-day games. For teams that played each other twice last year they'll likely place each other just the once this time," he said.
"We have six teams already in third grade and we're just waiting to confirm a seventh side. That's a massive improvement.
"I think the World Cup and the Ashes success has increased our numbers and that's a big positive."
The Royal Hotel Cup will be the first of the associations' competitions to get underway, starting on Sunday October 13.
Pat's face CYMS, Centennials Bulls play Orange City, Central go up against Cavaliers and Bathurst City travel to play Kinross.
Defending champions outside of first grade this season will be St Pat's Old Boys (second grade), Centennials Bulls (president's cup), Bathurst City (third grade).