BOIDC: Five things we learned from the eighth round of 2019-20

We have a minor premier all but sorted and we know the equations needed to see who ends up where - now we just twiddle our thumbs waiting for next week to roll around and we see who ends up where.

With their outright win over Kinross, Cavaliers have all-but sealed up the minor premiership, extending their magical hold over BOIDC competitions after winning like 26 of them in a row in the 2010s (citation needed). Mathematically, Orange City can still get there if they have an outright win and Cavaliers lose in the final round, but the ladder-leaders will go in as red-hot favourites against Rugby Union next week.

So, not overly surprisingly, Matt Corben's men are in the box seat to finish on top. Do they have the firepower to win the title? Absolutely. It would be a hell of a season to get through to both the Royal Hotel Cup final and the BOIDC decider - although they still have to make the latter - but if any one club knows how to win combined Bathurst and Orange competitions, it's Cavs.

While Cavaliers have all but locked up first spot, the pieces of the puzzle below them on the ladder are still likely to be shuffled around over the next fortnight.

Orange City sit 12 points in arrears on 31, with St Pat's Old Boys on 27 - both with finals places secure.

Below them, though, if a three-horse race for fourth. CYMS are in the box seat to take the spot, tied with Centennials Bulls.

Should CYMS lose, they're a chance to get overtaken by either side, and if the Bulls pick up a massive win and CYMS only just scrape through they might be able to leapfrog them - although Rugby needs to make up for a poorer quotient as well.

There is one way Bathurst City can still mathematically get into finals, though, to Steven Bradbury their way into contention. It St Pat's beats the Bulls, Orange City beats CYMS, Cavs beat Rugby and Redbacks win outright Kinross, then they get in. It's a long shot, but as Lloyd Christmas famously said in Dumb and Dumber, "you're telling me there's a chance?"

After losing Nic Broes and Ben Mitchell last season, St Pat's kind of fell out of favour in in both the Royal Hotel Cup and the BOIDC but they're firmly in contention here. Andrew Brown, Adam Ryan and Connor Slattery are all in form with bat in hand, while Bailey and Cooper Brein both provide X factor at the top of the order.

In the field Mitch Taylor and Ben Parsons are arguably the best new-ball combination in the competition, while Ethan Ivory and David Cant can both get the job done, with Slattery a more than handy back-up. They'll pack a punch in finals, too, because they're one of those teams which just lifts when the pressure is on, as they showed two weeks ago in the Royal Hotel Cup semi-final.

Last week, George and Gus Cumming were going at each other on the pitch, with older brother Angus dismissing the younger George as Cavs tore through Kinross. In the sequel this week, though, brothers were competing while on the same time.

Hugh and Angus Le Lievre were going tit-for-tat with ball in hand for CYMS, with skipper Hugh taking five wickets and the younger, more heavily bearded Angus snaring four as the two bowled 35 of CYMS' 45 overs in their incredible win over City Colts to keep the season alive.

Speaking of that win, we've also learned to not count CYMS out, ever. They looked dead in the water last week after being dismissed for 203, but 9-75 between the two Le Lievre brothers handed them a 55-run win.

After starting the season with one of the best opening halves to a year in recent memory, Matt Corben has slipped with bat in hand for Cavaliers. However, the thing which makes them frontrunners for the BOIDC title is their versatility, especially with the willow.

Corben hasn't been making many runs since Christmas, but everyone else has. First weekend back, Kaleb Cook belted 150, this weekend Bailey Ferguson tonked Kinross to all corners on his way to 135. Ferguson hit nine sixes and 11 fours in the 116-ball knock but honestly if he doesn't hit runs, then Hugh Middleton will. Or Gus Cumming. Or Wes Lummis. It's batting all the way down.