Despite his side just being crowned the first winners of the reformed Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket competition following its cancellation on Wednesday night due, Orange City skipper Ed Morrish said he had a "pretty empty feeling".
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The BOIDC followed suit from both Orange District Cricket Association on Tuesday and Bathurst District Cricket Association on Wednesday in cancelling games for the rest of the 2019-20 season due to coronavirus concerns, leaving Orange City champions as the first side into the grand final.
The Warriors were handed victory following their nail-biting three run win over Cavaliers in the major semi-final, becoming the first - and subsequently only - team to win through to the BOIDC grand final.
"I knew they were calling the meeting tonight and had a feeling they'd give it to us but I don't know how to feel about it," Morrish said.
The Warriors skipper said he would have preferred to play with just two weekends of finals remaining, but acknowledged once the advice came from Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW earlier this week the three remaining sides were little to no chance of getting on the park.
A statement on the BOIDC Facebook page confirmed Orange City would be handed the title win due to their major semi-final win on Sunday, meaning the club has won its last three first grade premierships - the previous two ODCA titles and now the re-formed competition.
While Morrish said it didn't really feel like a third win on the trot, his men could still be happy for their efforts during the season.
"The boys will be happy, they're super proud of their efforts during the year and they should be super proud, they put in an incredible effort all year," he said.
"But there's something about it which just doesn't feel right.
"Cavaliers also had an incredible year - when don't Cavs have an incredible year - and St Pat's were almost as unlucky as anyone after having plenty of games washed out," he said.
Morrish admitted had the call been made last Friday, it would have been near-certain to have been handed to Matt Corben's Cavaliers, who finished as minor premiers, and lamented the three remaining sides didn't have the chance to duke it out in a proper finals series.
However, it meant the three-run win - after Cavaliers lost 6-29 after Morrish and Shaun Grenfell stormed through the middle and lower order - turned the major semi-final into a grand final, even if both sides didn't know it at the time.
"I don't know how to feel about it," Morrish said.
