IMRAN Qureshi has been a purveyor of the cricket's longer formats for as long as he can remember, but even as a fan of the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket two-day setup he sees a need for some form of one-day contests next season.
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Qureshi and his Rugby Union teammates didn't quite fulfil their finals goal in the first year of the BOIDC after its reformation but they all came away pleased with the opportunity to play a new range of teams in a tougher competition.
The Rugby captain said the competition certainly fulfilled its aim of giving Bathurst and Orange players a tougher cricket environment to help further their game.
"The aim in having the Bathurst and Orange competitions combined again was to have everyone playing a better quality of cricket. This competition helps everyone become better players because when you have tougher games it makes everyone rise up," he said.
"I think from an overall point of view it's been an awesome thing to happen and from what I can tell pretty much everyone I've talked to really enjoyed it."
Qureshi and his brother Jameel have always been upfront about their preference for the longer formats but the Rugby skipper said any changes to the existing full season of two-day play is definitely worth discussing among clubs.
"If I could play two day cricket all the time, I would," he said.
"I enjoy the challenge of having to focus harder over longer periods of time. Sometimes you're having a bad day in the field where someone's getting on top of you but you've got to stick with it. That's one of the beautiful things about cricket, for me.
"But the way the game's evolved over the last 10 years, with the introduction of Twenty20, any limited overs cricket might encourage people who were on the borderline of possibly playing cricket to get involved.
"I think there should be some form of limited overs cricket played, especially since all representative cricket is played at a maximum 50 overs."
It was a mixed return to the BOIDC for Rugby Union.
Rugby Union's finals hopes still remained intact all the way until the final round, which was sadly lost due to wet weather.
The club ended the regular season with three wins and four defeats, picking up two of those victories in the crucial back half of the season.
Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
