Plan B Regional Bash: Central West Wranglers trials in Bathurst give valuable sight for selectors

Twenty four players took part in the trials which will determine who gets to play in November 1's knockout clash of the Regional Bash against the Orana Outlaws.

An initial squad of 20 is expected to be named later this week, which will then be further whittled down to a final team of 14 players.

Coach Shane Broes said Sunday's pair of matches were very helpful for himself and other selectors in determining who will take their place in the Twenty20 tournament.

"We had a pair of Twenty20 games and made a couple of alterations between those games to batting positions. It was really good to see a couple of guys put their hand up who were on the radar," he said.

"Joey Coughlan scored a 50 which was really great for him and there were a couple of guys who scored in the 30s. Connor Slattery and Cooper Brien were in there."

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect for Broes was that the region's future appears to be in safe hands judging by the amount of junior talent raring to take a shot at a place in the region's representative T20 side.

"We had a lot of younger guys trial, around the 16 and 17-year-old mark, and they performed quite well. They certainly held their own," he said.

"Whether they make the final cut or not is yet to be determined but they showed that the future looks bright for the Wranglers."

Coronavirus precautions have led to a switch in this season's tournament from a carnival setup to a knockout bracket.

That makes the clash with Orana a big pressure tester for the Wranglers as they chase another appearance at the Sydney Cricket Ground finals.

"The games this year are in a knockout format against Orana. If we win that we go through to the next round, which will be against the winner of Illawarra and South Coast," he said.

"It's all to do with COVID because they want teams to stay in their own hubs and only have the one crossover game.

"This was the original format then changed it to a carnival one, which was good because you had a second chance, but now if you lose one then it's all over.

"Sunday was the obviously the first step in getting a team together and hopefully we'll soon be having a couple of training sessions over in Orange with their facilities there."

Broes said the squad is expected to be announced either on Wednesday or Friday.

Wranglers will play host to the Outlaws at Wade Park in the November 1 clash.