Bathurst Orange inter District Cricket: City Colts captain Dan Casey feeling sense of relief heading into round two

The skipper claimed a five wicket haul in Colts' nine-wicket win over Bathurst City to take his side to victory - something they had to wait nearly three months for in the 2019-20.

Getting that monkey off the back helps the Colts breathe a lot easier ahead of a tough clash with defending champions Orange City at Wade Park this Saturday.

A similar restrictive bowling performance from the Colts this weekend could give Orange City some troubles but giving the champions' stacked top order any chance to get on a roll could lead to the Bathurst side's doom.

Casey said the confidence boost from that opening round is something the club badly needed.

"That win meant a lot to us, especially after the slow start we had last year. Last year we had a really strong team, which was well documented, but we got off to a really bad start and it just seemed to follow us through the season," he said.

"We were actually probably a little light on bowling on Saturday. The good thing about the one day games is that you don't have to bowl a side out, you just have to restrict them and then back that effort up with the bat."

And that's what Casey and teammate Josh Toole did, finding nine wickets between them to take the last nine Redbacks scalps for just 24 runs.

That's something that won't happen week in, week out for the Colts but it sets the platform for an improved season of cricket.

"The pitch wasn't perfect by any means but our guys caught the total only one down - almost none down," Casey said.

"Redbacks were a bit light on and had a long tail but we bowled in the right areas."

Colts' batting order are still yet to be tested, as only three players made their way to the crease last round, and they're expecting a tough clash with City.

"We're all really looking forward to it. I love playing at Wade Park. It's probably the best ground this side of the Blue Mountains," Casey said.

"I think the pressure is off us this weekend after we started with a good win, and when you compare it to how we started last year. I really feel that we can beat any team in the competition if we play our best cricket."

Orange City started their season with an 11-run win over CYMS last Saturday - one of the closer matches in a round with several blowout results.

City thumped Colts in their 2019-20 season meeting.

An Ed Morrish and Harry McGregor clinic with the ball knocked over the Colts and left them 114 runs short of the target.

The one-day format this season adds some extra spice to this upcoming clash, especially with both clubs boasting some of the competition's big hitters.

In other games this round Centennials Bulls look for their first win of the season when they play host to Cavaliers at George Park 1, while Bathurst City and Centrals both look to get off the mark in their meeting at Morse Park 1.

Round one winners Rugby Union and St Pat's Old Boys meet at the Sportsground in the only all-Bathurst clash of the round and Kinross play CYMS at Riawena Oval.

All matches get underway from 1pm.