TWO days, 15 overs, eight wickets - Bathurst bowler Mark Sheather is certainly making his presence felt in the Cricket NSW Youth Championships.
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Sheather is one of a host of Bathurst District Junior Cricket Association talents spread across three Central West Cricket Council teams - the under 13s, under 14s and under 15s - who are playing in the Thunder Country Pool of the championships.
All three Central West teams won their championship opener against Western Plains in Orange last Sunday and they are now currently competing in Dubbo.
After three rounds, the Central West outfits are all undefeated.
Sheather has played an important role in the under 14s' streak. On Friday he took 4-19 off seven overs against Murrumbidgee and on Saturday as Central West faced Cricket Albury-Wodonga Murray Valley, he again did a job with the new ball.
This time Sheather took 4-10 off eight overs, two of which were maidens, to help Central West defeat CAW Murray by seven wickets.
Playing at Lady Cutler 4, CAW Murray batted first and was bundled out for just 103.
Two of Sheather's victims were bowled, another trapped leg before wicket, while fellow Bathurst talent Rupert Begg took a catch off his bowling to help him to his impressive figures.
Bathurst District representative Murray Staines (1-7 off 3.3) was also amongst the wicket-takers.
In the chase Begg cracked 30 off 27 deliveries in a 90-run fourth-wicket partnership with Thomas Blowes (54 not out) to help Central West clinch the big win in the 14th over.
In the under 13s, Central West posted a 24-run win over CAW Murray at Victoria Park 2.
Bathurst's Cooper Stephen anchored Central West's innings after they won the toss and batted first. Coming in at number three after the first wicket fell with just five runs on the board, he made an unbeaten 41.
Stephen spent close to two hours at the crease and faced 93 deliveries as he helped Central West reach a total of 110.
Just three players other than Stephen, including Bathurst pair Blayde Burke (15) and Gilby Glawson (11), made double-figure scores.
It was not an easy total to defend, but defend it Central West did as they had CAW Murray all out for 86 after 21.4 overs.
Burke was impressive with the ball as he took 4-27 off 6.4 overs, while Stephen claimed 1-10 off three.
In the under 15s it was a final ball thriller as Central West beat CAW Murray by just one wicket in their 50 over battle at Lady Cutler 2.
While Bathurst talent Liam Cain (seven not out) was picked in the team to do a job with the new ball, he and James Harper (six not out) helped Central West extend their unbeaten run in the tournament as the winning run came on final ball.
It was the second day in a row the under 15s had won in such a thrilling fashion.
Before he held his nerve with the bat under immense pressure, Cain was amongst the wicket takers for Central West.
Cain (1-21 off 8.2) and fellow Bathurst District Junior Cricket Association talent Jayden Spackman (1-16 off four) both played a role in seeing CAW Murray all out for 146 in the 47th over.
While Angus Cornish (36) and Cooper Martin (40) were both solid with the bat in Central West's chase, their team-mates came and went without managing to reach double figures.
It set the scene for a tense finish, but fortunately Cain and Harper got the job done.
The three Central West sides will face a pair of Twenty20 fixtures on Sunday against ACT/SD Kings and Illawarra Highlanders.
