Rugby Union sits in third position on the ladder with a 5-2 record and is fresh off a comprehensive 58-run win over Hugh Le Lievre's CYMS.

The victory marks four triumphs in-a-row for the red hot side as they haven't dropped a game since October 31 against the defending premiers.

While they've had excellent solo performances throughout the last few months, it was Sam Macpherson who turned one on in round nine, smashing 86 runs off 62 balls in a dominant display.

After racking up 269, Rugby Union silenced CYMS' batting line as the likes of Jonah Ruzgas (1/20) and Jameel Qureshi (2/20) stifled the men in green.

Peacock's men will have the chance to avenge their most recent loss in round 10 when they square off against Orange City again.

It's been a while since Cavaliers lost three first-grade matches in-a-row.

Matt Corben spoke about the side's confidence in the lead-up to Saturday's four-wicket loss to City Colts and while you'd be silly to discount the men in maroon, the form slump can't be ignored.

Kinross was the last side the reigning runner-up defeated, making it 50 days their last victory.

So, what's gone wrong in recent times?

One thing you could look towards is the lack of consistency with the bat as no one from Cavaliers has registered a ton this year, another issue Corben addressed during the week.

Either way, Bathurst City will come to town in round 10 and if the Cavs can't get the job done then, it's panic stations.

We're not mathematicians at The Central Western Daily but it doesn't take Pythagoras' theorem to work out that the following sides are in trouble:

Kinross, Centennials Bulls, Centrals and CYMS.

While the students are mathematically eliminated from the hunt, you can rule out the latter three outfits qualifying for the top four as well.

Centrals and CYMS are 17 points clear of Cavaliers, while Bulls are 21 points away.

Looking at the schedule, you could make the case that Le Lievre's CYMS have the easiest draw out of the three sides as they play Centennials Bulls and Kinross in the final two rounds but with back-to-back clashes coming against St Pat's Old Boys and Orange City, they're as good as gone.

See you next year.

Orange City came into round nine missing a plethora of players.

But, not just regular blokes, they were missing four of their best.

Ed Morrish, Harry McGregor, Blake Weymouth and Ben Schofield were all unavailable for Saturday's tilt against Kinross, a match they still won by over 100 runs.

Lachie Coyte and David Boundy were among the men who stepped up in the quartet's absence, as well Andrew Rutledge (4/8) who was nothing short of sensational.

Learning how to get wins when you're not at your best is often a hallmark of quality sides, and it's something City has shown they can do in 2020-21, and in years past.

When they get their full complement of players back in the coming weeks, they're the team to beat.

He might be 40-something-years-old, but Russell Gardner is having a campaign to remember for City Colts.

In a season that's turned out to be very much feast or famine for the slugger, Gardner has put together knocks of 80, 156, 72, 61 and 75.

I mean, c'mon... that's other-wordly.

He might have three ducks in the mix somewhere but you've got to respect a bloke who lives by the sword and dies by it.

The slugger's scored 445 runs throughout the summer, more than his nearest rival (Blake Aubin with 368) and if City Colts want to complete their push towards the top four, Russ might just be the X-factor.