Lockdown extension looks set to rule out the last day of 2021 Astley Cup action

Bathurst and Orange lost to opening day of play in their tie due to a snow day at Orange, preventing safe travel between the cities, and the schools eventually settled on August 26 as the new date for play.

That new date is now an impossibility and finding another free timeslot could prove impossible due to HSC preparation for year 12 students.

Bathurst High School principal Ken Barwick has always stated that running the remaining day without the participation of those senior students is not going to happen.

"Most people chose week seven because week eight, nine and 10 would be finalisation for year 12 and it's also year 11 prelim exams so we're going to struggle to find a date between now and the end of the term for when it could work," he said.

"It would come down to a collaborative decision between the three principals. Going back to last year, it was agreed that you couldn't run Astley Cup without year 12.

"Three schools haven't met since we've gone into lockdown."

Barwick had said prior to Thursday's announcement that any extension would likely wipe out "any possibility" of completing the Bathurst-Orange tie.

The Bathurst principal understandably remains firmly focused on the academic side of the equation and is making that his priority over the coming week.

"As much as we love Astley Cup, and me more than anyone, our focus has to be on making sure that year 12 gets their assessments in and that they sit their trials," he said.

"We've got scenarios for running trials for year 12 and prelims for year 11 based on the length of this lockdown, all looking after the wellbeing of kids.

"The first and foremost thing is to get HSC courses complete. We can't run Astley Cup if it's going to risk that. Everything needs to be aligned in case there is a HSC this year and our students have to sit it.

"Astley remains a secondary thought at the moment."

If the tie, as expected, does not go ahead it remains to be seen how current results will be interpreted to determine a winner or whether the year's cup is voided.

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