Taylor out to impress for Western in Country Championships

The talented St Pat's Old Boys bowler was named in the 14-man squad earlier this week, one of five Bathurst-based cricketers in the squad alongside skipper Jameel Qureshi, Ryan Peacock and teammates Nic Broes and Connor Slattery.

Hugh Le Lievre is the only Orange player in the squad, while the rest of the team comes from either Dubbo, Parkes or Gilgandra.

Taylor said playing at that top level is a valuable experience, saying it has helped grow his game.

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"The higher level of rep cricket you play, the more you get use to it," he said.

"So when you go down there, you're playing a higher quality of game. You get use to how they play, so it makes things a little bit easier for yourself. But it's always a challenge.

"It's always an honour being picked in these sort of teams, getting to play with the best players across this area like Ben Patterson, Mitch Bower and Brock Larance.

"With the team we've got, we're in with a chance, but it just depends on how we play on the day."

Taylor has featured in Western's last two Country Championships campaigns, while having represented his district as the colts championships in 2018-19.

During the last two senior championships, Taylor has taken five wickets from six matches, with Western unable to progress from its pool to the final on both occasions.

"I went alright. I took five wickets across both carnivals," he said.

"It was more like a spinners deck, so pace bowlers didn't get too much out of it."

Having played regularly with a fair chunk of the squad when playing for Bathurst in the Western Zone Premier League, it'll make things a lot easier during the Country Championships for Taylor.

"Most of us play together in that Bathurst team on a Sunday, which is good. I enjoy playing as much cricket as I can with them," he said.

Taylor is one of the most inform bowlers in the Bathurst Orange District Cricket this season.

He's taken 11 wickets in six matches this summer, two behind leading bowler Harry Pearce from Cavaliers, who has 13.

He's also taken four wickets in just one game for St Pat's in the Bonnor Cup, while having three wickets for Bathurst in the Western Zone Premier League.

Western starts its Southern Pool carnival against Illawarra at the Bernie Reagan Sports Ground in Shoalhaven on February 4, followed by games against Riverina and ACT Southern Districts.

All Country Championship matches are one-day 50-over contests, with the competition running from February 4-6.

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