But for Bathurst footballer Campbell Smith, he would rather beat Dubbo College.

Bathurst and Orange contested the first round of Astley Cup action on June 16 and 17, but it's not until June 29 and 30 that Campbell will get to take on Dubbo.

With his father residing in Dubbo and his step-brother having previously represented the school, he's hoping to get some bragging rights for Bathurst.

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"That's where my dad lives and my step-brother played in the Dubbo soccer team in 2019," he said.

"To be able to beat them again, I can just put it in his face. It'll be quite good for me."

The current Panorama FC local first grader and Western Premier League footballer said the Astley Cup is a big deal, especially as it's his last year of schooling.

"It's pretty important. I like all the sports," he said.

"It's just a big thing for school but it's also big for other towns as well.

"Like my brother being in it too for Dubbo. It's pretty important for me. I just love being able to play sports."

The Astley Cup has already been decided - Orange defeated Dubbo last week to secure the title - but Campbell was still optimistic about his team's chances going into this year's tournament.

"Looking at the squad right now, we're in form, so we're pretty confident that we'll have a really good chance of winning," he said.

"Mind you, we did play Orange recently in another competition, the CHS [Combined High Schools] one. It was with their open's team and it was a close one.

"We just won 3-2. It was a good game, but we sort of need to pick it up a bit better, otherwise it's going to be harder for us."

Campbell said there's plenty of players within his squad that can get the job done come game day.

"Michael Murimbechi, Callum Daunt, Cody Cramer, Seth Kandegedara and Ronan Daunt are just some of the guys that are doing well," he said.

"There are a few areas that we could work on but most of them, they're all good, going well."

Campbell first played in the Astley Cup for the boys football team back in 2019.

Bathurst High hasn't tasted Astley Cup success since 2019, which saw the school secure a historic three-peat.

Dubbo College is the reigning Astley Cup champion, having been handed last year's title, even though Bathurst and Orange were unable to complete a day of sports due to adverse weather.

The Astley Cup was first held in 1923, with Bathurst having 27 titles, Dubbo winning 23 and Orange ahead in front with 42.

Bathurst's most successful runs was the time it won two three-peats, in 2017-2019 and 1962-1964.

Orange has enjoyed the most dominant run of titles, an incredible 12 in a row from 1990-2001.

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