Central West Wranglers booked spot in Plan B Regional Bash after Illawarra Flames forfeit

Wranglers were scheduled to play a double-header against Illawarra Flames and South Coast Crew at Bathurst on Sunday, however, both teams forfeited their matches before they were officially washed out.

Illawarra, who led the pool on quotient, ultimately surrendered its position at the top of the ladder because of its forfeit, allowing Central West, the only other team to win a match in the pool, to progress to the semi-finals of the Plan B Regional Bash.

Adam Ryan, who was named in the squad for the Wranglers double-header on Sunday, said it was exciting to see the team progress to the semi-finals once again.

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"Because Illawarra forfeited, it gives us points instead of them being shared if it was a washout," he said.

"Both Illawarra and South Coast both forfeited coming up to Bathurst, which is a bit weird because you'd think you'd hold-off and if it got washed out, Illawarra would've went through.

"We'll be going through now, which is fantastic."

Since the launch of the competition in 2015-16, Central West has made the semi-final on three separate occasions - 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 - losing each time to ACT Aces.

Ryan said dates and venues have not been confirmed for the semi-final, but they have been previously held around the start of the new year at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"We haven't heard of a date yet," he said.

"They normally try and fit it in with other schedules, but with the T20 World Cup being on, that might push stuff around."

While unknown to players at the time, the match between Central West and Western Plains at Dubbo on October 16 was ultimately a play-off for a spot in the semi-final.

"Each time we go up to Dubbo, they're always a strong team," Ryan said.

"To beat them up there is such a good thing for us. We had a fair few changes in the squad this year, so it's good to see the new faces come in and do a pretty good job."

Coffs Harbour Chargers is the only other team that has booked a semi-final spot, after it topped a group featuring Macquarie Coast Stingers, NI Bolters and Northern Rivers Rock.

Two other pools are yet to play any games.

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