Mitchell Cricket Council president Mark Frecklington is hoping the opening rounds of this year’s Mitchell Twenty20 Cup will aid the Central West Wranglers’ bid for Regional Bash success next summer.
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This year’s cup will kick-off on Friday night at Mudgee’s Victoria Park with Lithgow taking on Mudgee in the opener.
The remainder of the pool games will then be held at Gulgong and Lithgow on Saturday and Sunday.
Frecklington says the move to stage these games in the council’s smaller centres is designed to broaden the Wranglers’ catchment net.
“You never know what is going to happen in Twenty20 cricket, and that’s the case with players as well. You never know who’s going to perform,” Frecklington said.
“Giving guys in towns like Gulgong, Mudgee and Lithgow the chance to play in this year’s tournament will give them an opportunity to push their claim for a Wranglers spot, an opportunity they probably haven’t had before.
“It’s good for Gulgong and Lithgow to host as well, it mixes it up a bit.”
The Mitchell T20 Cup kicked off in sensational fashion last summer with Orange breaking its representative trophy drought after a super over win in the final over Bathurst at Wade Park.
Last year, just three teams took part – Orange, Bathurst and the council’s sleeping giants, Blue Mountains.
With the addition of three more teams this summer, Frecklington was hopeful the Wranglers – the Regional Bash side drawing from the eastern part of western zone – will unearth some new representative stars in the shortest format of the game.
“You look at some of the best T20 players around, they’re not always in regular rep sides,” he said.
Frecklington added he was keen for last year’s team of Richie Venner (coach) and Jameel Qureshi (captain) to continue on in both mentoring the side and selecting the squad.
Neither has been confirmed in either role yet, though.
The 2017-18 Regional Bash was Venner’s first as a coach, but rain washed out the Wranglers’ pool rounds, without any play.
“At the end of the day, we’re interested in current and former players being involved in the Wranglers set-up,” Frecklington said.
“Those guys are on the ground and have a bit better understanding than some selectors who might be a bit removed (from Twenty20 cricket).
“Jameel, Richie, they’ve got the idea.”
Defending champions, Orange is set to name a strong squad with plenty of Twenty20 experience.
Club outfits CYMS and Cavaliers are both in the Royal Hotel Cup top four, as is the Lightning, a side drawing players from Lithgow.
For the first time since the Royal Hotel Cup switched to Twenty20 cricket in 2012-13, three Bathurst clubs are also involved in the premier T20 competition in the zone.
Frecklington believes that level of 20-over cricket has to work in Wranglers’ favour, in the long run.
“I think Orange has got some advantage of having played Royal Hotel Cup for the last five or six years. Know They probably know the game a bit better,” he added.
Pool games will be played at Victoria Park, Mudgee, at Victoria Park, Gulgong and Lithgow’s Tony Luchetti Sportsground this weekend.
The finals will be at Bathurst on February 11.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
