When Ben Orme picked up his first wicket as a member of the green and golds, there wasn't a person alive happier for him than "best mate" Joey Coughlan.
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The former Bathurst City teammates once again found themselves sharing the field together on Saturday, following an off-season where Orme switched allegiances to CYMS, just one year after Coughlan did the same.
The pair first played together at Redbacks in the 2008/09 season, so it seemed only fitting Orme's first scalp for his new team - that of City Colts opener David Smith - came with a 'caught Coughlan' beside it.
"He's the first bloke I'd pick in any team to play with," Coughlan said.
"I'm so glad I've never had to play against him because I'd hate it."
Not one to do things in half measures, Orme took the 2022/23 season off to rest his body.
But after seeing how much fun his former teammate had with CYMS, the all-rounder decided to make a comeback.
"Bowling fast and hitting balls is all he's ever known, but it takes a toll on your body," Coughlan said.
"Now he's back for a crack at the trophy. We really want to pick one of those up before we even think about hanging the boots up. Hopefully we can do something special this year."
As for the round two Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket clash itself, it was CYMS who had a bat first and although there were no standouts, six players scored between 25 and 38 as they finished 7-207 from their 40 overs.
Orme was then thrown the new ball with one goal in mind; take wickets.
"I said to the boys before we walked out that they've got three wickets we need and if we can get them all for less than 50 runs we'll win the game," Coughlan said of Colts players Henry Shoemark (44), Russell Gardner (0) and Daniel Casey (7).
"As soon as we took those three, I knew if we bowled tight enough we'd come away from it."
In what was a fairy-tale club debut, it was Orme who picked up two of the three big wickets as Colts were eventually bowled out for 177 in the 38th over.
"With Mac (Webster) generally out and Hugh Le Lievre gone, we just needed another bowler," Coughlan added.
"I told the boys before the start of the season that (Orme) would get you 30 wickets a season if he played every game. That's a given. He's a special cricketer."
Orme finished the day with figures of 3-31 off eight overs to go along with 25 off the bat.
The victory was CYMS' first of the season and they will hope to carry that good form into the two-day format when the BOIDC resumes on October 28.
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Riley Krause
I am a senior journalist for ACM in the Central West. I cover council, human interest, crime and breaking news. Got a tip? Text me at 0448 239 132 or email me at riley.krause@austcommunitymedia.com.au
