The cream is already starting to rise to the top.
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Western Zone captain Marty Jeffrey has been one of the top performers already this season while a NSW Country representative was the best bowler in the region on the weekend.
Both those players have made the cut in our second edition of the Western Zone team of the week for 2024/25.
The wrap
Dubbo has secured hosting rights for the Western Zone Premier League final after a relatively comfortable win over Orange on Sunday, October 20.
A strong all-round performance with the ball and then a half-century from captain Jeffrey was key for Dubbo.
Lachlan Council plays Bathurst on Sunday, November 3 and the winner of that winner of that match will play Orange for the right to take on Dubbo in the decider.
In club cricket, the biggest story was Centrals winning a Bathurst Orange Inter-District Cricket (BOIDC) match for the first time in 958 days.
Given the club was forced to withdraw its first grade side last season, it was a huge result and was headlined by top performances from off-season recruits Freddie Wilkinson and Satveer Gill.
Elsewhere, defending premiers Cavaliers and St Pat's Old Boys secured wins to remain the only unbeaten sides after two rounds.
Some powerhouse batting from Cavs' stars led them to a win over Rugby Union while a Ben Parsons-inspired Saints crushed CYMS.
In Dubbo, Macquarie made it two-from-two in the Twenty20s and it was Eric Herbert who was again a star in a win over RSL Colts.
Team of the week
1 Joe Coughlan (Orange CYMS, Orange)
TOTW appearances: Two
A strong start to the representative season no doubt has Coughlan firming for Western Zone selection this summer.
After banging 45 for Orange in round of the WZPL, Coughlan hit a tougher 86 from 117 balls against Dubbo yesterday.
It wasn't enough to get Dubbo the win, but the knock and his handy 2/35 from 9.2 overs should be enough to get him back in a Baggy Blue for the Country Championships.
2 Bailey Ferguson (Cavaliers, Orange)
TOTW appearances: One
One of the most aggressive batters in the region, Ferguson did what he does best on Saturday for club side Cavaliers.
Ferguson whacked 73 from 59 balls to get the defending BOIDC off to a flying start, one that eventually secured victory over Rugby Union.
Ferguson hit three sixes and nine boundaries in his blistering knock.
The only shame was he missed out as Orange captain on Sunday and only made 1.
3 Eric Herbert (Macquarie)
TOTW appearances: One
This man loves Twenty20 cricket. The Dubbo first grade season has started with short-form games and Macquarie has thrived.
After he hit 40 from 20 balls in a round one win over Souths, Herbert was key again in Saturday's victory over RSL Colts.
Chasing 118 for victory, Herbert belted six sixes and just two boundaries in his 48 from 28 balls. For those who don't want to do the match, that means he ran only four runs.
4 Marty Jeffrey (RSL Colts, Dubbo)
TOTW appearances: Two
The Dubbo captain is leading from the front this season. After starring in the WZPL round one thriller against Bathurst with a gritty 88, Jeffrey made 60 from 77 balls on Sunday as Dubbo chased down Orange's total of 168 with five wickets and more than three overs to spare.
Ready to go again as Western Zone captain this summer, Jeffrey also chimed in with 2/16 from four overs during RSL Colts' loss to Macquarie on Saturday.
5 Thomas Nelson (CYMS Cougars, Dubbo)
TOTW appearances: One
Holding things together in the middle order. It's what Nelson does best and he was doing exactly that again for Dubbo on Sunday.
While his side was in control of much of the game against Orange, a wobble of 2/2 at one point gave the visitors a little glimmer of hope. But Nelson remained steady and went on to guide his side to victory with 42 from 68 balls.
6 Freddie Wilkinson (Centrals)
TOTW appearances: One
The toast of everyone at Centrals.
The Englishman may only have played two matches for the club but can already be labelled a hero after helping Centrals end a 958-day winless run on Saturday.
The wicketkeeper-batter made 56 from 74 balls and led the side to 170, which proved enough as Bathurst City was knocked over for 123.
7 Rory Kalnins (Cavaliers, Orange)
TOTW appearances: One
The man who often wears his socks inside out ensured the runs kept ticking along for Cavs on Saturday.
After the previously mentioned Ferguson got them off to a flyer, Kalnins whacked a hard-hitting 65 from 62 to drive his side to a total of 202.
His knock included four boundaries and four sixes and was crucial in a 21-run victory.
Like teammate Ferguson, he couldn't do the double on the weekend and was knocked over for 12 in Orange's loss to Dubbo.
8 Shaun Grenfell (Orange City)
TOTW appearances: One
A legend at Orange City - he passed 9000 runs for the club last season - led the way again on Saturday.
At 3/47 the Warriors were in trouble a little but Grenfell led the rebuild with 70 not out from 82 balls.
Having opened in round one, his performance in the middle on Saturday led the side to 6/165 and that proved enough as City Colts was knocked over for 157.
9 Pruthviraj Parmar (Newtown)
TOTW appearances: One
A rare player of the match performance in a losing side.
Parmar stood out for Newtown in the RSL Whitney Cup on Saturday but his all-round effort wasn't enough against South Dubbo.
His 2/20 from four overs included the big wickets of Harry Roscarel (20) and Ted Murray (21) and he then almost single-handedly got his side over the line with bat in hand.
Chasing 5/124 for victory, Newtown was gone at 6/39, but Parmar whacked 42 from 36 balls to get his side back into the mix.
It wasn't enough though as the Tigers finished at 8/108.
10 Ben Parsons (St Pat's Old Boys)
TOTW appearances: One
A great day for Saints on Saturday and Parsons was a huge part of the dominant eight-wicket victory.
The NSW Country quick was at his best at the Sports ground and took 5/9 from eight overs as Saints crushed CYMS.
Like any good opening bowler, Parsons set the tone and he took five of the first six wickets to fall. CYMS never recovered from that early onslaught and were rolled for 89.
Another who can be locked in for Western Zone.
11 Thanuja Mudiyansela (RSL Colts, Dubbo)
TOTW appearances: One
An intriguing newcomer to Dubbo this season.
He might not have wowed too many people on Saturday when taking 0/20 from three, but he caught the eye on the representative scene on the Sunday.
He took 3/34 from nine in a shrewd performance with the ball. He might not be the fastest, but his smarts were on show in a spell which was important after Orange reached 47 without losing a wicket.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior sports journalist for Western NSW, covering all that's happening in in Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and everywhere in between. Contact me at nick.guthrie@acm.media
