Western Zone Cup winners: Orange

Orange are Western Zone Cup winners for 2025-26. After going down to Lachlan in a close one last season, our boys have travelled to Mudgee and come back with the trophy.

We batted first and were in early trouble at 3-37, but that brought skipper Harry Grindle and his deputy, Fletcher Byrne together. The pair proceeded to add 171 runs for the 4^th wicket to well and truly help us on our way to our final score of 6-257.

Our bowlers then kept the pressure on the Mudgee batters to bowl Mudgee out for 165 in the 44^th over. Riley Davis took 1/11 from his 6 over spell with the new ball, before Toby Middleton (2-30 from 10 overs) took the second and third Mudgee wicket to fall to have the hosts 3-79. Harry Dyer’s introduction into the attack paid immediate dividends as he picked up his first wicket without adding to the Mudgee score.

The home side rallied for a short while, before Ollie Brincat who picked up a wicket in his second over to have Mudgee 5-124. With the run rate climbing to over 8, Dyer and Brincat picked up 2 further two wickets each, and with a run out thrown in, Mudgee were bowled out for 165. Dyer finished with 3/39 from his 10 overs and Brincat 3/23 from 5.2.

Congratulations to the team and thank you to all of the players that were part of the team over the course of the season.