RSL Whitney Cup premiers CYMS one of five Dubbo sides to contest Western Zone club knockout

The Cougars are one of five sides from the Dubbo District Cricket Association which will compete in the inaugural edition of the competition which brings together teams from around the region.

As well as the champions of Dubbo's RSL Whitney Cup, the 12-team tournament will also feature the premiers of the Bathurst Orange Inter-District Cricket (BOIDC) competition and the grand final winners from Lachlan Cricket Council.

"It will be a different experience and to play other teams from other towns will be a bit special," Knaggs said.

"You get, I guess, to see who has the better comp around the region and it's a good challenge for the boys to change things up during the season.

"I'm looking forward to it."

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CYMS has started the 2022/23 season in fine style with three wins from as many games and Knaggs is eager to enjoy success in the new knockout.

As well as CYMS, the Dubbo association will be represented by RSL Colts, Macquarie, Newtown and South Dubbo while Rugby was the only first grade team not to put its hand up.

Premiers St Pat's Old Boys will be joined by fellow BOIDC teams Bathurst City, Centrals, Orange CYMS and Orange City while the Cambridge Cats will fly the flag for Parkes and Cowra-based Valleys will also take part.

Matches will be played in January and February of next year.

"To be named the best team in the west would be awesome," Knaggs said.

"It would be quite an achievement for us and it's definitely something we're striving for."

The Cougars showcased their quality with the ball last weekend when rolling South Dubbo for just 85 last weekend, a performance which came after the top order fired when making 4/206 from 40 overs in a win over Macquarie a week prior.

It's efforts like those, as well as the belief created by winning last season's RSL Whitney Cup title, which gives Knaggs the confidence his side can be the first Western Zone champion.

"For sure," he said.

"On our day I think we can beat anyone. We'll turn up and definitely put our best foot forward."

Knaggs may think his side has the quality to win the competition but he wouldn't be drawn into the debate around which centre has the best standard of cricket in the region.

"Bathurst would be one of the best out there after their rep side won the Western Premier League the past three years but I can't say too much about that," he said.

While the Cougars were always expected to be an RSL Whitney Cup contender this season, the manner in which they've started the campaign has been impressive given the changes to the team.

The side lost three of its best players during the off-season, with former Australian Indigenous representatives Brock Larance and Ben Patterson moving to Perth and Newcastle respectively, while young gun Tom Coady made the move to Sydney.

Matt Purse joined CYMS from Newtown for this season and has made an immediate impact with the ball while Thomas Nelson, Tom Barber and Fletcher Hyde have all been among the runs in the opening rounds.

"With the big three going out, everyone has stepped up," Knaggs said.

"We're all putting in massively at training and some of us are training four or five times a week.

"That's starting to show on the field. Tom Barber has made two fifties in a row and then getting a 30 off not many to start the season and Matt Purse has done a job with his bowling.

"The boys are really stepping up."

Fixtures for the knockout will be announced in the coming weeks, meanwhile, CYMS will enjoy a general bye on Saturday due to the Western Zone Premier League representative weekend.

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