A breakdown in communication could give Mudgee’s under 21s team another opportunity at semi finals action despite their minor semi final match against Lithgow technically washed out.

On Friday night, Mudgee District Cricket Association secretary Betty Endacott received a phone call from her counterpart at Lithgow, Neil Hutchinson, informing her Lithgow City Council had closed all sports grounds in Lithgow for the weekend.

“We informed all the local clubs that the grounds had been closed by the council, but unfortunately we forgot that the under 21s would be playing on the Sunday,” Hutchinson said.

On Sunday morning, Mudgee umpire Gordon Fredericks received a phone call from a Lithgow under 21 representative asking where Mudgee was and how come they hadn’t turned up to play.

The Lithgow side was ready to play — but Mudgee had been told the game was cancelled.

Mitchell Cricket Council (MCC) secretary Carl Sharpe said the situation had been a “shemozzle”.

When it was all figured out, it was Lithgow under 21s who were inadvertently not told that the grounds were unplayable as was Mudgee’s and that the wash out rule would apply.

Lithgow coach Anthony Brown was notified late Sunday by the Mitchell Cricket Council his side would be contesting the preliminary final at Bathurst against Bathurst as they finished in third position with the higher side going on if the game was washed out.

“It is not the best way to make it through to the preliminary final,” Brown said.

“We would have rather played and taken our chances against Mudgee.

“They can feel hard done by, but it is nothing to do with the boys and rules are rules.

“”We now have to put all that behind us and concentrate on making it through to the grand final with a win against Bathurst,” Brown said.

In the meantime, Orange knocked over Bathurst in the major semi final and will now host the grand final while Bathurst will wait to see who their opponent will be after the Mudgee-Lithgow debacle is sorted out.