The first round was held in front of a boisterous crowd at Wallerawang Sportsground with all four clubs in action.

Blackheath Blackcats flexed their muscles in the opening fixture, blowing Carcoar Crows off the park with an impressive 60-12 performance.

Kandos Waratahs then overcame Portland Colts 26-20 in a hard-fought encounter.

In the league tag fixtures Blackheath beat Carcoar 28-22 and Kandos were 36-24 winners over Portland with both sides throwing caution to the wind in a great display of attacking rugby league.

Photographer John Fitzgerald was on hand to capture the best of the action, you can find a gallery of his photos above.

The Midwest Cup is a treasure of country rugby league and has a long and colourful history.

The trophy, named the Blayney Citizens' Cup, is more than 100 years old and was once contested in court back in 1921 after Mandurama was accused of stealing the trophy.

Thankfully things are a little more pleasant these days and round two of the famous competition will take place at Blackheath on October 14.

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