Orange went down in their Western Zone Premier League game to Cowra after a blistering century to Cowra batsman Mick Curtale helped Cowra chase down 203 in just 30 overs.
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Orange had no answer to Curtale’s 122 not out, which came from just 69 deliveries and included nine fours and seven sixes.
Orange skipper Daryl Kennewell said it was a “magical innings”.
“It’s just one of those innings you see every now and again and there’s nothing you can do to stop it,” he said.
“He missed everything for the first few overs and then he took us apart,” Kennewell said.
Curtale’s rampage saw him take 25 runs off one over from young bowler Zac Reimer, which saw several sixes fly into the creek alongside Twigg park.
“The boys didn’t bowl too badly – we might have strayed a little bit from the plan.”
Sent in to bat by Cowra skipper Nick Berry, Orange struggled early on a difficult deck, working their way to 5-122 in the 33rd over on the back of a 73 from Josh Doherty.
However, Orange’s tail wagged, with the final two wickets combining for 52 runs, including a handy 28 from young gun Fletcher Rose.
Fifteen runs from Ed Morrish and 13 from number 11 bat Reimer also helped push the total beyond 200.
The pitch proved difficult early, with Kennewell saying there was plenty of movement.
“There was a lot of variance, if you hit the deck hard it bounced up and some would skid through,” he said.
“There was a bit off the seam as well, so it was tricky to get in and you had to work for your runs.”
Kennewell said he thought they were only 20-odd runs short of par, and things looked good early as the skipper took two crucial wickets – including that of Cowra’s captain Nick Berry – to leave the hosts at 2-69.
“We had ayoung side and it’s a good learning curve for them”
- Captain Daryl Kennewell
However, the wicket dried out as the day wore on, and any optimism ended when until Curtale got to the crease, as his destructive innings put the result beyond doubt with 20 overs to spare.
“We had a young side and it’s a good learning curve for them,” Kennewell said.
Captain Berry said Curtale’s 122 not out was “an outstanding innings”.
“Josh [Carmondy] played a roll where it’s very difficult. When there’s a guy going down the other end and to not go for outlandish shot is really good,” Barry said.