The result ended Orange’s hopes of making the final in the former and setting up a second date for the sides in the final of the latter. 

Mitchell made 97 and Imran Qureshi made 62 to combine for a 130-run stand for the second wicket which meant Bathurst were never in danger of losing the 50-over clash, passing the total with more than 13 overs to spare. 

The young all-rounder fell just three runs short of the milestone with just four runs needed to win trying to send an Ed Morrish full pull over the mid-wicket fence and was bowled, ending hopes of a fairytale finish. 

However, Bathurst skipper Jameel Qureshi said it wasn’t an innings the youngster was likely to forget. 

“Benny Mitchell, he’s a very exciting talent and it’s good to see him do well and finally fulfil his potential there,” he said. 

“It’s disappointing he didn’t get there [to 100], but I’m sure he’s got plenty of tons coming up in the future to celebrate.” 

He said it was the most complete performance his side had put together all season, boding well heading into finals.

“I think the guys built a lot of pressure early on and the slower bowlers come on at the end and had to create their own pace,” Qureshi said. 

Orange were never able to build a big partnership with the bat, losing consistent wickets through their innings despite the best efforts of Josh Doherty, who hit 54.

Lachie Coyte tried to build an innings in the middle session but holed out off Qureshi’s bowling slog-sweeping to cow corner as tight opening overs left Orange at just 73 after 20 overs, and Orange never quite recovered despite the pitch being a batting paradise, as Mitchell and the younger Qureshi later proved. 

Mitchell said he was disappointed to miss out on the ton, but wasn’t too miffed. 

“On 97, I was trying to go over cover as it was the only place I could really see but obviously today wasn’t meant to be the day,” he said. 

“It’s alright, 97’s an alright score I suppose. I haven’t been batting too well at the moment but it was nice to hit some runs myself.

“It would have been to get there at the end but we got the job done which was good.”

Orange skipper Daryl Kennewell said it was a “deflating” loss for the side which was still gunning for a Western Zone Premier League final spot, but would push hard in the President’s Cup final in a fortnight.

“We didn’t take our chances winning the toss and batting, missing a few tricks in the middle session. Credit to them, they were the better side on the day,” he said. 

“We’re still confident we can get the job done but we’ll be playing Bathurst in Bathurst [for the President’s Cup] and we have to be better on the day. 

“We need to be bowling tighter lines, building pressure and working harder in the ring, we let them get away too quickly and that can put the pressure on the fielding side.”