On paper, Mick Curtale's season for Orange City in the Royal Hotel Cup has been as explosive and dangerous as any of his other seasons as a marquee player in the Twenty20 competitions.
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He's had two half-centuries from his two games - a 63 in his first game and a 66 last week against CYMS as he and Mick Delaney's 95 sparked fireworks at Wade Park, clipping along at a lazy strike rate of 145, but if anything Curtale feels he's taken the foot off the gas with the willow.
"This year I feel like I've reigned it in," the Cowra based opener said.
"Wade Park is such a good batting deck that if you hit a good cricket shot you're rewarded and if it beats the fielder it normally goes for four it's such a good ground."
"You've got to go hard enough but I don't change what I do that much - chasing you might go a bit harder but if it's in my zone I'll hit it."
He said this year - one he's enjoyed with Orange City, his fourth Royal Hotel Cup club - had been "really good", and he hadn't felt much of the pressure that comes with being one of the biggest-name marquees in the competition.
"They've been a really good bunch of blokes," he said.
"As a marquee you're kind of expected to come in and have an impact, if you don't perform then other blokes might look at you and think 'why have we got this guy?'."
"But I've really enjoyed watching their younger players, too."
He labelled Lachie Coyte "really impressive to watch" after batting alongside the youngster in his two games this year.
"Spoke to him in the middle and said 'I'm happy to let you go about what you're doing', and I just want to pass on that experience," Curtale said.
As much as he's enjoyed watching youngsters strut their stuff under lights, Curtale said he's been able to appreciate cricket more and more with age - even if it comes off his bowling.
"When someone like Delaney's going, I sit back and enjoy it. It might sound weird considering it happened to us, but I've played enough cricket I can sit back and enjoy it," he said.
"I've played against him in Canberra and he's a tough, really good cricketer and I think the more players like that you get back in Orange, but in this competition, the better it is."
He's loved this year in the competition as much as ever, but won't turn his attention to finals - where the Warriors have all but sealed up a place - until taking on Centrals on Friday night.
"CYMS look very good with a lot of good players like Delaney. They outplayed us on Friday night but we haven't played the other teams in the top four," he said.
"Got to go out and get the job done on Friday night before we worry about it."
Orange City plays Centrals at Wade Park on Friday night from 6.30pm.
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