The Lachlan Valley side was languishing at 8-136 and then 9-169 but Scott Wilson (25) and Nick Traves (25 not out) nudged their side to a respectable 213, before the visitors forced Orange into a grind that ultimately paid some dividends.

Although Matt Corben (95) and Hugh Le Lievre (63) defied the heat to add 141 for the third wicket in the Bluebaggers’ reply thanks to Cowra bowling superbly to Curtale’s fields the hosts’ runs never truly flowed, and they were stifled to the point they needed seven an over for the final five sets.

In the end Orange needed two to win from the final ball, skipper Daryl Kennewell managing a hurried single to lock things up. He and Curtale, naturally, cut very different figures after the final ball thriller.

“It’s not a hollow feeling, it’s a bit of a nothing feeling in a way, but we probably did miss a trick or two at different stages of the game,” Kennewell said.

“Their last-wicket stand, even their ninth-wicket partnership, ended up pretty valuable and those last 10 overs of ours in the field probably was the difference.

“We batted well and we were on track. Corbs and Hughy both batted beautifully but maybe we did leave our run a little bit late. We really should’ve got there with the wickets in hand we had, but it’s still better than a loss I guess.”

“I don’t really think we had much of a right to be in it, considering the positions we were in,” Curtale said.

“You know, at 8-140 odd I was sort of looking at just getting to 160 or 170 and giving ourselves something to bowl at. To get past 200 was huge, and then to restrict them the way we did too it was a big effort.

“Even though wickets weren’t falling for us it was never easy for them either. We just wanted to take their boundaries away and make them force the issue a bit, try and get that required run rate up to a run a ball by the end and see what happened from there.

“The boys did a really, really good job to execute that so well.”

Regardless of their respective feelings towards the result, both skippers highlighted the gutsy nature of Corben’s dig, although he fell just short of a match-winning century.

After taking the gloves for a large hunk of Cowra’s dig Corben opened up for Orange and batted right through until the final over, before being bowled by Callen Taylor (3-39) with three balls remaining.

“He’d be disappointed he didn’t quite get us over the line but it was a really good innings, it was bloody hot out there,” Kennewell said.

“He’s been doing a great job for us so far this summer and he did that again.”