Cricket: Oliver McGill spins his way to best haul for South Tamworth

A teacher at Tamworth High, Smith was last Saturday one of only four players older than their early-20s .

"We're a developing side, have been the last few years really because we've had a natural attrition of experienced players either becoming fathers or their work/life balance resulting in them not playing," he said.

The flip side of that has been the opportunity to blood a host of young players.

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Ahead of their clash with North Tamworth starting on Saturday at Riverside 2, Smith, who is also the club president, said it is "exciting" to see the way the young brigade have stepped up with Oliver McGill the latest to make his mark.

After Smith eventually relented to his pestering (he didn't bowl in the first innings), the off-spinner claimed a best 6-37 to help dismiss West Tamworth for 141 in their second innings and claim the outright win.

"I'd been harassing Mitch all day to give me a bowl, put the spinners on from both ends sort of thing," McGill said.

"So he finally did and it paid off."

Not that it was, by his own admission, probably his best bowling performance.

His first over was, as he put it, "a lot of full tosses".

"Mitch was calling me "pineapple" because they were pretty bad," he joked.

"The second over wasn't too much better until I got Harrison (Kelly) out fifth/sixth ball."

It was a turning point for Souths, and McGill.

After Kelly's dismissal, it all "sort of came together" for them.

Similarly, after that he started to find a bit of rhythm.

He hadn't before Saturday bowled a lot this season. More prominent in recent seasons as a batsmen, he'd bowled just six overs and hadn't bowled for almost two months.

In Year 12 at Peel, McGill has been playing grade since he was in Year 7.

Last season he started in third grade before finishing in seconds. This season after playing the first two games in third grade, he was promoted to first grade for the last round of the one-day competition.

He was then listed there for the T20s and the first two-dayer.

"So hopefully I'll stay there," he added.

He is also hoping the South Tamworth blue isn't the only blue he dons this year.

Also a talented hockey player - if anything it is probably his No.1 sport - McGill was last year selected in the NSW Blues under-18s side to play at the nationals in Launceston in April.

COVID unfortunately ruined those plans with all the championships cancelled. Fortunately he was eligible for the 18s again this year, and is in the midst of the trial process.

"We've got a camp in February and a few days after that they'll announce the teams," McGill said.

The nationals are again scheduled to be held in Tasmania in April.

"It will be good to actually go away this time and compete so hopefully we can get a chance to do that," he said.

Locally he plays for Tudor Wests.

Since making his run-on debut in first grade in 2018, he has over the last couple of seasons developed into a first grade regular and a key cog in their attack.

Elsewhere on Saturday West Tamworth play Old Boys at No.1 Oval and City United meet Bective-East at Riverside 1.