Tamworth Cricket: Mitch Smith happy to focus on his batting after stepping up with the ball

The South Tamworth opener admits he is still feeling a bit ginger after bowling his first full spell for "a number of years" last Saturday.

More noted for his skills with the bat - he is South's leading run-scorer this season - the precarious nature of their bowling stocks meant Smith had to roll the arm over and not just for the sporadic two or three overs he might bowl a season.

He bowled the full allotment. Incidentally that was about as many overs as he had bowled in total in his time with Souths.

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"I've always enjoyed bowling, but have not had to for a while," Smith said.

Back then he bowled medium pace.

Over time, and as a consequence of losing rhythm and a bit of pace, that has changed to what he described as "back-spinners".

"But they had a bit of swing on them," he added.

And while it was "heaps of fun", he isn't keen to repeat it any time soon.

"My shoulder is still sore," he said.

"Even though I was only bowling trundlers".

He did almost jag a wicket, but the catch was dropped.

It was a bit one of those days. Already missing Bryan Warren and Josh Attard, BJ Cameron rolled his ankle in the warm-up leaving them with their three frontline bowlers.

It was symbolic of what has been a tough start to 2022 for Souths.

They have won just one of their four games since the New Year resumption and have been constantly scrambling for players with COVID knocking them about. Two weeks ago they were only able to scrounge together eight.

One constant though has been Smith.

He has only failed to make double figures once and has been either their top or second-top scorer in every other game.

"I don't know what it is exactly, but I have felt rather at ease initially," he said.

"I made a little technical change at the start of the season, I think that's helped."

He does though lament his failure to be able to go on with it and convert his start into a big score.

He put that down in part to a bit of fatigue, not being quite fit enough, and falling into the trap of panicking a bit and trying to force things. It's something probably as a whole club, he said, they are a bit of guilty of.

Certainly last week they were. They were looking okay at 3-119 chasing 167 for victory but lost 7-19.

On Saturday they play a similarly struggling City in a day-nighter at No.1 Oval.

They are hoping Tylar Edwards will be right to come back but will be without regular skipper Tom Groth and Warren.

In the other games Old Boys play North Tamworth at Riverside 1 and West Tamworth clash with Bective-East at Riverside 2.

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