FOR someone who wasn’t even going to play cricket this season, Shawn Mepham is getting plenty of time out in the middle.
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The West Tamworth allrounder polled the three best and fairest points following their first innings win over City United after hitting 35 in the first innings, 32 in the second and, sandwiched between that, claiming 3-30.
They are his first points for the season after joining West Tamworth from Glen Innes this season.
The former Glen Innes skipper is one of several new faces bolstering West this season, the challenge of playing in what is regarded as the pinnacle area for cricket in the region part of the appeal for travelling down the highway every weekend.
Sometimes for three games, with Mepham playing with McDonald’s in the Twenty20 competition, and also the Tamworth Blues.
He actually wasn’t going to pull on the whites this season.
“I wasn’t even going to play this year until Brendon (Reynolds) got onto me,” he said.
“It’s been good.
“It was a bit scratchy to start the season but things are starting to come together.”
His two 30s followed a slashing unbeaten 100 for McDonald’s in the opening round of the Twenty20.
“That 100 might have kick-started it,” he said.
“Getting dropped five or six times might have helped.”
Mepham has spent the past two Australian winters playing for Chipperfield in England, and is coming off a good season with the bat.
“I hit four or five tons over there, scored about 1000 runs for the season,” he said.
“I didn’t bowl over there.”
He said the pitches over there, and what he’s experienced in Tamworth so far, aren’t too dissimilar, although their home pitch was an “absolute road”.
“It’s a bit different to Glen and playing on synthetic,” he said.
“And the bowling is a lot better.
“Glen Innes is a bit more of a social pub competition.”
West headed into Saturday’s second day well in control after posting 209 and then picking up three late wickets to have City floundering at 3-12 overnight.
Mepham made that 4-19 when he picked up Pat Dwyer lbw.
But City fought back and first, through Dan Lawrence and Tom Fitzgerald and then Ben Semmler and Liam Dunn, dragged themselves back into the game.
Semmler and Dunn put on 70 for the ninth wicket and looked like they might snatch it for City.
Mepham thought it had slipped away.
“I thought Benny (Semmler) batted well. I thought he was going to win it for them,” he said.
“A good over from Jake Baker got us back into it.”
He picked up Dunn caught behind.
Eight runs later it was all over, with Semmler run out trying to make it back to the return crease.
Mepham admitted they were probably a bit lucky with that decision but added that you’ve got to take the good with the bad.
City spinner Mackenzie Morrison picked up the two points for his 6-45 on the first day with Lawrence earning the one following his 39-ball 59.