Mitch Smith was philosophical after just falling short of what would have been his first maiden grade century in Tamworth, his South Tamworth sides' showing with the bat lessening the disappointment a bit.
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Assuming the captaincy with regular skipper Tom Groth away with NSW Country, Smith led from the front with 91 as Souths posted 265 batting first in their two-dayer against West Tamworth at Riverside 2.
It was one of their best batting performances of the season, and likewise Smith's, the opener relishing the change to the longer form of the game after the one-dayers and then Twenty20s.
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"I'm not rushed... Twenty20s not my ideal. It's a bit of fun, but I get to take my time in this," he said.
Twice before dismissed in the 90s, he battled against cramps from towards the end of the third session. In the end they got the better of him; he "was gone" when he nicked one behind off Josh Philp.
"I could hardly move, so it was almost like a sacrificial snick-off," he said.
His second half-century for the season following a 57 against Bective-East back in round five, Smith said it was nice to start the new year off with some runs.
It's a bit of a shame not to make three figures but that's okay
- Mitch Smith
"It's a bit of a shame not to make three figures but that's okay," he said.
It wasn't really on his mind, and he admitted afterwards he really didn't how close he was; it was about setting a foundation for the team.
"My main aim half-way through was to carry the bat and let the rest of the team do the rest," Smith said.
He wasn't too far off, lasting 65 overs as Souths went on to almost bat out their allotted 80 (they were bowled out in the 79th).
"We haven't done that a lot and it's not a huge score but it's very competitive I think and will be good for our confidence for the rest of the season," he said.
"We're honest as a club that we've got to work on our batting."
Dan Lawrence (21), Luke Smith (27), Kaleb McIlveen (23) and Josh Attard all provided good support along the way, the latter holding the tail together after Smith's departure.
Playing in just his second game in first grade this season, he was the second last wicket to fall for a well-made 49.
"Josh is mainly a bowler but he's put some yards in. He's got a good level head and time like this is quality so he can take his time," Smith said.
He also noted the marathon effort of Harrison Kelly for Wests. The spinner bowled unchanged from the fourth over of the day and was the main destroyer, finishing with 5-121 from his 38 overs.
"He's a class bowler, so we had to work it around him and pick the other one's here and there," he said.
