When even the weather changes between innings, you know that everything has gone your way.
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That was a feeling South Tamworth captain Chris Skilton relished on Saturday, as his side dominated the first day of its two-day clash against Bective East.
Under bright, blue skies, Souths won the toss and elected to bat first at Riverside 1.
Conditions were warm early and gradually got hotter throughout the afternoon, and there were no signs of the forecast thunderstorms.
"I was very happy to win the toss to be honest," Skilton said.
"I knew the rain yesterday didn't really do much, and the pitch looked really good. I don't think it was that tricky."
The men in blue got off to a promising start, and at 1-67 looked threatening.
But once number three Josh Richards (19) and opener Luke Smith (40) were dismissed within 10 runs of one another, the tide looked to have turned in Bective's favour.
Wickets fell consistently until Skilton himself strode to the crease at 6-114.
The skipper acknowledged that he is not the most stylish batter to watch, but his long levers allow him to hit the ball powerfully.
And, after he survived a close caught behind appeal off Preston Boyd in which even he wasn't sure whether or not he hit the ball, Skilton began to find his timing.
"Quite often the captains set their fields very quickly back [for me] because they know ... if they bowl a short ball or if they bowl a ball in the wrong spot, it'll go," he said.
After a steady start in which he "took a bit of time", Skilton "started to see the ball a bit better" and remained not out at the end of the innings with 55 to his name.
Souths had scored 225, with Ben Taylor (3-68), Adam Jones (2-21), and Forbes Boydell (2-34) the most successful of the bowlers.
And it was at that point that it became clear even the weather was on Souths' side.
Once the last wicket had fallen, the clouds began to gather and blacken. Souths' bowlers were visibly thrilled at the sight, while one felt that Bective's batters were cursing their luck.
"We got lucky, I suppose, with the weather conditions," Skilton said.
"With the storm coming in, a bit of wind around, it got a bit darker, the ball moved well for us."
Conditions in the second innings, with just 12 overs left to play in the day, were ideal for bowling.
And it was Carter McIlveen who took full advantage. The young flame-haired paceman bowled with impressive speed, swing, and accuracy to take 5-5 from 3.5 overs.
By the close of play, Bective East were teetering at 5-23.
And while Skilton was ecstatic, he knew the game was far from over with one more day to be played next week and Adam Jones still at the wicket.
"Jonesy can bat," he said.
"He can get a hundred at one end if he wants, but we'll be putting a lot of pressure on the other end.
"If he can't maintain himself and stay in for a long period of time, they're in trouble."
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