TIM Kensell’s chanceless century was good enough to help his side to its first win of the NICU Tamworth first grade season as well as claim his first major best and fairest points and win the inaugural Kensell Lewington Cup.
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North Tamworth and West Tamworth cricket club officials had banded together, secretly, before the West-North game to strike a new trophy for the two clubs in their clashes, in all grades, during the season.
That was brought about mainly because of the fact the two clubs are sponsored by the Imperial and Locomotive hotels, which are both owned by North Tamworth Redback cricket tragic Matty Zell.
He also has the Locomotive Hotel franchise in the McDonald’s Tamworth Twenty20.
So the two clubs got together and organised a Kensell Lewington Cup, named in honour of two of their stalwarts, Tim Kensell (West) and Don Lewington (North).
On Saturday Tim Kensell repaid that honour to his club by belting an unbeaten century for West in its three wicket win over previously unbeaten North Tamworth.
His chanceless 113 included 15 fours.
The “surprise” honour was just the right recipe for West too.
“It was definitely a surprise to me,” he said after Saturday’s successful chase .
“Hopefully that was good enough to win the Cup, but it depends on how we go in the other grades too.”
Kensell had also pushed himself up the batting order in an effort to take the pressure off his teammates and challenge himself to produce.
He did.
West Tamworth Cricket Club president Anthony Crompton was delighted for Kensell as well as the rest of the players in the club.
“I didn’t see any of his innings but the boys said he did bat very well,” Crompton said.
“It was a great effort by him and the first grade side to win. A great way to get off the mark.”
That West won the first staging of the Kensell Lewington Cup was evident after third grade had won outright and fourth grade won on first innings.
We (second grade) got beaten outright but we have won a couple so far too. Hopefully the club has turned the corner and a few more wins are on the way.”
Kensell’s unbeaten century earned him the three points in the Tamworth first grade best and fairest and lifted him to four points on the B&F ladder, just four behind leader Josh Crowe (Souths) with Adam Jones (Bective) moving up to outright second on seven.
Michael Rixon also moved into contention, despite the loss to West.
The North skipper polled two points jumping to five on the ladder with his teammate Leo Steyn.
Bective-East seamer Greg Tighe polled the three points in his side’s win over Old Boys, enabling him to join his veteran spinning teammate Greg Kellett on three points.
Sam McHugh also moved into contention with his three points from the outright win over City United taking him to five while teammate Josh Crowe polled the one point. City United spinner, Richie O’Halloran, snared his first points of the season when awarded the two points.
