Middle Order Blues

1st Grade and 3rd Grade continued to prove that the faith they have in themselves this season is well founded, after telling victories over the past weekend. 2nd Grade blew a great opportunity to take down Albion Park, while 4th Grade again fell just short in their match. And the Middle Order Blues played their part in each of the matches.

Firstly, though, let's focus on 1st Grade. The last time Kiama 1st Grade won their first three rounds was way back in 1986-87 – ironically in my first season of 1st Grade – when they in fact won their first four matches, before running into Warilla, and losing by 104 runs on the first innings.
(Note : In 1992-93, 1sts were undefeated for the first seven rounds, though four of those were draws in a season disrupted by rain).

In itself this is a wonderful achievement. In the big picture, it is a good start, and not to be disregarded, but also not used to begin resting on laurels.
Beginning their chase on the second day at 2/37, 1sts quickly lost three wickets to find themselves precariously placed at 5/64, and not even halfway to their target of 149. Four double figure scores from batsmen 6, 7, 8 and 9 got the side home to an important victory. The four single figure scores from batsmen 2, 3, 4 and 5, however, would have been of some concern.

2nd Grade, as the final example here, were charging at 3/85, and looked to be doing it comfortably in their chase for 217. The unfortunate retirement of Anthony Savage at this score, however, caused a commotion. A glimpse at the scorecard would see 1, 0, 0, 0 and 0 littering the middle of the innings, turning a good chase into a dog's breakfast.

I am not suggesting that this is a crisis of immediate concern, but it is something that the respective skippers of all Grades will be watching. While 1st Grade keep winning, there will be no urgency to make any changes to the side.
Of some concern to Matt Meurant will be that John Simon is the only 2nd Grader who has made consistent runs. Tim Wolf has looked good without making a big score yet, and Nathan Barr leaves for overseas at the end of the month. The back-up is not abundant.
The same can be said for the bowling. Josh Elliott and Mick Norris have both taken wickets, but both have gone for runs as well.
The return of Josh Jones this weekend will alleviate most concerns in this regard, but some form needs to be found in 2nd Grade soon to enable the pressure to be kept on 1st Grade.

The enigma that is Tommy Mayes has captured the imagination of the Club after just three appearances. His wonderful double against arch-antagonists Albion Park in 3rd Grade on the weekend, where he took four wickets for 40 runs in the first innings, and then scored a match-winning 63 opening the batting, has seen his stocks soar. He must be doing well, because the chorus of calls from regular 3rd Graders accusing 2nd Grade of being about to 'poach' him from their ranks have grown in strength. This is a sure sign that they don't want to lose him.

2nd Grade's loss to Albion Park has put them in an unenviable position. A loss in the next round to Gerringong will not definitely put them out of finals contention, but it will make it an extremely unlikely proposition. This young team has shown signs of being able to compete in this Grade, but have so far not been able to string together good batting and bowling performances consistently. With the teams either side of them undefeated, it is time for 2nds to come out fighting and give them the support they need. A losing 2nd Grade side does not bode well for either 1sts or 3rds. This is the match that 2nds must come out, and show they are a force to be reckoned with.