Centurion Spence’s winning formula
BAT as long as you can.
It’s the opener’s old adage, but for Kenny Spence it is working.
The Geelong West opener is coming off his best-ever season, averaging more than 40 and hitting nearly 600 runs last summer.
And he wasted no time settling into the new season, carrying his form into 2019-20 with 104 against Guild-Saints in Round 1.
“From last year the goal for myself was to bat as long as I can,” Spence said this week.
“Runs come pretty easily, so I put that on myself and it paid off. I can put that on myself this year to try and do the same thing. Last year was the best season I’ve had since we were successful back in 2011.
“I don’t know if I could pinpoint anything towards it, I think it’s down to being a bit older now and being a bit more mature. I know my role and what I need to do each week to perform.”
Guild would be sick of the sight of Spence, who in his past three innings against them has made scores of 117, 98 and now 104.
“It was pretty surprising,” he said.
“I was pretty underdone coming in because I’d only had a couple of hits, so I didn’t expect much out of myself on the weekend. But I had a bit of luck and was fortunate enough to get some runs.”
Spence’s form leaves him and star veteran Sam Loftus as the key wicket for opposition sides in the West line-up.
Spence was only dismissed for a score less than 15 twice last year, passing 50 in five innings, including an opening-round century — an exceptional return for any opening batsman.
“I just try to hit as many balls as I can during the week and that sort of keeps me in good stead week to week,” he said.
“I try to bat as long as I can out in the middle. It was good to have a good year last year, but I wouldn’t say I’m carrying any extra confidence from that.”
Spence, 34, has been a Ram his entire cricketing life, stressing there has been “no real temptation to get up and leave”.
A shot at another premiership and a return to Division 2 burns brightly.
“I actually thought we had a pretty good year but the competition was really even last year,” Spence said. “We’ve got a pretty good group this year. We’ve got some work to do, but I reckon on our day we can definitely
shake it up.”