Kingston College rebuilds cricket push for Grace Shield after 26-year drought

Kingston College last lifted the Isa Grace Shield in 2000, and the school’s cricket leaders say a long rebuild is now aimed at ending that drought and restoring KC as a force in the game.

Mark Neita, chairman of the KC Cricket Committee, said an Under-19 title is within reach and that the programme wants more than one trophy. Speaking at the school’s inaugural cricket awards dinner at Melbourne Cricket Club, he said the hope is to win the senior competition within about a year and also take the Under-19 crown, become triple champions, and again be seen as a cricketing powerhouse alongside KC’s established strength in football and track and field.

This season KC successfully defended its Isa Under-14 and Under-16 titles, which Neita framed as proof that a bottom-up rebuild is working. He said the cricket programme had been weak for several years before last season and this one, and that a deliberate effort was made to restore it by securing qualified coaches Shane Brooks and Robert Samuels, with backing from headmaster Dave Myrie.

Neita said that foundation at the younger age groups now supports an Under-19 push, with players moving into older sides. The committee’s longer plan targets a strong bid in 2027, or 2028 if needed, and next season a clean sweep of the urban-area titles.

Brooks said the group had trained hard, with players responding to plans set by the coaches, including himself and Samuels, and that the back-to-back Under-14 and Under-16 defending titles were a fitting reward.

Rajae McGhie, who helped KC to those titles and was named MVP of both competitions, said he was proud of the recognition and credited the coaches for extra work and guidance. He said his aim for next year is to improve on this season’s individual performances.

Players at the dinner also welcomed the awards night as recognition for the squad’s effort and looked ahead to a harder push next season, including another bid for the Under-19 title that has eluded the school for 26 years.