Captaincy stint so enjoyable for Northeast

Kent batsman SAM NORTHEAST, the club’s vice-captain this season, talks to MARK PENNELL about leading the team in their successful 50-over campaign…

Q: How do you think you’ve taken to captaining Kent in the Royal London One-Day Cup?

A: As a team it’s a new thing for most of us, so it stands to reason that, as the captain, I’m still learning as well. It’s been quite tough at times, but we’ve got some really good senior performers like James Tredwell, Mitch Claydon, Dougie Bollinger and Darren Stevens who I’ve been able to turn to. Not only can I go to them for advice, but also know they will come in and do a job for me, so that makes my life as captain a lot easier. The time really flies in the field and I’ve really enjoyed it. The guys have really taken to this format and we feel, as a group of players, that it really suits our squad.

Q: Defending a total of 383 for seven against Somerset at Taunton proved a close-run thing. How do you feel you coped with that particular match?

A: It felt quite scary at the end because once we had them eight down I’d hoped it was pretty much done. It was such a good wicket and the straight boundaries were so short that they always managed to keep up with the rate. It was a tough baptism, and had I lost that one it might have stuck with me for the rest of my life, but I kept faith with my bowlers and they came up trumps. Sam Billings also played an unbelievable knock, one of the best I’ve seen, but as a team we’ve maybe been at our best when chasing. Under the new regulations defending totals is pretty tough, especially if the opposition have wickets in hand going into the last 15 overs.

Q: Do you let Test players like Bollinger and Tredwell set their own fields?

A: That hasn’t really changed since I first captained a team at school. I’ll have a chat about my ideas when the bowler first comes on and, if he’s got really strong views to the contrary, then you try to accommodate what changes you can. It’s all about discussion and flexibility, I guess, but I wouldn’t be happy for a bowler just to demand to do his own thing.

Q: Other than a couple of run outs in recent weeks, have you been happy with your batting of late?

A: I feel it’s been going pretty well and I happy with where I’m at right now. I’ve sometimes found changing between the formats tough this year and maybe the conversion rate hasn’t been all that it could have been. I got to 90 at Guildford and would have liked that to have been a big one, then 46 against Hampshire and maybe should have gone on. But this summer we’re being asked to play championship games, have one day’s practice, and then play white ball cricket.

It’s made for an interesting schedule, to say the least. One minute you’re trying to clear your front leg and aiming to clear the ropes, the next you’re being asked to bat out time, grind it out over four days and get a big score. From that point of view it’s not been an easy season. It’s been a challenge, but we’ll just keep rolling on!