Captain’s Interview - Ben Cole

Our final week of full lock down concludes with our final captain’s interview. This week, Rob spoke to Ben Cole, who joined the club last season, about his cricketing background. This season, Ben takes on the role as Hamilton Crescent XI vice captain.

Have you captained teams before?

“I've captained teams all through my cricketing career, from age group cricket through to senior and university teams. It's been quite natural for me to take on leadership roles in teams during on field decisions as well as supporting the team and its development off the field. I've always enjoyed it and it's something that I'm hoping I can do more of during my time at West. I've also found it's quite a useful way to make sure you get a game each week!”

What type of captain do you think you are?

“I like to think I'm a pretty calm and relaxed captain. The captain is someone the rest of the team look to to steady the ship in the high pressure moments so I try to make sure I stay relaxed and keep my thoughts nice and clear. There are so many ways to play the game and the hardest part of it is really your mindset so it's important as the captain to keep things clear for batsmen and bowlers. Cracking a few jokes always helps to keep things relaxed.”

Cricket has many swings of momentum - how can you stay positive throughout a whole game & what else is different about being a cricket captain compared to other sports?

"Context always helps me stay positive. Every time I go out to play I want to win and for the team to do well, but it's important to remember that you play the game to enjoy it. You're getting to spend a day or an evening playing cricket with your mates and that's the important part. Cricket can be a demoralising sport to play and it can be hard to stay positive, but it is only a game and the end of it you can work out what went wrong, how to improve, and then relax and have a drink.”

What is your favourite cricket memory?

“Probably my first senior ton. I was fifteen and getting used to playing with adults and had a bit of impostor syndrome. Not to blow my own trumpet, but it was a matching winning innings and it was the first time I'd really contributed to the team and shown I could make the step up to senior cricket. It made me realise I should start thinking of myself more as a cricketer than as a kid who played some cricket.”

Who is your favourite player you've played with at West?

“Having only played a handful of matches for West so far so it's difficult to single out one person. The important part is that I've enjoyed being part of all of the teams I've played with. I've been welcomed in to the club and been given the opportunity to play some good cricket and get involved in the club which has been great.”

If you could play another sport, what would it be?

"Golf. I played a reasonable amount when I was younger but it ended up falling to the side when I started playing other sports. I've played a little bit since but I keep trying to play with a high front elbow so end up slicing everything - I once had a drive end up behind me.”

What have you been doing to keep fit/ busy throughout lock down?

“Fortunately I'm able to work from home so keeping busy hasn't been as hard from me as it is for other people. The extra time I've got has been mostly put toward cooking things I wouldn't normally have the time for. I've never been much of runner and I've got a few lingering injuries so home work out aren't really on the cards so my fitness is suffering. I have been able to hook up a tennis ball and some string for batting drills so I'll hopefully be in good nick when we can get some cricket in.”

With uncertainty over the upcoming season, what does a positive season look like for you?

“If we're able to get a few games played, competitive or friendly, that would be great but that shouldn't be the priority. The key for the coming few months is for everyone in and around the club to keep safe and healthy. The club is here to play cricket, but it also acts as a community. A positive season would be making sure we keep the community intact, look after each other and be a group we can all look to for support.”

That concludes our captain’s interview series. Since joining the club, Ben has been a great asset to the club and now, as well as taking a captaining role, Ben sits on the Board of Directors and oversees the Women’s section alongside Dave McNulty. He is also involved in the coaching set up.