Captain’s Interview - Dave McNulty

West legend and new 1XI Vice Captain Dave McNulty shares his hopes for the new season in the latest of interviews with the clubs captains.

Have you captained a team before? Tell me about that experience.

Yes. I have captained several teams through my junior years. Most recently I captained the midweek 11. I really enjoyed the role and found it to be a good challenge. Being a captain makes you look at the game much more closely and I feel the role has made me study the game a lot more.

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

I have been doing some coaching/training with Glasgow university and some west members. The odd run here and there, but for the most part I have been working on my hand eye coordination with plenty of work on the xbox. I feel it's really going to help once we are allowed to get back to cricket.

What type of captain do you think you are and how do you think you handle pressure situations?

I would say I am an aggressively strategic captain, who likes to lead by example. Being an opening bowling you can either set the tone or adapt really quickly. Pressure is a tough one as it comes in many different forms. All you can do is trust your plans and the people you choose to execute them

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?

For me, I try and stay as level as possible (when I am not bowling as that is a personal battle) and trust the process and training you have done together will work. Other than that, all you can really do is make sure the team is encouraging the individual and make sure the individual is a part of the plan. I don't really know what being a captain of another sport is like, but most other team sports don't last a minimum of 4 hours, so that alone makes cricket unique. Add all the influences an individual can have, it is a very challenging job for any captain.

What is your favourite cricket memory and why?

So many to choose from... Planting Nathan Bracken on to the Blue Mountains highway is always a fond memory, as is hitting a 6 off the last ball to beat Ayr some years ago. But more recently, would be the rag tag 3s team we took to uddy last season. Filled with a mix of beginners, journeyman and juniors, we were never supposed to get near the uddy juggernaut. It had everything. It was the epitome of what a team sport is. Such a positive experience for everyone involved and as the captain, a match that reinforced why I love this game so much

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

Probably golf, or baseball. Baseball if I was feeling lonely, it has a lot of similar aspects to cricket, yet completely different. I love golf and the battle with yourself it brings. You can never master it.

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

So many to choose from, would be too harsh on everyone I don't mention.

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

Health and wellbeing is the most important thing at the moment. If all 2021 can offer is the same as 2020, then a positive season would be any cricket possible!