Captain’s Interview - Ian Young
Rob Corner asked Ian Young, in his second stint as 1st XI captain, about his time at West and his cricketing background.
Firstly, is captaining the 1XI your first captaining experience?
"No, I’ve captained many different teams at West over the years. I captained all through age group cricket, mainly because my dad was the coach! Captaining at any level is hard work and not to be taken lightly. On and off the field at club cricket level it is a tough gig but it is worth it. You have to try and be a motivating person and have the respect of your teammates to be effective. I would always say trust your instinct on the pitch and don’t focus too much on strict plans as the game changes every ball."
What type of captain do you think you are and how do you think you handle pressure situations?
"I like to think I am an instinctive captain and I am happy to change things to try and make a difference in the game. I am fairly vocal and like to talk through things with team mates. Pressure situations are a major part of cricket. I have handled some well but others not so well but I try to learn and take the experience from each one. You have to always be willing to learn and adapt as a captain."
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?
"Captaining cricket is hugely different, especially at club level. You more or less have to try and control the whole game from selection, batting orders, bowling and fielding changes. You have to be open to suggestions from teammates as you can’t see the whole game from every angle. To stay positive can be hard in certain situations but you have to remember behaviour breeds behaviour, so if your head drops as a leader then so will the rest of the teams. Keep focused and live the game ball by ball."
What is your favourite cricket memory?
"Mine is playing for Scotland Under 19s in the World Cup in Bangladesh. Being in a country that is obsessed with cricket was a real eye opener. At 19, being asked for your autograph, receiving letters and stuff from “fans” was an incredible feeling. Although we didn’t play to our full potential and got smashed by all the big teams, it was an incredible experience. We played India live on Sky Sports. I got a four ball duck but got Robin Utthapa out with some dusty offies. My captain was Kyle Coetzer and seeing him go on to do so well has been amazing."
Who is your favourite player you've played with at West?
"The obvious answer would be Rory Kleinveldt because of the career he has had and the top bloke that he is but I need to go with someone that’s been there from the start. Gregg Watson - reason being that from a very young age me and Gregg have been at the club together. Our dads’ would leave us at the club all school holidays and we would play football, cricket, the Mega Drive... we would fill our time with a lot of nonsense. To have shared the field with him for so many years and have so many memories from Under 12s all the way to 1st team level has been brilliant. The guy is West through and through and you won’t find many people that love the place as much as him."
If you could play another sport, what would it be and why?
"I’d be between Golf and Football. I love golf and plan to play a lot more in the coming years but I would miss the team environment that football and cricket brings. I’d also love to play rugby again."
With uncertainty over the upcoming season, what does a positive season look like for you?
"The well-being and safety of everyone at the club. We play an amateur sport and if the season gets wiped out then so be it. The most important thing is all the members stay safe and well and we come back next season to challenge on all levels. The clubs survival and the members keeping safe and well is 100% the most important thing and to see us all make it through this as a club would be extremely positive."
Thanks Ian for the great insight! All the best from everyone at the club.
This interview forms the start of a series of articles with all our captains at the club so keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
