HOW would you like to be captaining Australia’s captain?
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Jeff Cook could be.
The Tamworth cricketer, who owns Struddy’s Sports Store, is in line to do just that this weekend with his Sydney first grade side Western Suburbs.
The past three or four seasons Cook, a former English County player for a number of seasons, has been travelling down to Sydney to skipper Wests in the Sydney first grade competition.
Cook, who helped reinvigorate Tamworth cricket and played a huge role in the city winning two Country Cups, has been trying to do the same with Wests in Sydney.
Unfortunately it hasn’t worked too well this season.
“We’re none from eight,” Cook said this week after being confirmed as the captain-coach of the NSW Imparja Cup side.
“Struggling with injuries and can’t bowl teams out.”
However the prospect of having the Australian captain, Michael Clarke, play with Wests again is an exciting option.
“We’re waiting to hear,” Cook said.
“He might play with us and then with the Shield side to prove his fitness for the First Test (against India). We should know by Friday.
“Michael did play for us two seasons ago.
“He was excellent, couldn’t have done any more for us.”
It was also something of a testing time for Cook.
Way back when he was a kid coming through the grades Cook and his team-mates sledged Clarke unmercifully one day, Cook recalled.
“When it was announced he was going to play a game with us at Wests he was over playing in a Shield match and Anthony Stuart was the captain. I was talking to Anthony about it and he told me Michael Clarke remembered the sledging and hated my guts. So I was a bit worried. When he played I had a chat and apologised for sledging. He just laughed and said he was a smart-arse kid at the time and that Anthony was just winding me up.
“Michael was great for us then, beyond great actually. And I’m looking forward to him retuning.”
He hopes he and his young side can help Clarke back to full fitness with some valuable “time in the middle”.
At age 42 Jeff Cook is still enjoying his cricket and helping Wests back to success.
He’s also been scoring runs too, including two centuries last season, one against Balmain this season and then a 97 against North Sydney last round.
He’s also looking forward to heading back to Alice Springs again in February with the NSW Imparja Cup side.
“We won two in a row and then we lost the last two finals,” he said.
“We’ve got a pretty good side too. Most are playing first and second grade in Sydney. Losing the last two finals has been disappointing but all the boys have been playing at a good standard.