Teenage wicketkeeper Coby Cornish will be given a baptism of fire when he debuts as Bective East captain in the Twenty20 final against Old Boys at No.1 Oval on Friday night.
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The 18-year-old was handed the job in the absence of Adam Jones, who will miss the match due to a personal commitment.
Jones is confident Cornish – set to captain Central North at the under-18 NSW country championships in Tamworth next week – will handle the promotion.
He said: “I’m more than confident that he’ll do a good job.
“I’m sure he’ll lead from the front with the bat as well.”
Bective East’s Twenty20 form is the one positive note in what has been a tough season for the club in the game’s longer forms, with them winless and last on the ladder.
Jones knew he would miss the final when he steered Bective to victory over West Tamworth at No.1 Oval on Sunday to secure the Old Boys showdown.
He spoke to his players after the match and told them to “enjoy” the final and “believe” in themselves.
He said: “Old Boys will be the favourites. I just told them to enjoy it. It’s a good achievement to make a final … I said to believe in themselves and back themselves.
“I’m confident they’ll play well. We’ve got a lot of talent in that side. We can be very competitive on Friday night and give Old Boys a run for their money.”
Jones said winning the final would give Bective a “huge” confidence boost, as Sunday’s win over Wests did.
The side had to “learn how to win again”.
“We’ve been very competitive with most of the games,” he said. “A bit of luck hasn’t gone our way.
“Hopefully we can take that confidence into Friday night and continue for the rest of the year. We’re not far away from a win in the other forms.”
Against West Tamworth, Bective East defended 8-138 by bowling West Tamworth out for 123 in the last over.
How they respond to Jones’ absence will be telling. He is not only their leader but he has been in good form, destroying Wests’ tail to finish with 5-21 off 3.3 overs.
In four Twenty20 games this season, he has taken nine wickets and conceded 49 runs in 10.3 overs. His average and strike rate are 5.4 and seven.
Now the good news: Cornish is in form with the bat.
He top-scored against Wests, hammering a 57-ball 64 after opening with Jones, who fell for one.
Old Boys had booked a final spot ahead of Sunday’s final round, but were still ruthless in beating North Tamworth .
They chased down 8-115 with seven overs to spare.
