Honesty is ideal policy for York Cricket Club’s new captain

11:17am Thursday 1st March 2012

By Steve Carroll

DAN WOODS is relishing the opportunity of being York Cricket Club’s new captain.

The 24-year-old left-arm spinner, who served as vice-captain last season, has taken over first-team affairs at Clifton Park following the decision of long-serving Marcus Wood to step down into the seconds.

Woods will lead an outfit that has won the Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier league for an unprecedented five years in a row and, aside from domestic duties, has also targeted glory in the ECB National Club Championship and Twenty20 competitions.

Paying tribute to his predecessor, Woods said: “Marcus has been incredibly successful. I have learned a lot as a cricketer, as a person, and, hopefully, as a captain through playing under him. I’m confident in my own ability to captain the team and I feel very privileged to be in such a distinguished position.

“He was a massive help to me last year when I was vice-captain. He involved me in every decision he made. That gave me good experience as to how the role is. I didn’t make the decisions but I knew what was going on.”

Despite the pressures of taking on a team which has enjoyed considerable success, Woods said he didn’t feel it would have a negative impact on his own performances. Last season, he took 80 wickets at an average of 16.41 runs – giving him the second highest figures in the league, beaten only by his team-mate Tom Pringle.

“I want players to know their role in the side and I want to provide an environment to achieve that as well as they can,” he said. “I will look to be as honest as I can and I am sure they know they can be honest with me.

“Touch wood, I don’t think it will have any impact on my own individual performance. I have a lot of experience of captaining sides in the past so I will prepare in the same way for my own personal performance. If anything, it might be a benefit. I would like to lead by example.

“It is massively exciting. It is one of my greatest achievements to be able to captain such a fantastic team. It is such a privilege just to play for the club and play for the first team. It’s a major thing for me and I am very proud and excited.

“I can’t wait to get going. We have got a good, young team and every member of the side can improve and get better. We are all coming together now in the nets and everyone is in a pretty positive frame of mind.”

York are holding nets sessions at St Peter’s School indoor sports centre on Tuesdays, from 7pm to 8.30pm, until early April. The club’s presentation dinner will be held at Clifton Park on Friday, March 9, at 7pm for 7.30pm. Tickets cost £26, including a three-course meal.

Further information about the nets and the dinner is available by phoning secretary Nick Kay on 07815 809596.