Old Boys cricket skipper shares his thoughts on the new campaign

Add as a preferred source on Google

Arnold, who has taken over the captaincy from Nicholas Lockyer, will lead a new-look Old Boys with the local Premier XI losing a few key players during the off-season.

Despite a tough opening week to the season where they lost both their T20 games against Benoni Northerns and Alberton, the skipper is confident that they will be no pushovers in games ahead.

The Advertiser asked:

• What are the team’s targets this season?

We as a club are rebuilding and are aware this will take some time but in saying this, we are still aiming to be in the top five in the league and to hopefully cause some upsets along the way. We have traditionally always been part of the big three and our long-term goal is to get back to that.

• Are there any new faces in the team?

Yes, we have managed to get ex-CBC players Mark Pearce and Tyrone Cameron back which is great. We have also recruited young Calvin Sofianos who is a bowler and is a great find for us. Lastly, we have managed to get Matthew Wright over to us from Benoni which is a great signing for us as he brings experience and the X-factor. We have also obtained Sherwin Pillay from Johannesburg who used to captain Wits, a wonderful player to watch when he gets going.

• I understand that you’ve lost big players including Wesley Coulentianos and Nicholas Lockyer. Are there any others who’ve departed and how does the team plan on dealing with such huge losses?

We also lost Wickus Germishuizen along with Nic and Wes who are all major losses for the club as they are all wonderful players and all were a big part of the club. We wish them the best at their new clubs and know they will do well. Our policy this year is to back the youth and have opportunities and along with that, we have CBC stalwarts such as Craig Parker and Dylan Bennie who always have the club’s interest at heart.

• How does being captain influence your game?

As captain, I hope to lead from the front and always score runs and try help my team win as many games as possible. My policy is always team first so as long as the team is winning we are on the right track, I’ll be happy as I know we have a lot of potential within our ranks.

• What do you look forward to this season?

I just look forward to CBC coming together and developing a new culture and one where players play for each other and hopefully upsetting a few of the bigger clubs who have already written us off. So let’s see what happens.

• There were some promising performances last season coupled with some outstanding performances by yourself with the bat. What do you think it’ll take for the team to pose a stronger challenge to your rivals?

I think for us to pose a threat this season is going to take an effort from all 11 of us, especially from our core senior players. This includes me, Craig and Dylan and also from our talented youngsters, but mostly we know we need to be up for each and every game and we can’t be complacent. We know we need to work hard at training and create an environment where youngsters aren’t afraid of failure. So in saying that, our best bet to be competitive is to take each game as it comes.

*Anyone who wishes to join the club in a playing or administrative capacity is welcome. Training is on Thursdays and the club is available for all. – @SabeloBoksburg