Regular readers of my 2023 column may be surprised to learn of my decision to run directly into rather than away from the fire that is recreational cricket administrative responsibility. I have already worked out that as a club with three league sides competing in 18-game seasons we need 594 instances of amateur cricketers willingly giving up their Saturdays for the greater good (promotion up the Surrey Championship pyramid).
A summer of desperate last-minute messages awaits. there’s an opportunity to be more than a caretaker captain – the ingredients are there to form a core of players who will be around for several summers.
Even more irresistible, though, is the allure of on-field captaincy, an experience I have only had four times in my life. A huge part of the game is reacting to the conditions, opposition and scenarios you are faced with.