Easts Dolphins' captaincy kept in good hands

HE may once have been a Victorian, but Easts Dolphins' wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has earned a prized honour in NSW.

Wicketkeeper Peter Nevil

HE may once have been a Victorian, but Easts Dolphins' wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has earned a prized honour in the blue state, after being selected to captain NSW.

Nevill, who made the move up from Melbourne to the Eastern Suburbs in 2008, took the reins in the Blues' Ryobi Cup win over South Australia at the SCG last week.

Taking over from injured regular captain Stephen O'Keefe, Nevill was pleased to come out a winner in his first game in charge.

"I really enjoyed it. It's a terrific honour," Nevill said.

"I'd say doing the job is a lot more fun when you win so I was glad the boys put in a top performance and made things pretty easy for me."

Nevill follows in the footsteps of another former Dolphins keeper, Brad Haddin, who was the last Easts player to captain the Blues.

With the wicketkeeping position being a hotly-debated topic in the Australian side, Nevill has gone under the radar in discussions despite boasting a Sheffield Shield average of more than 40.

"I try not to worry about selections and things like that," Nevill said. "My main goal is winning a Sheffield Shield title with the Blues and hopefully contributing to that with plenty of runs."

Meanwhile, Nevill's Easts teammates endured a frustrating day against Northern Districts in grade cricket, with the Rangers reaching a total of 4-207 at stumps on a rain-shortened day.

Despite Easts' disappointing season, Nevill was optimistic the club can bounce back.

"It's been a tough year for the Dolphs," Nevill said.

"It's felt like we've either bowled well or batted well but rarely both in the same game.

"We're down the bottom at the moment, but I know everyone at the club is already looking ahead to next season and ready to work hard in ensuring we return to the finals mix."