Helensvale Pacific Pines appoint teenager Jack Lickiss to lead their Cricket Gold Coast campaign
HELENSVALE Pacific Pines have appointed one of the youngest first grade captains in Cricket Gold Coast history, handing the reins to talented teenager Jack Lickiss.
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HELENSVALE Pacific Pines have appointed one of the youngest first grade captains in Cricket Gold Coast history, handing the reins to talented teenager Jack Lickiss.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has long been on the representative radar and last year captained the Gold Coast under-19s side.
But even he was a tad surprised by his swift ascendancy through the ranks as senior players spotted his potential.
“About two-thirds of the way through last season (then-coach) Paul Baird mentioned that I’d be the type of guy that in a couple of years’ time could lead this club,” Lickiss said. “It was something that I had not really considered, being so young.
“I spoke to (new coach) Jamie Weston when captaincy nominations were first opened and he said don’t bother about putting a nomination in, I’ve done one for you.
“It was completely out of the blue then because it just all became real and I kind of went, yeah wow, obviously people have got the belief in me to do it.
“There are guys that have been playing first grade since I was born so it’s certainly going to be a new experience.”
The 19-year-old is eager to lead from the front after both he and the team endured a disappointing 2015-16 campaign – his first at the Hawks since making the tough call to chase more opportunities and move away from Queens where the rest of his family plays.
“Last year’s failure certainly wasn’t through lack of effort or lack of trying, it was all just about being clinical on game day which we weren’t,” he said.
“This year we have put in a good preseason … we’ve built pretty well, a lot of guys have improved so I’ve got high hopes.”
Lickiss wants that to translate into a top-six finish – as they achieved in 2014-15 – but knows results won’t necessarily come overnight.
“Just to try and string together a couple of wins and just to get confidence back in the side and the club really to show all the doubters out there that we can do it,” he said.
He replaces leading paceman Ryan Maloney at the helm, allowing the latter to concentrate purely on his own game after a successful winter abroad.
“I think one part of the thinking behind going with someone else was so that Ryan can just 100 per cent focus on his bowling … he has a job in itself leading our attack, being the spearhead bowler at our club,” Lickiss said.
The season begins on October 8.