Gareth White is hoping to lead Cockermouth to runners-up berth today in the Cumbria League’s Premier Division.
It’s a straight fight to finish second to new champions Furness between Cockermouth and Carlisle who meet at Sandair in the final fixture.
Last night White, 42, who has been captain for eight years, is standing down to make way for a replacement – and is still undecided about his future playing commitments.
He said: “It’s my last game as captain and it has been a huge honour and lifelong dream to follow in my dad’s footsteps and lead my hometown club for eight years.
“I feel lucky to have had some great lads to play with but I couldn’t have done it without my wife and family. Anyone who has captained knows the sacrifices you make so a big thankyou to them. Also a big thank you goes to my vice-captain Alex Grainger for everything as well.”
White, who is also chairman of cricket for the Cumbria County club, is still undecided about whether he will play-on.
“If I was asked now I will probably say I will be retiring but maybe two months down the line I might be asked again and could feel the urge to go again. We will see,” he says.
Gareth played alongside his father Ken in the Cockermouth first team and hit his first League century at the age of 15.
Later he played two 2nd Xi matches for Leicestershire and then got the chance to join the staff at Northants in 1998. He was actually named 12th man for a County Championship game against Yorkshire but never got another opportunity despite averaging 26.16 in 2nd X1 Championship matches and 33.50 in the one-day Trophy.
He has played for Netherfield in the Northern League; was pro at Keswick for a season and spent a summer in Australia with Ashwood CC in the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Association of Melbourne.
So many cricketing memories, but what of his time as captain which has come in two spells, and has never seen the team outside the top four.
They finished 2nd and 3rd in 2007 and 2008, his first stint as skipper and then since taking on the captaincy in 2015 it’s been 2nd,4th,4th,1st, ruled out through injury, no competition and now either 2nd or 3rd depending on today’s result.
And what have been the highlights? “Winning the Premier Division in 2018; organising the PCA Masters Game with Ben Stokes when we beat an England side at Sandair and bringing a lot of good young cricketers into the first X1,” he says.
Cockermouth start the day six points behind Carlisle in their quest to pip them for runners-up.
