I spoke to Nick after he had just finished a training session at Headingley. Nick was the first player to be interviewed after the announcement that Darren Gough is to captain the side in 2007. I asked him how the players have responded to that news.

 

I think anybody would be excited to have Goughie in their side and especially as captain. From the people I’ve seen everyone is really positive about it. I saw him the other day when he signed and he did his interview and then came down into the nets and was bubbly. Especially with me being a fast bowler, seam bowler, he’s good to have around.

 

You had a period when you were loaned out to Essex in 2005. Did you have much to do with him there?

 

Unfortunately not, he was on England duty most of the time. I think I only did two net sessions with him. That was when he was with the England one-day side.

 

So you didn’t get a chance to impress him down there then?

 

Not really, I didn’t impress many people down there. I didn’t play too well down there unfortunately.

 

Did you think your Yorkshire career was over when loaned out to Essex or was it purely a case of getting some experience and some games?

 

Yeah, it was purely just to get experience. I think Essex put a lot into me and I think they were hoping that if I was good I would consider going down there because they had a shortage of bowlers at that time. Personally it was definitely to get some experience. We had a lot of bowlers at Yorkshire.

 

Was it strange playing for Essex rather than Yorkshire?

 

Yeah it was. It’s a totally different way of life down there. People in general, they are a lot different than Yorkshire people. It was a very nice club and a lot of very nice people. I wish I’d have played a lot better, but I was travelling back every weekend to play for my club and I was a little bit unsettled. I was living with James Middlebrook, but it wasn’t like being in your own home. When you’re travelling around a lot I think it’s good to get back home sometimes and obviously we travel around a lot.

 

You are in amongst a lot of young talent coming through at the club. You’ve said you are pleased Goughie is back at Yorkshire, but obviously when he plays it pushes the youngsters back a place in the pecking order. Is that an issue with anybody?

 

I hope it isn’t because it’s all competition. I don’t think it will be an issue with anyone. When you look back to when I was first on the Academy, or even a couple of years after that, we had quite a lot of fast bowlers and I think it made us perform better, especially with the experience they can help you with. I don’t think anyone should look at it as a downside because it’s all competition. It’s keeping you on your toes because you know that if you do get in the side, you know there is a very good player underneath you who is able to push you out. When you get in the side you can’t just relax you’ve got to keep going.

 

You have similarities in both bowling and batting to Darren Gough. Is he a hero of yours and someone you’ve modelled yourself on?

 

Bowling-wise definitely, he was a player I used to love watching on television and when he was at Yorkshire last time it was always really exciting to have him about because of the person he is and how high profile he is. He’s a big player and I did model myself on him, but I’m a left handed batter so…(laughs).

 

The other changes that have happened this winter – Younus Khan coming in, Matt Elliott covering at the start of the season, Rudolph, etc - how have you and the other lads responded? It seems that there is a real buzz about the place – is that something you feel as a player?

 

Yeah, definitely, I’ve just been in and they’re kitting all the gym out and there’s a new fitness instructor and it all feels more professional. I think that’s something we’ve lacked in the last couple of years. It’s on a big turn ‘round now and hopefully we’ll perform really well on the back of all this. It is exciting now to see how it’s developing and we’re getting on the straight and narrow now. We’ve waited all winter to see who’s going to be here and who’s not. Anthony had that little dispute and it’s really pleasing to see that he’s staying. The people that are coming in will be good for everyone really.

Other than Darren were there any other role models and heroes you had growing up?

 

(Laughs) No it was Goughie all the way. Some people took the mick out of me because of how much I did like him when I was younger, and still do. As a bowler I think it’s nice to watch anyone. When I was younger and we used to go and bowl at the Test match teams in the nets and stuff to help them out and when I was about 14 or 15 Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were with the West Indies and it was just so good to watch. It’s quite exciting really, especially when you’re that age, getting into the nets with someone like that, but it was Darren all the way.

 

You’re not just saying that?

 

No, no, no (laughs) now he’s captain, no.

 

Who would be your dream scalp as a bowler?

 

I’d struggle to do it now, but it was Steve Waugh. I played against him when he played for Kent and he got 150-odd against us at Headingley. Everyone said how good he was, but you don’t realise, I think I was 17. I’d bowled against the batters in our nets and they’re all good, but he just stood out so much when I was bowling against him.

 

And did you get close to getting him?

 

No (laughs) but he abused me though and it’s not often the batter turns ‘round and abused the bowler, it’s normally the other way.

 

He gave you a bit of verbal did he?

 

Yeah, he was taking the mick out of my hair because I had it bleached, so I had a dig about him being grey.

 

I think on the county circuit now the batters are getting stronger and when you see the lads coming through for England it’s people my age that are coming through and people I’ve played with – Alastair Cook , Ravinder Bopara and Liam Plunkett as well, are all in the England set up now.

 

You played for the England Under-19’s didn’t you?

 

Yeah I did. I went to Australia with them when Bilal Shafayat was captain. There were six of us went from Yorkshire in the 15. Then I played against the Indians the year before and then the South Africans after that in England.

 

As a player then could you look around the England Under-19 dressing room and think he’s going to make the grade at full England level?

 

It’s hard to put anything on it at that stage. There are people who stand out. Bilal Shafayat and Ravi stood out when I played and Liam Plunkett. I didn’t really see much of Alastair Cook until I went to Essex. No, I don’t think at that stage you can put a finger on who is going to make it because there are people who come from nowhere. James Anderson until a few years ago was playing 2^nd Team cricket and then he burst straight through.

 

What can you do to improve your bowling? Is there any particular aspect of your bowling you are going to be working on in pre-season?

 

When we were 15 and 16, me and David Stiff used to be fairly sharp and I think I’ve lost pace instead of put it on. I’ve tried to get a lot stronger and they say you’ve got to work your abs a lot to increase your pace. Accuracy last year – personally I did really well last year and I think I was the leading wicket taker with the best average in the 2^nd Team. My accuracy was fine but maybe I was lacking a bit of pace. Pace always helps – obviously if you are accurate with pace – that’s what I’m trying to work on at the moment to get an extra yard.

You had a very good season for the seconds taking 42 wickets at under 20, so how disappointed were you that you didn’t get an opportunity in the Championship side?

 

I was disappointed. I played the one-day games but was really disappointed not to get in the 4-day games. As it happened I didn’t really play in the 2^nd Team one-dayers because I had an injury (a side strain for 2 or 3 weeks), but I was really, really disappointed not to get a go in the 1^st Team at some point.

How much do you learn from the likes of Dizzy, Deon and Hoggy? Are they useful to you?

 

Yeah they are. They are really good blokes and they all try to help you as much as they can. Obviously they have themselves to look after and their own games. I think it’s always been the case at Yorkshire, like I said before we had loads of fast bowlers lined up and you could just talk all day about it. Somebody would think one thing and it might not work for you, but if you go to the next person they might have something that will help you. It’s always good to have a lot of bowlers. In the batters Andrew Gale would be talking to Darren Lehmann last year and such like. They do help and they’re all really good guys.

 

You can’t ask for more experience around you now. You’ll be practising with Gough, Gillespie and Hoggard – you’ve got some Test wickets amongst them haven’t you?

 

Yeah you have. I think there’ll be a bit of banter now because Hoggy (235) overtook Goughie (229) in Test wickets and I’m sure he’ll remind him (laughs). It is really good. You usually find at the start of the season that they’re all around and then in the past Gough and Hoggy used to go off to the England team, but now Goughie will be around all year and Gillespie and Deon Kruis as well, who is a quality player.

Going back to the start when you were 17 and made your 1^st Team debut in a televised Roses match, how nervous were you when you realised you would be playing?

 

Richard Blakey took me to the toilets and told me I was playing, but it didn’t really hit me until I started bowling. I’m in and around the 1^st Team, done 12^th Man quite a bit and been in the squad a few times. It’s all the same until you get on the field with the warms ups and stuff. Obviously with the cameras there it was a little bit nerve-wracking, but it didn’t kick in until I started to bowl and that’s when you know you’ve got to concentrate and make sure you don’t go wrong. When you are at the end of your run up before you bowl your first ball you’re shivering. You practise for those sorts of moments like your debut and playing in front of big crowds. I don’t care what anybody says, it does affect you. You can’t say it doesn’t bother you. Once you’re end of your mark you’ve done so much practising and nets and although you can’t replicate that actual moment all of that training comes into play and you try and block everything else out and bowl like you have been doing. You’re in the team because you can do it, not to see if you can. You’ve proved that you are good enough to be there.

 

You made your debut at 17 and have had a few games here and there and then we didn’t see as much of you last year. Have you progressed as quickly as you would have hoped? If you haven’t what has held you back?

 

I definitely haven’t progressed as quickly as I’d wanted to or I’d be playing all the time. If you look at when I did make my debut we had Wayne Clark, the next year we had Kevin Sharp and we haven’t really had a settled environment since then I don’t think. There are sometimes when I could have played and haven’t and I don’t really know why. I’d like to be playing all the time.

 

One of the questioners has stated that he felt you needed to put on some height and weight in order to progress. Do you feel that your physique has been a problem with your development?

 

He can’t have seen me this year because I’m trying to lose it now (laughs). I don’t think I should be any bigger really. Some height would obviously help me, but there’s not much I can do about that. I’ve got what I’ve got and I have to deal with it. Structure-wise it’s not about being big, it’s about being fit and toned and making sure your muscles are strong – they don’t need to be big to be strong. Everyone says I’ve bulked up a lot in the last couple of years and I’m on my way to the gym now to lose it.

 

Given that you have been in and around the 1st team squad for a while do you feel that 2007 is a really important year for you?

 

They are all important years. I don’t mind starting in the 2^nd Team, but once I start performing well I need to get in to the 1^st Team and keep performing well there and carry everything through. This is effectively a one year contract for me, so I’ve got to perform well to get another one. It’s exciting to play in the 1^st Team. Once you get your debut out of the way it’s no so nerve-wracking, but you get more experience and realise what’s needed. Some days you go and bowl well, but it doesn’t look like you have and then there’ll be some days where you’ve not bowled so well but got rewards. It’s and up and down game really.

 

But in the 2^nd Team you don’t regularly come up against the likes of Steve Waugh who you mentioned, so to build your experience you must need 1^st Team cricket?

 

You usually find the first three or four are 1^st Team players or good players, but once you get past that it’s usually the lesser experienced players. In the 1^st Team its experience all the way down. A lot of teams now haven’t got bad batsmen as all the bowlers are working on their batting and every wickets hard work.

 

What would be a successful summer for you this year?

 

Like I said last year, I’m not going to start in the 1^st Team – I can’t really see it anyway with Hoggard, Gough, Kruis, Bresnan and Gillespie. I’ve got to be realistic and say I’m going to start in the 2^nd Team and be the leading wicket taker with a decent average by probably the halfway stage. Hopefully by then I’ll have played a few games if I’ve been doing well. Hoggard will go back to England and there’ll be injuries and such. If I can push someone out without them getting an injury that will be a good thing. By the end of the season I want to be playing a lot of 1^st Team cricket, whether it’s one-day or 4-day stuff. I don’t want it to be like last year when a lot of us played the Cheltenham & Gloucester when we were out of it. I know its experience, but it’s not very rewarding when you are in there just to give you a go. I’d prefer it if I’m in there because I’ve done well and I’m pushing someone else out.

 

We’re always told that there are some really good youngsters at the club. Who would you pick out as the ones to look out for?

 

The batsman / keeper Greg Wood. I think he’s just got on our staff now as he was with the Academy last year. He’s just come back from the England Under-19 tour. A quick bowler is Oliver Hannon-Dalby. He’s a really big, tall lad and I think he’s put some pace on this year from what Ian Dews has said. Jonathan Bairstow, he’s a good batsman who played with me at York for a season and they’ve got him at the Academy now. You can name hundreds of people – it’s so good, the competition at that age.

What do you do during the winter away from the cricket?

 

I live in York and I’ve worked this winter doing some labouring basically to keep my head above water. I do country sports…

 

That’s a question that Steve Patterson has asked you – ‘I hear you are a big fan of fox hunting.’

 

Yeah I know he asked that (laughs). I’ve grown up in that lifestyle and I often get on a horse and ride out after the hounds. You’re allowed to do it falsely – it’s called hound exercise and they follow a false trail.

 

On the official website you describe your qualifications as 'common sense' does that mean you hated school?

 

I wasn’t one for school. I didn’t hate school, but I just loved playing sports. I’m not just saying this to build myself up, but I wasn’t a thick person, I just put all my time in to playing football and cricket on a night instead of doing my homework.

Where did you get the nickname 'Mad Dog'? Does that mean you are a hard b*****d?

 

(Laughs) I don’t know where I got that from. I used to be a bit of a wildcard, but I think it was Ian Dews who called me it.

 

Is that your main nickname then?

 

No, I don’t get called that in the street (laughs). The lads call me Thorny.

 

If you could be any other sportsman in the world, alive or dead, who would it be?

 

I was going to say Goughie (laughs) no I’m not, I’m not - probably just a professional footballer for a day to see what that life’s like.

 

 

Next weeks interview will be with ADAM LYTH. If you would like to suggest any questions for Adam please feel free to submit them HERE.

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