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Coughtrie Aims To "Do It My Way"

17 April 2013

Richard Coughtrie is determined to be his own man in trying to regain a place in Gloucestershire’s team this season.

The former Durham wicketkeeper-batsman suffered the disappointment of being overlooked for the first LV=County Championship game against Essex at Chelmsford following what he admits was a poor season with the bat last year.

Now Richard is determined to offer fierce competition to young Cameron Herring and Gloucestershire’s other batsman-keeper Gareth Roderick by reverting to the batting style that proved effective for the club in 2011.

He told this website: “I was very disappointed with my batting last year. I put a lot of expectation on myself and on reflection probably too much.

“I am always tough on myself and I desperately wanted to build on what I had done the season before.

“Because of that I got disappointed when things did not go as expected and that made it harder the next time I went out to bat.

“I wanted to score so many runs and it didn’t happen. The previous year I had simply set out to stay at the crease for as long as possible and that is what I am determined to go back to this season. I will bat the way Richard Coughtrie bats.

“There will be times when I have to adapt to the team’s needs and score quickly, but I want to be the guy who gets gritty 70s and 80s when they are required.

“In the 2011 season there was a time when I dropped down the order and got a load of not-outs, scoring 30s, 40s and a couple of 50s.

“I want to be the sort of wicketkeeper-batsman Jack Russell was for Gloucestershire, the type that made the opposition think how hard it was going to be to dislodge him.”

Richard believes that he is much improved as a wicketkeeper since joining Gloucestershire, partly as a result of being able to work with Jack.

“I worked with Jon Batty a bit this winter as well,” he said. “I have always been confident about my keeping, but my footwork when standing back, as you have to do a lot in Championship cricket, is getting better all the time.

“I love standing up to the stumps to spinners and seamers when possible because to me that is the mark of a really good keeper.

“As Jack told me when I first joined Gloucestershire, the mind-set is as important as the technical side. In T20 cricket, for example, you can really get yourself into the thick of the scrap by standing up to the stumps.

“You have to be thinking all the time and reassuring the bowlers as well as concentrating on your own game.

“I talk a lot on the pitch, some would say too much! Some bowlers react positively to praise and some to a kick up the backside and you need to know which is which.”

At only 24, Richard is one of the more experienced members of Gloucestershire’s young squad and that makes him excited about the club’s future.

“It’s a bit frightening at 24 to be described as the most experienced wicketkeeper at the club,” he said. “But it bodes well for the future that we are such a young squad and the lads are learning fast.

“Having a weight on our shoulders so early in our careers could be the making of us. There is no one to hide behind, even though we have some great senior players in the likes of Michael Klinger, Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman.

“We are gaining a lot from them, but there is a lot of pressure on the younger members of the squad to perform and it will be fascinating to see how we respond this season.

“I have 30 first class games behind me, which doesn’t sound much, but each one has been a learning experience.

“The Championship Second Division is going to be very competitive this year, so it’s vital that every member of the squad fires on all cylinders.

“It’s great that we have serious competition for places in all departments, including wicketkeeper. Cameron, Gareth and I work together well. We each offer something a bit different and will all be determined to play our part.”

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