Worcestershire youngster Dan Lategan is brimming with excitement ahead of a hotly anticipated matchup with the current Division Two leaders, Durham, on Friday.
The highly regarded opening batter has shown glimpses of his class throughout the early stages of the Rothesay County Championship season, scoring 308 runs in seven innings, averaging 44 on his way to cementing himself as a linchpin of the side.
With an irrepressible cover drive and a particular liking for the short ball, the Pears’ teenage ace looks the real deal.
A high-class 89 away at Derbyshire in the opening round of the season laid a marker down, before several fast starts have seen the left-hander race to 30, but struggle to regularly kick on.
More desperate than anyone to cash in on his bright starts, the batter says watching his experienced counterparts go about their work in the middle is the biggest help he could wish for.
“I am really enjoying being at the top of the order, and have made a couple of nice starts but am yet to kick on and make that really big score as Rodders did at Northants, which was a huge hundred and something that gave me a lot to learn from.
“It comes down to time in the middle. Being at the top of the order, it is about staying concentrated, and if you want to make that big score, you need to take it ball by ball.
“I try my best at the top of the order, and it is a bit easier given how strong our batting line-up is that I can try and be confident and lead from the top and win games for Worcestershire.”