Filling the boots of a living legend can be a difficult task; just ask the Canterbury Magicians following the retirement of captain Haidee Tiffen from international and first class cricket.
The Magicians are, however, extremely fortunate to have emerging young gun Amy Satterthwaite stepping up to fill the gap left by Tiffen in the Canterbury team as she takes over as captain this year.
23 year old Satterthwaite seems calm and collected when considering the scale of the task and the reputation of her predecessor.
“Haidee is hugely respected within Canterbury and New Zealand Cricket and will be missed. However, I see it as the start of a new era and the opportunity to bring a new style of leadership to the team,” she said.
Amy has already had a taste of the leadership role. Two years ago she held the reins of the Canterbury team temporarily before Haidee returned to lead them, and subsequently the White Ferns in the World Cup campaign earlier this year.
Not only is Amy the captain of the Magicians, she is also vice captain of the White Ferns and at only 23, that is quite a feat. “Gary Stead (the White Ferns coach and selector) believes in my ability despite the fact that I’m young and still have lots to learn.”
For now her main focus is leading Canterbury to victory this season and she is working hard with the young team to win both the Twenty20 and one day competitions.
