Cricket: Brendan Rixon takes over North Tamworth captaincy from Adam Greentree

The pair first met as children; one of Rixon's earliest memories is of breaking his arm in Greentree's backyard as a five-year-old. Since then, Rixon said, they have remained "good mates on and off the field".

So, when Greentree decided to step down from the captaincy with the North Tamworth Redbacks this season, Rixon was proud to take his close friend's place.

"Adam's done a great job over the last three seasons," he said.

"It's a good opportunity we've got with a good young group. Hopefully we can build on what we did last year."

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With a change in his work schedule limiting his availability, Greentree thought it best to pass the captaincy on in 2023/24.

The discussions around his stepping into the role, Rixon said, began "after the dust had settled" from their unsuccessful two-day grand final tilt last season.

"I went away and had a think about it," he said.

"I figured it's a good opportunity to help the club that's been such a good part of my life for a long time."

Rixon last captained the Redbacks in the 2018/19 season, the year before Greentree took over.

Since then, the 39-year-old has remained an integral part of the leadership group within the squad, and will look to set the standard for the side through his actions this season.

"It's quite exciting," Rixon said.

"There's a lot of ways you can look at captaincy, but the way I want to approach it is leading from the front and being a role model for the young guys."

His first test as a leader this season will be a grand final rematch against Tamworth City United this Saturday.

The last time these two sides played, City United claimed a one-sided victory in the two-day final. However, Rixon said, revenge is not on the Redbacks' minds.

"I don't think you need any more motivation than starting the new season on the right foot," he said.

"I think their side will be reasonably similar to what they had last year, from what I'm hearing. It'll be a good game of cricket, and it's under lights too, so it'll be a good showcase."

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