Tamworth cricket: Jye Paterson talks cricket addictions and his first game of the season

The 24-year-old typically keeps a packed schedule. Along with working at the family cattle farm near Goonoo Goonoo Station, he plays rugby union for Quirindi in winter and cricket in summer - and has done so for most of his life.

After so many years of burning the candle at both ends, Paterson has sometimes felt a desire, come the winter season, to sit out for a year and recuperate.

"You always say 'Aw, I might have a little time off', and then you watch a game and you want to get out there and get into it," Paterson said.

"I always tell myself that I probably won't play this year, then you go down there and watch one game and just want to get out there."

It's safe to say, however, that isn't a concern when summer arrives.

Paterson is a self-confessed cricket tragic, and said it is his sport of choice above all others. This comes as no surprise, given that the Bective East captain and his brother, Luke, were raised by Chris Paterson, a fellow devotee of the sport and president of the Tamworth District Cricket Association who "plays more cricket than I do", Jye said.

And so, when he spoke to the Leader on Wednesday afternoon, Paterson's excitement about Bective's first game of the season against Souths this Saturday was palpable.

After a bye in the first round, Paterson said he and his teammates were itching to get onto the field.

But given Souths' one-sided victory over Old Boys last weekend, he knows they are in for a tough task in the upcoming day-nighter at No. 1 Oval.

"They've got a few new bats who are apparently pretty good, then you've got the old guard like [Chris Skilton]," Paterson said.

"It probably will be who bowls better, wins. It's usually the other way on [the Tamworth] decks, but with how they're playing this year it might depend on who has the better bowling attack."

Bective's lineup, meanwhile, will look largely the same as it did in 2022/23. Paterson said they have managed to retain most of their players, and will welcome back club legend Adam Jones, who spent last year playing fourth grade with his sons.

With just four games in each format, Paterson knows full well that they cannot afford any slow starts.

"It'd be nice for us to get a win early in the season," he said.

"Especially with it being so tight, you've only got four games per comp to get it in. So the losses are pretty big."

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