'I still want to be captain'

Jacobi Robinson believes he is still the right man to lead Somerset Cricket Club into battle.

The burly all-rounder’s leadership pedigree has come under intense scrutiny at the west end club, with some going as far as to call for his removal as captain.

Robinson reckons he still has plenty to offer and has called for his critics to exercise patience as he matures into the role of captain.

But there is speculation that his days as Somerset’s captain could very well be behind him.

Robinson, though, is adamant that he can lead Somerset to glory and feels that those being touted as his potential successors have not been properly groomed for the job.

He believes that Somerset are on the cusp of ending St. George’s’ reign as Cup Match champions and, as such, has pleaded to his superiors to give him at least another year to try and finish the job.

As the son and nephew of former Somerset Cup Match players, Robinson, who will undergo knee surgery at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore today, said he bleeds red and blue.

He added: “I do want to give it another go because I have Somerset at heart through and through. I just feel that I haven’t done anything wrong or done a bad job in terms of captaining the team.”

Robinson’s leadership has been criticized as Somerset’s captain in Cup Match. In 2008 he was lambasted for agreeing to abandon the match as a rookie captain with St. George’s on the ropes.

Regrets

It was a decision he now regrets.

He said: “In 2008 we as captains made a bad decision to abandon the game. But in 2009 we didn’t make that decision because it was stated before the game that the captains would not call the game but rather the clubs. This year it rained and so you can’t blame anybody.”

Robinson feels he was at a disadvantage being appointed captain at a young age (22) even though had the courage to take on the huge responsibility.

However, he strongly opposes having someone else who has yet to be primed for the top post suffer the same fate as he did.

He said: “I feel that my successor should be groomed and ready. If they (management) give the captaincy to someone else who is already groomed than it will be a smoother transition. But it doesn’t make sense giving the captaincy to someone who isn’t ready to make the same mistakes as I did because they are young.”

Leading Somerset in Robinson’s absence on an interim basis is bowler Jordan DeSilva.

The Bermuda Sun revealed earlier this week that the 25 year-old cricketer had been suspended for the remainder of the season for “abandoning” his team-mates.

He also feels that he and his fellow senior team-mates are being made scapegoats for Somerset’s dismal season.

He said: “We got blamed as senior players for the team being relegated this year. But I feel that everyone from the coach (Winston Reid) and management right down to the players should share the responsibility for the team’s poor season rather than singling out certain individuals.”