This time last year, Lachlan Wykes had aspirations of one day taking over from Dave Neil as CYMS' first grade wicket-keeper.
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Fast-forward to the Saturday just gone and the 18-year-old was lining up alongside Neil and the rest of the undefeated first grade side, but it wasn't to don the gloves, it was to open the bowling.
"I just sort of turned up and wanted to have a crack at bowling I suppose," Wykes said of his desire to switch things up during the 2022/23 pre-season.
"I just wanted to see how I go at training and if I was good enough to bowl well in the nets, then have a crack in games and if I was good enough in games, then just keep bowling."
Not only has he been good enough in training, but he has matched those performances during the games.
During six second grade matches for the green and gold, Wykes has taken nine scalps, including a five-wicket haul against Centrals on November 5, a far cry from the ten catches and three stumpings he bagged as the side's wicket-keeper last season.
"It's heaps different," he said of bowling in practice to bowling in games.
"It feels nice to get a few wickets and know that I do have it in myself."
Through those performances, Wykes was called up to CYMS' Royal Hotel Cup side which went down by three wickets to ORC on December 11. While he did not get the chance to roll the arm over on that occasion, he did gain some valuable experience.
"It was real good. I got to learn the tempo of what T20 cricket was like," he said.
"It was heaps quicker and you know you have to always be on the spot and can't be lazy at all."
All of that lead up to the magic moment when Wykes made his first grade debut in a match against Rugby Union.
"I had a lot of nerves going through my mind and body, but they were good nerves," he said.
"I was very nervous and felt like I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders being handed the new ball, but I feel like I handled it the best I could."
That faith paid off, with Wykes picking up the wicket of Sam Macpherson.
"I was pumped, so excited when I got it," he said of his maiden Bathurst and Orange Inter District Cricket wicket.
The teenager isn't about to rest on his laurels and will look to secure a permanent role in the first grade side moving forward.
"I'm not physically used to bowling so much, because I haven't been doing it," he said.
"So I'm just looking to build up those bowling strengths to where they should be and I think I'll be right."
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