Cricket has taken Jeff Cook around the world and now he wants to make a telling impact close to home.
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Cook, 45, is less than three weeks into his new role as Central North Zone academy coach, replacing Rod Bryant.
The former first-class cricketer was bitten by the coaching bug late in his playing days and now he's hung up the whites, wants to impart the knowledge gleaned during a fine career to the next generation.
“The role takes in from the Hunter, places like Maitland and Cessnock, through to Moree and Narrabri, Armidale, Inverell and Glen Innes in the Northern Tablelands, plus Tamworth and Gunnedah,” Cook said.
"I'll be working to identify talents from under-13 to the under-19 age groups in the boys and Luke Knight is overseeing the girls program."
Cook, who is also the head coach of the Cricket Australia Indigenous side, believes the game is in good shape as the impact of the Big Bash League flows through to the grassroots.
"I think the junior numbers are pretty healthy," he said.
"My generation grew up watching Test cricket, whereas this generation is all over the Big Bash because of its timing and exciting to watch.
"If it is getting kids onto cricket fields then that is a good thing."
Cook will oversee a program which has coaches looking after specific regions.
"In the Northern Tablelands we'll have Brett Rankin, who is a Level 3 accredited coach and moving down from the Northern Territory, and he’ll be assisted by Dave Mudaliar," he said.
"The majority of the coaches have played for NSW Country and are great cricket people.
"They'll hold six regional sessions to identify the players capable of playing for Central North and we'll work with them from June to August."
Cook, who started his coaching journey at the Northamptonshire Second XI, a county he represented with distinction as a player, has pinpointed a professional attitude as imperative.
"Unlike kids in Sydney who train three times a week, we might only be able to get the kids together for once a month," he said.
"So if we're going to bridge the gap, we've got to be professional in our expectations and particularly our training standards.
"We've got parents who might make a six-hour round trip for a training session, so it is about ensuring the kids get plenty from those sessions.
"We'll look to take them out of their comfort zones and not just be content with playing for Central North, but striving for greater representative honours."
Cook said the structure of country cricket where youngsters get exposure at senior level much earlier than their city counterparts is an advantage that should be capitalised upon.