James Larkin doesn't play a whole lot of cricket in the Central West but when he does, look out.
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The 28-year-old all rounder made his second Bathurst Orange Inter District appearance for Kinross on Saturday, belting 129 runs in a nail-biting, 19-run loss to CYMS on the second day of round 12.
While the knock wasn't enough to get his side across the line, Larkin reinforced two facts on Saturday... he's one of the best sticks west of Sydney, and Kinross can be more than competitive with a few older heads in the line-up.
Since moving from Sydney in 2019, Larkin has helped the students wherever possible as he's coached regularly and played at a pinch.
The link was first established through Andy Litchfield and after his first session with the side, he was hooked.
"They're really good kids," Larkin said.
"I really enjoy spending time with them and coaching them."
If those kids were nine months older, they win easily.
- James Larkin.
Not only does he think highly of their characters, but he knows the students aren't far off winning multiple games throughout a campaign, they just need a little push in the right direction... that's where he comes in.
"They probably just need some older heads to guide them through some tough situations," he said.
"When the scoring slows down and they lose a couple of wickets, it can get tough for them."
Larkin wasn't crash hot on talking about his individual efforts but when you score 130-odd like he did, it can't be ignored.
What made his knock even more impressive is that he was seriously impaired for most it.
"I had about 50 runs off 80 balls and I took my helmet off to go for a sweep shot and copped one in the eye," he said.
"My eye blew up like a balloon and from then on, I just tried to get the game moving in case my eye closed over.
"I tried to get on with it while I could and luckily for me, I found the middle a few times."
Saturday's match marked the end of Larkin's brief campaign but he hopes to take the field as much as he can next summer in what he's dubbing to be somewhat of a breakout year for the kids.
"If some of those kids were nine months older, they win easily," he said.
"They've got a good group of blokes and guys like Mac Webster still have another year."
"The belief is as important as anything. Once they understand that they're just as good as the other blokes, it will be easier for them."
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