COMPARED to the spot-fixing scandal which has rocked the game to its core, the misdemeanour Paul Cook committed last year is barely a dot on the landscape.

Cook was suspended for 11 weeks for misleading the ECB Premier League over his availability to play for Bracebridge Heath after being handed a one-match suspension following an incident in a match against Woodhall Spa.

It was a meagre offence and his suspension was eventually shortened to four weeks on appeal.

But it still left some local cricket followers questioning whether the 24-year-old was suitable for the role.

An appearance in a one-day final and a victorious Eastern Division campaign later and the doubters – many of whom raised their concerns under pseudonyms on the Echo's website – have gone strangely quiet.

"Paul has done brilliantly," declared director of cricket Mark Fell, the man who installed Cook as skipper.

"Maybe the criticism he received from some people at the start of the season has motivated him, I don't know.

"But the way he has led the side has been very professional, he seems to have thrived under the pressure, you only have to look at his batting (Cook averages a shade under 55 in the three-day game this season)."

Cook himself insists he had nothing to prove to anyone.

"I've had the support of the players, Felly and the committee and that's all I'm bothered about," he said ahead of the Minor Counties Championship final against Dorset.

He even claims captaining the side has been "easy" thanks to the quality players at his disposal. Dan Birch (pictured below left), Mat Dowman, Brett Houston, Aaron Onyon and former skipper Oliver Burford have all made vital contributions as Lincs powered to their second Eastern Division crown in three years.

"I don't think I've really been tested yet," revealed the powerful batsman.

"Because we've got so many good players, it's been fairly easy to captain the side this year.

"When I came into the side (he missed the first three one-dayers of the campaign due to his suspension), we were winning and I've just taken it on from there."

"I suppose you will really find out how good a captain I am when things are not going so well."

As has been demonstrated at the highest level, the pressure of captaincy can do strange things to a player's form with the bat.

Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain's personal contributions wilted under the extra burden, but Andrew Strauss's, this summer aside, have risen.

Like his brother Rob, who led Lincs to the grand final in 2008, Cook has fallen into the Strauss category this season.

Two centuries, two fifties and almost 500 runs across nine Eastern Division innings is a fine return by any standard.

A candid Cook says the captaincy has made him a "less reckless" batsman.

"I probably value my wicket a bit more," admitted the powerful right-hander.

"I've been a bit less reckless with some of my shots, but still tried to be positive, which is how we like to play."

Cook's captaincy will surely undergo its sternest examination yet over the next four days against the unbeaten winners of the Western Division, Dorset.

"It doesn't matter that it's a four-day game instead of three days," he added. "We'll approach the game in the same manner, we'll play our normal, attacking brand of cricket."