CAPTAINS REPORT 08/09

After such a huge effort from the boys in 2007/08 making the grand final we were setting ourselves up to give us another opportunity to play finals and see if we could push for the flag

We started last season with mixed results and after the first 5 one day games we had lost two games that we had pinned in for wins against North Melbourne and Northcote. Full credit to these clubs who came down to our home ground and took the point back up the highway, in turn these two poor results proved very costly at season end with us finishing seventh on the ladder.

Unfortunately in the quarter final we played Fitzroy-Doncaster at their home ground and we managed only 70 overs of cricket with the game becoming a uneventual draw due to losing 130 overs to rain. We only had ourselves to blame because we were the bottom finalist which meant our season was over, Lesson learnt. When you have games you should win , you need to win them because it can come back to hurt you. I believe we learnt alot from the season and having played more younger players that should give them a taste for the future to push to be regular player in the First XI etc.

During the last season we were always in the hunt but realistically we never played to our full potential due to a number of factors. This group now have experienced final two years in a row and hunger for futher success as a group should be seen to do throughout this year's campaign.

Last season we saw the emergence of Tom Elliot. Tom had his first full season in the First XI and all his hard work and persistence started paying off bigtime. He made the premier team of the year and won the club's First XI batting average. Well done Tom on a fantastic season and we all look forward to seeing your future unfold.

To Marc Carson who backed up a hugely successful season in 2007/08 to win the bowling average and also play Victorian Second XI cricket, season 2008/09 was a credit to you. Joel Davies had a consistent year with the bat and ball which saw him take out the Club Champion Award. Hopefully Joel can keep working hard on his game and mindset and he can then achieve what he desires.

Aaron Finch didn't have the season with us that he would want but he did represent Victoria in Twenty 20 cricket and One Day cricket which saw Aaron do some very handy things. We all hope season 2009/10 will be a breakout year at the top level.

Big thanks must go to all who make things work. Firstly to the players- thankyou so much for the efforts you put in to the season. My all to the capatains thank you for the efforts week after week. Support staff- Tommy Butterworth, Wardy and Grappa thanks for everythign you do around the place from setting up the nets, to making the drinks, to the covers, to driving the buses etc etc. As you all know people like you  make the captain's, coaches' and players' jobs so much easier I can't thank you guys enough.

Chris Skyring doing the scoring for us every week thank you and it was nice to see you take out the best scorers award in Premier cricket- Well done. David Barnes well done on all things admin wise, you would certainly be top of the class in admin offices- thanks DB. To the committee thank you all on endevours you do throughout the 12 months to make the club work. It was a huge effort putting o n that KFC Twenty 20 Big Bash and you should all be proud of getting the job done.

To Bob Merriman, your support as Director of Cricket was fantastic and it has been a pleasure to work with you Bob. To Don Royce also thanks for all the hard work around the place. 

To my VC Liam, thanks for all your efforts throughout the year you are the gel that places like these need and I know performance wise come next season you will be setting the bar high to achieve maximum results. Also to Aaron Finch who is taking on more leadership within the team, it is fantastic that you are so positive about this club and getting to as many things as we do as possible.

To Travis Agg, thanks for everything you do, you had a lot of different hats on throughout the season asnd you proved your worth time and time again. I look forward to working with you closely again in 2009/10.

After a long pre-season and some standout performances in practice matches the second XI took on a far different look to the season prior. This was an exciting time in the cricket club as we about to see what the future might hold.

After a disappointing start we began to find out feet that saw us remain high on the ladder for the most part of the season. I felt that until the now well known "Black Saturday", we were looking solid for a top four finish. To battle in those conditions and lose was extremely flattening and seemed to cost us some momentum.

However, we did enough in the final round of the year to finish 6th and give ourselves a chance to play finals. Sadly the weather intervened and our season was over. There were some very good performances with the bat but none outstanding as we failed to have a player make 100.

However, on saying that, the development of the group was something that will hold the club in good stead for the coming seasons. From a bowling side of things we saw some solid contributions with Justin Maher and Justin Foss both taking 5 wicket hauls in matches. We had 10 players to have played in the First XI at some stage during the year that made a major contributions in the Seconds to get their opportunity. From a development side this can be seen as pleasing. I think from this point onwards players need to take the next step and put enormous amounts of pressure on the current bunch of entrenched First eleven players.

I had a very enjoyable season playing with this current crop of players. I learnt many new things and sayings along the way and hope that I passed on some valuable learning experiences which will be with them forever and used to become better players and people.

Finally on behalf of all players associated with the team, I would like to thank Glenn Ward and David Missen for their dedication and assistance throughout the season. Without your efforts, our season certainly would not have been as successful or enjoyable.

Having finished off season 2007/08 as a Third XI player, I became intimately aware of just how much young talent the club has at its disposal. So it didn’t take long to respond in the affirmative when I was offered the 3^rd XI captaincy for season 2008/09.
 
Over the past couple of seasons I had played with and against seasoned professionals that had been involved with Premier Cricket in some cases for over a decade. The initial adjustment of captaining a team made up of a high percentage of players with such inexperience was difficult, purely because it took time to fully get a handle on how such a young group go about tings. Couple this with the fact that regardless of age, everyone brings something unique to the table requiring different levels of attention when dealing with them on either a group or individual level. Challenging would be the best way to describe the season at the very least.
 
I had not captained a team since my junior playing days so from that point of view it was effectively a new experience in itself. After round one I felt as though it was something I’d been doing my whole career thanks large in part to the full support I received from the 11 players that took the field that day. By season’s end, I was left feeling like it had passed by in the blink of an eye and wanting more.
 
While there were some ‘downs’ along the journey, the ‘ups’ far outweighed them. As a result it would not be an exaggeration to say I wouldn’t change a thing. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. To the 25 guys that represented the 3rds at one stage or another,, thankyou for one of the most enjoyable seasons I have played in my career. I wish you all the very best in whatever you do from here on in cricket and in life in general.
 
From my point of view, looking at the Thirds as a development team within the club, I tried to avoid discussions involving talk of outcomes rather focusing on the processes required to achieve success as a team and as individuals. The players themselves embraced this philosophy and in actual fact, took ownership of creating a blueprint for the way we wanted to go about our cricket always working diligently toward maintaining high standards.
 
As a result, the team figured in a finals campaign and individually, 10 players (40% of players used) played 2^nd XI or higher through the course of the season. While I consider both to be indicators of a successful season, it was extremely disappointing to lose the semi final against Camberwell Magpies CC. However, they clearly outplayed us and in my eyes were the best team all season. We have some ways to go before we can lay claim to that title. Learning from experience and working hard will see it happen sooner rather than later. To see more guys take the next step of representing the club at a higher level would have been the icing on the cake. For those that stick at it, continue to work on their game and think about their cricket, higher honours are just around the corner.
 
It was a pleasure to have a player of Daniel Bolton’s calibre play nine games with us after starting the season in the Seconds. His 447 runs @ 49.64 including two centuries were pure class. Add his continual development as a frontline bowler and you have a very attractive package indeed, a real talent in the making.
 
Lachie Boyd was one that really came of age this season. After finishing the second half of last season a Fourth XI player, he finished this season as the 4^th most prolific batsman in the competition with 475 runs. Four half centuries and making his debut in the Second XI was a testament to his consistency born from an intense work ethic on the training track. Unfortunately a century alluded him but I know when it come it’ll be some knock.
 
Luke Ibbs backed up a stellar season last year with another big year that saw him peel off 437 runs. If he continues to produce he wont be far away from regular Second XI appearances. He added another 2nds game to his tally this season. What was pleasing about Luke’s season was that he added the string of becoming a reliable bowling option to his bow. He proved a real match winner with both bat and ball on more that one occasion.
 
There’s one thing just as certain as death and taxes and that’s Rhys Burke giving his all to be the best he possibly can. It was a real thrill for me personally to play with Rhys and have an opportunity to have a role in his development. A quality individual cricketer, Rhys got the opportunity to play 4 games in the 2nds after some outstanding performances in the 3rds (398 runs @ 36.18) including his maiden 3^rd XI ton. I will watch with interest how his career unfolds.
 
Something that will stand out in my mind for a long time is the way 15-year-old Jarrod Garner came in to the team and bludgeoned attacks with distain almost from debut. In just second game he made his first fifty (87 not out) and followed it up in a rich vein of form with two more in his next to innings all at close to if not better than a run a ball. The third fifty finding him just 5 runs short of what would have been a spectacular and deserving century. Very popular amongst his teammates, Jarrod has a massive future ahead of him.
 
Two major success stories from the season were Jacob Smith and Justin Colbourne. No one would doubt the potential on offer with both of these talented cricketers but what we saw this season was consistency. Jacob made 281 runs @ 21.62, modest on most accounts but when you consider that he was regularly the non batter last season it is a drastic improvement. He responded extremely well to more responsibility and was effectively my “right hand man” all season. His keeping is simply outstanding and if he continues to improve with the bat he will be hard to ignore.  As for Justin, seeing him take to the field and get overs under his belt every single game this season was a significant step in his development. While he may not be happy with his numbers this season it was great to see a guy plagued with injuries over the recent past, make significant inroads in realising his full potential.
 
For the guys that didn’t get a mention, I can honestly say, not one person let me down and this is evident by the improvement shown despite the lack of big ‘numbers’. I have great confidence in all of you making it as far as YOU want to go.
 
Most importantly I want to say a big thankyou to Don Royce. We all know how valuable you are to the club as a whole but in your role as Third XI Manager, you were truly a godsend. Your presence and involvement certainly made my job easier. Your ability to fit in with such a motley crew made your presence welcomed by all that represent it, not just the more recognisable players. I greatly appreciate your support through thick and thin and you were a valuable sounding board when I needed to vent my spleen. Thanks mate.
 
Finally just a quick thankyou to the parents and other family members and friends that made it to watch us play. Hopefully we provided entertainment in the way we played whilst upholding the spirit of the game in the name of the Geelong Cricket Club.
 

There was something for everyone to enjoy about how the Fourth XI went about their cricket in season 2008/09. Whilst we did not come away with a premiership, we saw a lot of younger players in their first season of senior cricket develop into outstanding prospects for the future of the Geelong Cricket Club.
 
We enjoyed our season both on and off the field for a team filled with exuberant youth, raw talent, mixed in with some age and experience. From our spectacular 7 for 12 collapse in the first game of the season, our team grew in confidence with a large number of outstanding team and individual performances throughout the year. Of the 15 rounds we had eight wins, three draws and four losses finishing 6^th for the year after a disappointing rain affected draw in our qualifying final.
 
Key highlights for the year included a strong win against the eventual premier Melbourne, a tie against Northcote and come from behind victories against North Melbourne and top four team Melbourne University.
 
The batting of former 1^st XI player Aaron Croft who finished the year with 422 runs at an average of 140, including back-to-back centuries against Ringwood and Melbourne was a highlight. His highest score of 154no vs. Melbourne in round 6 on the back of 100no of 86 balls vs. Ringwood. Aaron set a strong example for many of the younger batsmen to follow and was a good steadying influence on our side. Topping our bowling averages for the season was Matt Richmond who took 17 wickets at an average of 19.82. His devastating spell of 4 for 17 off 8 overs against Melbourne in round 6 giving us the upper hand against the eventual premiers. Matt finished the match with season’s best figures of 6 for 20 off 13.3 overs.
 
Other outstanding performances for the year from some of our younger members of the side were:
·          Our youngest player, Jake Ibbs scoring an innings building 91 off 132 balls in the Qualifying Final against Frankston. The patience and maturity he showed during this innings makes me believe he has a long and successful career ahead of him at the Geelong Cricket Club. Jake finished the year with 325 runs at an average of 23.21. Jake also won the Ian Cover Encouragement Award.
·          After spending the first half of the year batting in the lower order Pat Richards took his opportunity, opening the innings in round 15 against Carlton and scoring 84. Pat was a strong contributor all season with the bat and ball. He was always willing to listen and learn from the older members of the team with his cricket benefiting as the season went on. Pat was rewarded with his dedication and devotion to the team by winning the captains award for the season.
·          Tim Brain leading us to victory with a 5 for 30 performance against Fitzroy-Doncaster in round 13.
·           A dominant batting display by Jarrod Garner against Richmond in round 9 where he scored 87 runs including 19 fours. Jarrod’s performances were rewarded with promotion into the 3^rd XI where he went on to win the batting averages.
 
Thanks must go to my other senior members of the team including Dan Hale, Aaron Croft and Aaron Randall who provided me and other team members’ support and guidance throughout the season.
 
Finally I would like to thank all those that helped prepare and organise training, arrange match days and cater for both the Thursday evening meals and afternoon teas. I would also like to thank the coaching staff, match committee, fellow captains and particularly Damian Shanahan for their assistance and leadership throughout the year. Damian gave me the opportunity to captain the 4^th XI in my first year at the club. I thoroughly enjoyed the year with my team and thank him for the support and confidence he showed in me.
 
My last thank-you is to Neville Richards who played the key role of team manager, scorer and bus driver for the team this year. He was even called upon to pull on the whites on a number of occasions. In all that he did for the team he went about it with a minimum of fuss and in good spirits even though it was clear he would prefer to have the whites on and be out in the field competing! He was a pivotal member of the 4^th XI and ensuring the match day activities went smoothly. Thanks Nev and I hope you return for the 2009/10 season.