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Coach Education Newsletter

Issue 11 - April 2008
In this issue
For more information on
coaching and development.
www.blackcaps.co.nz
Background:
I have discussed batting techniques many
times with many famous batsmen over the
years and more recently with the modern
stars in my position as an ICC referee.
Over the past three years, as President of
New Zealand Cricket, I have been fortunate
enough to watch a number of tests and one
day matches, and have been able to observe
the batting techniques, in particular of the
New Zealand players.
Test match cricket does expose batsmens
technical mistakes, which translates through
to the one day game. The very recent match
winning performances by New Zealand in the
Chappel Hadlee series shows we do have a
number of batsmen with exceptional abilities
on occasions, but we all need consistency
that only comes with owning a correct batting
technique.
These observations are made in good faith
as a means of encouraging batsmen, and in
particular New Zealand and potential New
Zealand players to examine their batting
Observations on Batting
Techniques, Coaching & Fitness
By: J R Reid [November 2007]
technique, which can only be of beneft to
New Zealand Cricket.
For New Zealand Cricket to compete very
successfully in test cricket, they need a
minimum of one batsman in the top ten of the
world and another two players in the top 20.
Good technique is an essential part to achieve
these levels.
Techniques:
These days nobody has to re-invent the
wheel, it has been done before. It is all a
matter of being in the correct position to cope
with each delivery. I was a front foot player
with an incorrect back defence, as both toes
faced the bowler which produced a square-
on stance, but I quickly learnt that in cricket
batting is a side-on game.
I also learnt that pushing forward to Neil
Adcock on a green pitch at Ellis Park in 1953
didnt work either. The South African batsmen
didnt have the same problems against Bob
> Interview with ECB coaches
> Canterbury, Otago, Central Districts, Auckland Season Summaries
> Interview with Community Cricket Coordinator Blair Franklin
> Communicating Selection
Blair and Tony MacGibbon, who were both
bowling quick. So I asked Eric Rowan (a
renowned South African opening batman)
Why?
His explanation has been remembered over
the years and has become an international
catch phrase Move back and across but it
has to be executed properly.
Erics exact words were move early, move
back and across with the intention of playing
forward. To be more precise move early
before the bowlers arm comes up so that you
have played half your stroke (bat up, foot in
position, head still) before the ball is delivered,
with the body weight being mainly on the front
foot so you can lean into your forward stroke
or push back to play one of the many more
strokes that are available in back-foot play.
Just to emphasise the difference that this
technique change made to my performances
was my test batting average fgures:
1949 1952 average 29
1953 1965 average 41
The back and across method has been
(is being) practised by many, probably the
majority of the top batsmen the list is
impressive, and a few of the great batsmen
included on it are:
Sir Donald Bradman
(I only play forward to drive)
Sir Gary Sobers
Barry Richards
(had perhaps the best ever technique)
Sir Clyde Walcott
Steve Waugh
Brian Lara
Jacques Kallis
The great Englishmen Sir Len Hutton, Peter
May and Colin Cowdrey took a very short
press forward but did not commit themselves
way forward like so many New Zealand
batsmen do today.
There are obviously differing batting styles
that are successful but most favour the back
and across method by contrast Sachin
Tendulkar stands perfectly still to receive
a delivery and Martin Crowe concentrated
on getting his head in line, so obviously he
moved across to the off stump.
I do realise that the above batting technique
needs to be tempered with a comment re: bat
technology.
Outstanding equipment allows players with
average technique ability to become above
average players. The bat can simply get them
out of trouble by hitting through the line of the
ball often with little or no footwork.
However, this observation can hopefully have
a positive outcome when modern equipment
is coupled with good technique (a l Ricky
Ponting). The outcome is very positive
indeed.
The following articles:
Jacques Kallis, Tips from the Top - My
Batting, The Wisden Cricketer, June 2006,
Vol 3, No9, p 82-83
Bob Woolmer, Tips from the Top
- Explaining.a batsmans trigger
movement, The Wisden Cricketer, August
2004, Vol 1, No 11, p80
Summarise and visually show the back and
across method.
Coaching:
Coaching is an essential element of schooling
players in proper technique at an early age.
I am concerned with the lack of action by
coaching management when they see their
players repeating their batting errors, I would
(and did), get embarrassed at getting out the
same way, you do something about it, surely
somebody would point out the obvious?
Looking closely at your opponents and
understanding his successes to see if you
can learn or copy anything from his technique
- a coach can help, but batting is a personal
thing, and Im sure everyone has pride in his
own performance.
During my period as President I watched a
number of age group matches and teams
and noticed a decline in the standards of play.
I put the problems down to the lack of quality
coaching.
Outstanding
equipment
allows players
with average
technique
ability to
become above
average
players.
Volunteers, parents and teachers form the
majority of people taking school teams and it
is imperative that they have the knowledge to
teach the basics of the game.
The techniques of players at age group
tournaments indicate what coaching work has
been done by associations beforehand.
New Zealand Cricket have had the proper
coaching programmes in place, but the quality
of the individual coaching by a specialist
coach is essential.
It is heartening that some progress is
underway in New Zealand, where there is an
increasing shift towards specialisation and
New Zealand Cricket setting up a national
network of coaches to tend to the individual
needs of players. This seems to be a step in
the right direction and it is hoped that these
coaches will be synchronized with each other
to ensure there is a consistent message given
to the younger players.
Fitness and Injury:
All the fancy warm-up drills/routines that the
coach puts on show prior to the start of the
match might impress the social cricket fan
but I would be more impressed if I knew that
these full-time professionals were doing the
hard yards in the nets. Michael Hussey is
perhaps a role model, whereby honing his
techniques and then doing the hard yards
in the nets, he moved to one of the top ten
batsmen in the world.
There is no substitute for bowling/batting in
the nets for as long as a batsman can fnd
someone to bowl or a bowler to fnd someone
to throw the ball back. You are honing the
skills that you need in a match and getting
ft at the same time and so avoiding those
little niggling injuries more cricket basic skill
practice and less touch rugby!
The English pro county players of yester-
year (Trueman, Statham, Bedser) bowled
1,200 overs in a season playing two three
day matches a week and couldnt afford to
be injured how did they manage without
the modern technology they did the hard
yards. Technology is a huge plus in the game
today but players must be ft enough to use it.
Summary:
Basic coaching must be consistent.
Players must have pride in their own
performance - dont be dismissed regularly
by the same method.
Practice - do the hard yards.
Players need to be fully ft.
Source: This article is reprinted courtesy of The Wisden Cricketer, June 2006, Vol 3, No 9, p 82-83, www.thewisdencricketer.com
Source: This article is reprinted courtesy of The Wisden Cricketer, August 2004, Vol 1, No 11, p 80, www.thewisdencricketer.com
What are you doing here in NZ?
Rupert: We are on ECB Coaching
Scholarships funded by the Lords Taverners
who are the biggest charity for recreational
cricket in England and Wales. To be selected
we had to be an ECB level 3 coach and
then go through an
application process.
There were four
scholarships in all, two
were sent to Australia
and two here to New
Zealand. We have
been asked to research
various areas of New
Zealand Cricket and
share ideas with people
we speak to, fnding out
what theyre doing and
they can fnd out what
we are doing in the UK.
Really in effect I guess its like an offcial spy
mission with the overall aim of sharing and
promoting cricket between the two countries.
What is the purpose of the visit here?
Alastair: Weve been asked to look into what
New Zealand Cricket is doing in terms of
their coach education structure. There was
a previous scholarship over here about fve
years ago, Phil Relf came over and looked
at what was going on so we want to know
how things have changed, what people are
doing now. We are interested in looking at
fast bowling developments and what New
Zealand Cricket is doing with fast bowlers;
talent identifcation, so how you identify your
talent; LTAD (long term athlete development)
what the thought process is for that and how
thats integrated into the system; womens
and girls cricket, and whats happening there;
and disability cricket.
Rupert: We are also looking at the coaching
styles that coaches use over here, and
ascertain the differences between New
Zealand and England.
So what differences have you seen so far,
between whats happening in the UK, and
what is happening here?
Rupert: The main difference with coach
education is that here youve got what we
think is a very good well structured pathway
for coaches that mirror
your player pathway.
Back home in England we
have various development
courses for teachers and
young leaders. Weve
got a Level 1 which is
like a Coaching Assistant
qualifcation, a Level 2
which is a Coach, so they
should be able to run a
structured session, and
Level 3 is a Head Coach
position qualifcation.
This is not aligned with
how players develop, you could get a Level
1 Coach working with a group of U17s for
example, you could also get a Level 3 Coach
working in primary schools which is obviously
a good thing, but its one of the main
differences between the coach education
programmes.
Alastair: Weve also got a Level 4 course on
top of that, which is a very elite qualifcation
for people working in the professional game.
Rupert: In light of the research that Phil Relf
did fve years ago, we transformed our coach
education system to be more focused on the
how to coach rather than the technical what
we need to coach, and that has been a big
difference for us over the last few years in
England. So far in New Zealand weve only
got out to see one evening of coach education
where the content was very good but was
slightly more what to, than how to.
Alastair: The other big difference for us has
been an outside organisation taking over the
principles of the coach education structure
in England. Weve got a UKCC, (United
Kingdom Coaching Certifcate), which is a
Interview with ECB Coaches
- Rupert Kitzinger and Alastair MaidenBy Chris Ferguson
Rupert and Alastair
The main
difference
with coach
education
is that here
youve got
what we think
is a very good
well structured
pathway
way of standardising coaching in all sports.
Theyve really focused coaching and coach
education on the how to of coaching. So
if you went to a cricket course it would be
similarly run to how a football course is run.
It has made it so that the course deliverers
know exactly what the structure entails and
its the same for everybody. It is similar to
what SPARC tried to do and similar to what
Mark Lane from New Zealand Cricket has
done with the unit standards. Its a similar
principle but with an outside edge coming in.
Rupert: Its got the underlying theme of
saying that in order to produce world class
players we need to have world class coaches
Therefore in order to have world class
coaches we need to have world class tutors.
I think Im right in saying that our tutors go
through a reasonably rigorous qualifcation
process in order to be able to both tutor and
assess candidates on a Level 1 or Level
2 course. I think you are doing something
similar in New Zealand but with your own
trained CoachForce Educators.
Alastair: But they dont go through a
re-accreditation process which is another
thing thats been a major difference. Your
re-accreditation process for coaches and for
tutors is something that we dont do and is
something that we would recommend. The
other major difference that weve noticed is
with talent and the way the structure works.
It seems that New Zealand Cricket arent
really looking at youngsters until the age of 16
or 17, in terms of their talent and how theyre
going to progress, because the theory is that
there is a lot of growing up and many changes
before that. Whereas the ECB are looking
at young players from the age of 11-13, in
terms of whether they are going to be good
cricketers and getting them in the system and
looking at them in that way.
What are the additional requirements for a
Coach in the UK?
Alastair: We go through a process now where
we have Criminal Record Bureau checks
(CRB checks), which need to be done before
you attend a course. I was employed by the
Cricket Board in Durham to do some coaching
is schools, and the schools were asking for
evidence of the CRB checks.
Rupert: On coaching courses now, as part
of the Level 1 and 2, you would be required
to do a frst aid certifcate, and also a child
protection course.
Alastair: Safeguarding children is a course
coaches have to attend.
Rupert: So for a candidate on a course, as
well as doing eight 3 hour modules, there
is also a ninth and tenth module which they
have to do. They could be the best coach on
the course and tick all the boxes, but if they
havent got their frst aid certifcate they dont
get the qualifcation.
Alastair: Your CRB check lasts for 3 years, so it
needs to be renewed after this time. Your frst
aid certifcate and your safeguarding in children
have to be renewed every 3 years, and if you
dont renew them you cant offcially coach.
Rupert: Well, you effectively lose the
insurance that you would have from being a
member of the ECB Coaches Association.
That would be invalidated.
What are each of your roles back in the
UK?
Rupert: Im looking for a full-time coaching
role. Currently Im a freelance coach and I
work in the Cheshire/Lancashire area. I also
work as a tutor and assessor within those two
counties and also up in Cumbria. I also coach
in primary schools, as well as working with
players in clubs, county players, and women
and girls.
Alastair: My role is a High Performance
role. I began at Durham Cricket Board as
a Community Coach working in schools. I
then got the role that Im in now which is
Assistant Academy Coach. I work with junior
professionals at the club. In Durham we have
the frst team squad, a second team squad,
which are all contracted players, and below
that we have the academy players who are
18-20 year olds, some in full-time education,
but they are full-time athletes as well. Im also
in charge of running the emerging players
programme (13-16 year olds), which is
something the ECB have pushed quite heavily
in counties. It tries to identify the emerging
players from that age group within our county
structure and give them extra support. Its
quite a broad role because I work with the
frst team, second team, academy, then all
the age groups underneath that as well.
The beauty of that is I get to see the whole
player development structure, and see where
players ft into the system. So its quite a nice
position really.
Why did each of you decide to become a
Coach, and to make coaching your career?
Alastair: When I was 18 and I did my Level
1. I was a young player, developing and
trying to make my way in the game and was
pushed by a coach to do some coaching
because it would beneft my game as well as
giving me a little money. That was how I frst
started. I then did my Level 2 at university
and went a little bit further. Id never really
looked at a career in coaching until my
playing career went a little pear shaped. I was
again promoted to go onto a Level 3 and give
myself something else within the game. Then
because I needed an income coaching took
over. I did loads of coaching, but still played
a little, and then gradually I decided that a
career in coaching was the way I should go.
So I got a job as Community Coach up in
Durham. I have been a full-time coach from
then really.
Rupert: I started coaching about 12-13 years
ago when I was the captain of my frst team
at school and I got involved coaching the
younger kids. I then went to university and did
my Level 1. I did a sporting degree so there
was a lot of focus on coaching and teaching in
the degree itself, so I got involved in coaching
at local primary schools through the Durham
Cricket Board. I then carried on coaching
and set my own clinic up in Somerset. I did
my Level 2 down there before moving back
to Surrey where Id grown up as a youth
cricketer, and was pushed onto the Level 3
course. I ran a county age group so I worked
as a coach in indoor schools, doing a lot of
one-on-one and group coaching there. I then
came out to New Zealand, and played and
coached in the Bay of Plenty. I really enjoyed
that and when I got back I ended up going
down more of a business route for a few
years. Then about 18 months ago, something
happened in my life which made me wake
up and question What do I really want to be
doing?, and I realised that I got the biggest
buzz of all out of helping others and coaching
cricket, and got back into it from that.
How would you describe yourself as a
Coach?
Rupert: Passionate and keen to help. I think
a coach really does have to encompass a
whole host of things. Its not just about helping
players develop their skills. I really believe
that you have to take on a multitude of tasks
which include being a role model, and if you
like a father fgure; you also need to have
empathy. So a coach does take on a
massive role.
Alastair: I am somebody who likes to
communicate their ideas. Im very practical
in terms of my coaching. I tend to think on the
job so I like to be active and let things come
to me like that. Refective, so I dont plan a
massive amount, but like to refect on what Id
done and keep notes. Also my coaching style
tends to be based on an idea that I explore
with the players. I dont know whats going to
work for a player or whats right for the player,
but if a player comes to me with something
to work on then we will explore the various
options and various things that we can try
and do. I dont know everything and I dont
pretend to, but I like that exploration and the
fnding out. So thats my coaching style.
Do you have a Coaching Philosophy?
Alastair: I was asked to write a coaching
philosophy for my current job and I spent
days doing it. I think my main coaching
philosophy is about playing games. I think you
learn from being involved and from playing,
especially young kids. I believe that drills are
limited. I think you can have technical things
within games that players can learn from.
Through such games or scenarios players
learn when they are out in the middle to then
react to what ever situation comes up, so Im
a massive believer in that. I also believe in
letting the player explore. Some of my best
coaching sessions, especially with young kids
is when I dont say a lot and get them active
quickly. Because if Im not saying too much,
then theyre enjoying it and theyre saying it
all, and thats the big thing for me.
Rupert: Im similar to an extent, although I
think it depends. My philosophy changes a
little depending on who Im coaching. But, if
I had to narrow it down to one thing, I would
always want who Im working with to leave
the session hungry for more and looking
forward to the next. For me that is always
my challenge and the key thing that I want to
achieve.
Alastair: The other thing I would say is I
always try to keep it in my head that its not
my game, its all about them. If they want to
learn, Ive got to do whatever is right for them
to learn so they can do it in the middle. Its not
about me its about them.
Whats the best advice that you could give
a grassroots coach?
Alastair: Activity straight away, get active from
the start and dont talk too much. When I was
doing grassroots I would always play games.
It may not be a cricket game it might be a
hand hockey game or might be something
completely different, a drill based game, so
driving off a tee to felders who have to feld
and throw the ball in. Question them. I would
always ask How can we make this game
better?, so How can you be better at this
game?. The technical input comes from that,
rather than it just being me telling them what
to do. So thats what Id say, activity, stay
quiet and then drip feed coaching points in
through the activity.
Rupert: Yes, Id go along with that. I would
also add to be passionate and to make your
sessions fun and enjoyable, and enjoy what
you do. If youre not enjoying it, then the kids
that youre coaching wont enjoy it either.
Alastair: Another good tip Ive found as well is
sometimes when youre coaching and youve
had a long day, and youre not quite there
really. I think the best thing to do is engross
yourself in something, whether it is talking to
a kid, challenging a kid or getting involved
yourself in playing the game with them. I
think by doing that, all of a sudden, you get
back in there and its a buzz again. Youve got
to try fnding ways of doing that, and thats the
biggest challenge for me.
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Canterbury age group teams achieved much
success over the past season. Apart from
the U19s, all teams won their respective
tournaments.
The team results are listed below. Whilst the
results of our age group representative teams
are not as important as the development of
our cricketers, it is nevertheless a refection of
the impact that the development programmes
have had on our young players.
I would emphasise that our ultimate goal is to
provide the fnest opportunities and the best
environment for our young athletes to develop
their skills. We must continue to challenge
our coaches and evaluate our development
systems to provide the ultimate learning
experience so that both coaches and athletes
can both enjoy their cricket and reach their
potential.
Results of Canterbury age group teams for
the 2007-8 season:

Canterbury Wizards
The Wizards have generally punched
above their weight this season being very
competitive in all competitions reaching the
semi-fnal of the State Shield, missing out
on the State Twenty20 fnal on run rate and
at the time of going to press having just won
the State Championship. Canterbury has
lost many experienced players in the last
couple of years (Cairns, Astle, McMillan,
Wiseman, McCullum, Martin, Cunis, Stead)
which has provided opportunities for former
age group players to make the step up to
frst class cricket. It is encouraging and a
credit to the players and the coach, Dave
Nosworthy, that the team has performed so
well. Dave has created a very tight unit that
has worked extremely hard on ftness and skill
development and fully deserve the success
they have enjoyed.
Canterbury A
The Canterbury A team were competitive but
failed to win any games. A large number of
players were used (24) which, whilst giving
them exposure at this level, was not ideal
for team cohesion and continuity. All their
games were played on the excellent batsman-
friendly Mainpower Oval in Rangiora. Darren
Broom and Michael Davidson were the most
successful batsman and bowler respectively
and were rewarded by selection for the
Team Tournament Position Coach
U19 National 1st = 2 day Mike Johnston
6th 1 day
6th overall
U17 National 1st 2 day Neil Fletcher
1st 1 day
1st overall
Canterbury Black Zonal U15 1st Glenn Hooper
Canterbury Red Zonal U15 2nd Stephen Cunis
Womens Devt National 1st Mandie Godliman
U17 Girls Zonal U17 1st Nigel Marsh
Canterbury - Season Summary
Wizards later in the season. The team had
worked very hard over winter and remained
very positive despite some disappointing
results.
This continues to be a very valuable
tournament that provides opportunity for
potential frst class players to compete
against quality opposition in frst class
conditions.
I would
emphasise
that our
ultimate goal
is to provide
the finest
opportunities
and the best
environment
for our young
athletes to
develop their
skills.
Canterbury U19
Expectations were high for the young U19
team but they were not able to defend their
title they won in the 2006-7 season. They
won their frst game outright, a three dayer
against Otago, but the team then moved out
to Lincoln for the rest of the tournament and,
very disappointingly and surprisingly, did not
win another game, fnishing 6th. The overall
performance was refected in only one player,
Corey Anderson, being selected in the New
Zealand team to play in the U19 World Cup.
Several players had been in consideration
prior to the tournament but simply under
performed at the tournament.
The team was young, with 7 of the 14
players used available at U19 level again
next season. One signifcant factor in the
teams performance was that only two players
had played in last years tournament for
Canterbury. Experience at this tournament
has proved crucial in the past with players
generally performing much better in their
second year.
Canterbury U17
The U17s won the national title with a fne
all round team performance. Three players
were selected in the national U17 team: Tom
Latham, Matt McEwan and Tim Johnston.
Latham and McEwan won the Best Batsman
and Best Bowler of the tournament awards
respectively. Tim Johnston was the leading
tournament wicket taker. The teams success
was built around a never-say-die attitude,
contributions from all batsmen at crucial times
and steady bowling performances.
Canterbury U15
Two Canterbury U15 teams played their
counterparts in a zonal tournament against
Otago and both teams won convincingly.
At school level Christchurch Boys High
School won the Gillette Cup for the third year
in a row reaffrming them to be the leading
secondary school in New Zealand.
Canterbury Magicians
Canterbury womens cricket has enjoyed
unprecedented success this season, winning
all three national tournaments. The Magicians
won the inaugural State League Twenty20
trophy, a competition that was thoroughly
enjoyed by all the players and a welcome
addition to the womens game. They also
retained the State League title winning the
fnal by 7 wickets. This proved to be a highly
successful frst season for Gary Stead as
coach. Several new players were introduced
to frst class cricket and contributed well which
bodes well for the future.
Canterbury Womens Development
The Canterbury Womens Development
team won their national tournament for the
third time in four years. This was a very
young team that played exceptionally well all
week. They beat Auckland in the fnal having
been soundly beaten by them in the round
robin game.
Three players (Frances Mackay, Janet
Brehaut and Lizzie Rae) went on to make
their debuts for the Magicians as a result of
their performances at this tournament.
This team was specifcally selected with
a view to the future, a young team who
the selectors felt could all progress to frst
class cricket within the next 5 years. This
is particularly relevant as it is expected that
several Magicians will retire from frst class
cricket after the next World Cup in Australia
in 2009.
Canterbury Secondary Schoolgirls
The secondary schoolgirls team played two
games against their Otago counterparts and
were convincing winners.
The future of womens cricket in Canterbury
looks strong.
Summary
One of the most encouraging statistic to come
out of the season is that of the 21 players
who have played for the Canterbury Wizards
this season, 17 have come through our age
group and high performance programmes.
There are some areas of concern: quality
wicket keepers, top order batsmen and
seam bowlers with genuine pace are all in
short supply. Im sure that Canterbury is not
the only major association struggling to fnd
talented players in these areas. This problem
should be somewhat alleviated by the
introduction of the specialist skill coaches
in all skill areas. On a positive note, there
are several spinners with real promise
coming up through the age group ranks in
Canterbury.
Richard Hayward
March 2008
Otagos win in the State Shield capped a
memorable cricket season down south. The
victorious one day side was met by a large
crowd at Dunedin Airport, and then treated to
a Mayoral reception, hammering home to the
players just how signifcant this result was for
a province starved of major cricket trophies
for more than 20 years.
Particularly satisfying for the locals was the
fact that most of the players learned the game
in Otago. Brendon McCullums heroics in
the fnal came as no surprise to those who
had watched him and his brother Nathan
smashing tennis balls round Carisbrook as
youngsters when their father Stu was playing
for Otago in the 1980s. Brendons brilliant
170 tended to overshadow the efforts of his
team mates but make no mistake Otagos
success was built on solid teamwork and a lot
of hard work over the past few seasons under
the guidance of coach Mike Hesson.
The work ethic established has seen players
blossom and the rewards are coming. Bradley
Scott, Nathan McCullum, Neil Broom, Warren
McSkimming, Aaron Redmond and James
McMillan were selected for New Zealand
A, with Mike Hesson as assistant coach,
while McCullum, Craig Cumming, Scott and
Brendon McCullum made the BLACKCAPS.
The season also saw the return of test cricket
to Otago, and the picturesque University
Oval became test venue number 96 in the
world, justifying the bold and forward thinking
decision to shift Otago Crickets headquarters
from Carisbrook to the new ground three
seasons ago.
Not surprisingly there has been a real buzz
around Otago Cricket over the past year or
two. The challenge for Otago Cricket is to
both foster and capitalise on the heightened
interest.
Already there has been an increase in
the numbers throughout the province
playing twilight or social cricket, a reminder
of the need to cater for all levels of interest
and ability.
There can be no room for complacency. The
standard of cricket in secondary schools is
a concern, most notably because it seems
to be increasingly diffcult for schools to fnd
staff willing to commit their time to the sport.
New Zealand Cricket is attempting to redress
this situation by funding School Cricket
Coordinator positions, but getting the right
person, someone who will actually make a
difference, is critical.
Otago Cricket was fortunate this season to
gain the services of new Southland Cricket
Development Coordinator Ian Mockford
whose drive and enthusiasm is starting to
make a difference in the deep south With
experienced CDCs in all its other districts,
Otago is well served by its development
personnel.
A big focus early in the season was the
Otago Cricket Roadshow which had the
Volts players out in the schools throughout
the province promoting the game. The
Keeping Cricket Strong in Schools campaign
followed closely, and cricket had a high profle
in early October.
Performances and results in national
tournaments have shown that the province
is continuing to produce some very
promising cricketers.
The Otago Sparks enjoyed a very good
season under the tutelage of player/coach
Clare Taylor. The side achieved some very
good wins and came close to gaining a place
in the fnal. Outstanding were wicketkeeper/
batsman Katey Martin and allrounder Sarah
Tsukigawa, and their places in the New
Zealand White Ferns were well merited.
Otago A competed strongly at the national
tournament, with Jordan Sheeds outstanding
batting form (two centuries) winning him a
recall to the Volts later in the season.
The U19s overcame a slow start at
the national tournament to pick up four
consecutive one-day wins and storm into
the fnal against Auckland. It set Auckland
288 to win, a target achieved seven wickets
Otago Cricket - Season Roundup
Otagos success
was built on
solid teamwork
and a lot of
hard work over
the past few
seasons under
the guidance
of coach Mike
Hesson.
down in a very good demonstration of limited
overs cricket played in beautiful conditions
at Lincoln. Three Otago players left-arm
spinner Nick Beard, wicketkeeper/batsman
Michael Bracewell and opening bat Hamish
Rutherford won selection in the New
Zealand team which fnished a highly
creditable third in the U19 World Cup in
Malaysia.
The Otago U17s competed doggedly and the
national tournament would have been a big
learning experience for most of them which
is great. The teams only win came at the
expense of the tournament winner Canterbury,
which says a lot about the evenness of teams
at this level. It was also a reminder of the
need to be careful when judging the success
or otherwise of a team. The cricketers in this
side derived huge benefts from playing on
fast, even wickets with quick outfelds and
against good opposition. This was evident in
the more thoughtful way many of them went
about their cricket on their return. From that
point of view, a successful tournament for this
group of players.
The experience of our U15 cricketers who
struggled to compete with their Canterbury
counterparts was another reminder of the
need to create some depth in our cricket
by offering quality playing and coaching
programmes. Given the standard of play in
district and locals competitions, it is often a
huge step up to representative cricket for
many of our players.
The same is true for our girl cricketers. There
is a lot of enthusiasm, and the challenge is
to provide meaningful competitions at a local
level, and opportunities for coaching, to push
the players along.
Otago Cricket has moved in the right direction
by targeting suitable candidates to undertake
the NZC Level 1 coaching course. Twenty-
fve coaches, many of them current players,
were put through the course this season.
Several have already helped coach district
representative squads.
Cricket in Otago has always been well served
by volunteers. It is humbling to see the
number of people who give back so willingly
to the game, be it coaching, scoring, setting
up matches, catering, running players around.
They deservedly share the satisfaction of this
seasons successes.
Finally, it has been exciting to see the
progress up the umpiring ranks of two former
Otago cricketers, Derek Walker and Chris
Gaffeney. Derek is now an established frst-
class umpire and his elevation to four in the
rankings is well-merited. Chris is in his frst
season at frst-class level and he has created
a very favourable impression.
As a coach I like to see players develop over
time, and teams create plans and successfully
implement them, but winning and seeing
youngsters perform up to their potential are,
for me, great examples of instant gratifcation.
Central Districts has worked industriously
over the past few years and to have players
performing at all levels and age groups is a
reassuring return for these efforts. We have
recently had pockets of good performers but
consistency across the board is what has
transpired this season. However, in saying
this, teams have not won competitions and
dominated tournaments so our work is not
complete!
Having 4 of the top 6 test batsmen from
Central Districts has placed strain on our
batting resources but Greg Hay has hardly
suffered from second season blues and must
have forced his way into consideration for
the BLACKCAPS tour to England. The gap
between international cricket and frst class
cricket was highlighted when with the return
of the big boys the Stags won the Twenty /
20 competition. With their departure the Stags
failed to make the semis of the State Shield
but at least they were the masters of their own
destiny and failed to qualify after losing their
last two games rather than relying on other
results. The State Championship has been a
battle.
New players have been exposed at frst class
level but injury and an inability to bowl teams
out has made for a tough season. George
Worker is one of these new players. It has
been a very good reward for him after an
excellent season at school, district, age group
and New Zealand U19 level.
He and Andy Dodd were selected for the
U19 World Cup in Malaysia. Andy did not get
to play but it was a great trip for them both.
Numerous others made quite an impression
at this years U19 tournament.
The emphasis, at Lincoln, for the U19 and
Provincial A tournaments, was on one day
cricket. For the frst time coloured clothing
and the white ball were used and even though
some associations entered into the spirit
of it all more than others, by dressing their
teams in full colours and pads, it was a huge
success making these players feel special.
The tournaments, each with a pre-tournament
3 day game, were shorter than they have
been in the past and both were more
enjoyable. In my opinion it is so important to
play 3 day cricket at this level as it is in these
games that real learning about the game
takes place. Why is that bowler bowling?
How can the feld be manipulated to attack
a batsman? How should the bowlers be
managed as the new ball approaches? (from
both a bowling and batting point of view).
When should the spinners bowl? What are the
batting targets? How can they be achieved?
Can the batting momentum be changed? How
long until lunch? tea? stumps? Where is the
game going?
The Central Districts v Northern Districts
was a great advertisement for ensuring that
by giving the opposition a good chance to
win your own team is provided with a better
chance too. Central Districts won by 6 runs
and all involved enjoyed the experience which
cannot be said of some games at this level in
the recent past.
Seeing the ffty overs of a one day game
being bowled in two and a half hours was a
sight to behold. Lunch was very early almost
at a normal lunch time and there was no
need for a second drinks break. 45 overs
of spin were bowled. The use of spinners is
possible very early in an innings and these
U19 lads showed that it is possible to utilise
power plays with slow bowlers and a little
thought. (Question When defending a
mediocre total why are the 2nd and 3rd power
plays even taken? To win, the felding side
must bowl the opposition out probably before
45 or 40 overs are even up).
After leading the tournament early the Central
Districts A side slipped to fourth while the
U19s fnished 3rd in the round robin and lost
to Northern Districts in the play-off.
The Hinds led from the front throughout the
season but after losing momentum in the fnal
Central Districts - Season Summary
round of pool play lost the fnal to Canterbury
Magicians on a below standard McLean Park
track. Aimee Mason and Sara McGlashan
both had an excellent season and dominated
most games either individually or together.
However, it was the support play of Nicole
Thessman (until injury curtailed her season)
and Zara McWilliams and the bowling of
Abby Burrows and Rachel Candy that were
vital to the team. Aimee, Sara, Rachel and
Rachel Priest were all selected for the White
Ferns while Abby and Kate Broadmore were
recognised with NZ A selection.
Congratulations are extended to Nicole
for becoming the frst Central Districts
womens cricketer to play 100 games for the
association. This signifcant milestone was
acknowledged at an end-of-season function.
New Plymouth Girls High School and
Havelock North High School shared the New
Zealand Community Trust Cup. A number
of these girls stayed on in Christchurch
and played in the womens development
tournament. The team struggled here but
remained competitive and all involved had a
very enjoyable time.
Rain curtailed a competitive Central Districts
U17 tournament but a potentially strong side
was selected to represent our association
at the national U17 tournament at the same
venue - Napier. They did everything right up
until the last two days when they narrowly
lost both one day games. If they had won
one of these they would have won or
shared the tournament. The highlights were
consistently batting a full day in all of the two
day games, bowling Wellington out for 25
and the selection of Ben Smith and Bevan
Small in the national U17 side named at the
conclusion of the tournament.
Weather also intervened in the U15 selection
tournament at Rathkeale. The team was
diffcult to select and battled somewhat at the
North Island U15 tournament in Rotorua. They
had mixed results and hopefully will have
learned from the experience. William Youngs
hundred was a highlight.
Two day cricket is vital in the development
of our representative youngsters. Twenty /
20 cricket looks like it is here to stay at the
money end of our game and it has a place
at the enjoyment end of the recruitment and
retention of cricketers, but the fundamental
skills of aspiring representative cricketers
must be developed over time to ensure that
the longer version of the game remains
vibrant. It is my belief that the skills of the
longer version of the game are transferable to
the shorter versions but not vice versa. Skill
will always dominate the longer version of the
game whereas shortening the game is like
mud in rugby, the great leveler.
Thanks are extended to all those involved in
Central Districts related activities this season.
These activities include a huge number
of roles such as coaching, administration,
managing, ground preparation and one of the
most important parenting. These days it is
diffcult to get people to give consistent time
and effort to a cricket side over the duration
of a season. This coupled with the multi-
skilled role of being a coach, mentor, adviser,
psychologist and at times disciplinarian and
just plain grump mean that youngsters are not
always provided with a sound cricket learning
environment. We must continue to develop
ourselves as coaches and also as
people to
ensure that
the traditions
of our
game are
continued.
The Winter Academy 2007 was aptly titled
The Top Two Inches, a direct correlation to
the previous seasons representative teams
performances where a majority of teams had
fnished second due to last day jitters; the
mental aspect of the game was clearly an
area that needed attention.
Thereby seven squads (U14, 15, 17, 19 men
and U14, secondary schoolgirls and-womens
development) were put through a 12 week
programme between June and September
where each squad were only together for
the frst two weeks and thereafter split into
specialist skills squads in pace/spin bowling,
batting and wicket-keeping. The specialists
skills squads were split into small numbers
where Master Skills coaches Dipak Patel/Tim
Lythe (spin), Tony Sail (pace), Tony Blain
(wicketkeeping) and Mark ODonnell (batting)
along with other assistant coaches worked
on the mental aspects of each skill as well as
the technical and tactical aspects. However,
rather than just netting, copious amounts of
time was spent on the areas of concern and
the feedback from cricketers and coaches
was encouraging.
Summer 2007/08
A magnifcent summer with excellent
weather produced some very good cricket
in and around Auckland as well as for its
representative teams. In August last year
it looked like a tough season ahead with
a number of personnel changes for the
representative teams, however, this was
unfounded as the new personnel all
enjoyed a successful campaign for their
respective teams.
The pleasing aspect of the new personnel
is that they have graduated from the
Auckland Cricket district tournaments, this
is where we select Auckland representative
teams and therefore there is a fairly clear
coaches pathway whereby prospective
and keen coaches start at club and school,
make their way to District teams and then
onto Premier Club teams and /or Auckland
representative teams.
The fagship team, the Aces once again
dominated early season and were easily the
best team throughout the round-robin State
Shield games, however, the dreaded rebel
Indian Cricket league then robbed us of
key players Adams, Tuffey and Vincent and
although the side that played Otago in the
fnal was full of promise and class and even
after scoring a very respectable 300+ batting
frst the in-form Brendon McCullum single
handedly destroyed the Aces hopes of
holding onto the trophy they had won the
previous year.
Thereafter with the loss of the players above
and then to lose Mills and Martin to the
BLACKCAPS, Scott Styriss unavailability
for four-day cricket, pace bowlers Shaw
and Bates injured, the State Championship
campaign which we were also sitting on top of
has been severely hampered and at the time
of writing although we are sitting second in
the table the last two games before the fnal
are going to be very testing!
The mens A team had an excellent
tournament in which they had one bad day
and it was this alongside their two three-day
games being heavily affected by rain (81
and 43 overs lost respectively) both of which
they were well on top that fnally decided the
winning margin of 5 points from the winners
Northern Districts. Interestingly enough
Auckland beat Northern Districts convincingly
in the one-day game and had them 9 wickets
down in the second innings of the three-day
game! As per the previous season although
winning the tournament would have been
good to see the continued development of
key players, namely Andrew de Boorder,
Anuru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme and
Gareth Hayne was very encouraging. Its not
all about the players either, as Matt Hornes
development as a coach at this tournament
was also of huge beneft and the way he is
progressing I am fairly confdent we will see
him coaching at higher levels in the very
near future.
The mens U19 team who have had
unprecedented success at this tournament in
Auckland - Season Summary
A magnificent
summer with
excellent
weather
produced
some very
good cricket
in and around
Auckland as
well as for its
Representative
Teams.
the last few years had a lot to live upto. After
spending fve seasons with the U17 team in
Napier the coaching team of Randall Todd
and Nick Craig were given the envious task
to coach the U19 team and early on they
must have thought they were on honeymoon
as the team dominated proceedings early
in winning both their three-day games and
started positively by winning the frst two one
dayers, however, the team then lost the next
two one day games but were still comfortably
ahead on the points table. This counted for
nothing as the top two teams in the table
then had to play a fnal to decide the winners
and therefore the Auckland team met Otago
who they had lost to two days previously, in
the fnal on the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Auckland
won the toss and then amazingly sent Otago
into bat on a wicket which looked tired and
old and to make matters worse, Otago set a
formidable target of 287-9 off their 50 overs.
Most of the people at the tournament would
have given the Auckland team no chance to
win this game, however, somebody forgot to
mention this to the Auckland team as they
set about to knock the runs off and win the
game by 3 wickets with one over remaining.
This truly was an amazing run chase where
at least six of the batsmen contributed
heavily. This fnal day heroics clearly
epitomised the work done in the winter had
paid dividends! Add to the win the selection
of Jeet Raval (who subsequently pulled out
due to residency/qualifcation issues), Greg
Morgan and Michael Guptill-Bunce into the
New Zealand U19 team for the World Cup in
Malaysia as well as Rory Christopherson as
a non-travelling reserve, the entire campaign
was a success.
The boys U17 Team performed admirably
at the national U17 tournament in Napier
and fnished a very creditable 2nd, quite
remarkable considering the new coaching
team of Pat Cole as coach and Ryan Scivier
as manager/co-coach, neither of them had
coached representative teams for Auckland at
any level and both were called in at the last
minute after other interested coaches pulled
out late in the piece. Pat is an avid coach who
coaches the North Shore Premier team and
Ryan coached a district U17 team pre-xmas,
astonishing considering hes only just turned
21 years of age. On the feld the team were
probably surprised at the fnish considering a
poor middle part of the tournament, however,
in the last two one-day games against
Wellington and Central Districts they pulled
of two marvellous wins chasing down big
totals (254 and 224 respectively) which at
this age group shows lots of mental aptitude
and once again highlighted the The Top
Two Inches philosophy worked upon during
the 2007 winter. Craig Cachopa and Jimmy
Neesham were rewarded for their consistent
performances by being named in the national
U17 tournament team.
The boys U15 team travelled to Rotorua to
partake in the North Island U15 tournament
and with a new coaching team of Hayden
Gardner and Keryn Carberry as co-coaches
there was a fair amount of frustration amongst
everybody at the batting performances
throughout the tournament, however, this
did not hamper the boys enthusiasm as they
bowled and felded exceptionally and although
the batting line up boasted some good players
the consistency was never quite there and the
team fnished up in 3rd position.
The primary schoolboys teams were left
in the cold this season as their traditional
rivals Northern Districts decided against
playing Auckland for reasons of their own.
However we thought it important to select
the usual two teams from our district primary
schoolboys tournament and decided upon
playing each other in a round robin format
which saw the White team appropriately
coached by Nick White winning one game
versus the Blue team (which was coached by
Shoruban Pasupati) and the 2nd game ended
in a dramatic tie!. Late in the piece Northern
Districts offered each Auckland team a game
versus a selected training group they had
identifed at their district tournament which
was much appreciated and both Auckland
teams managed a win against their ND
counterparts in Hamilton. A standout at this
tournament was David Winn from the Howick
Pakuranga CC/Manukau area as he notched
up one century and another score of 86 in the
three innings he had.
The womens game has prospered
dramatically in Auckland and it is by no
coincidence that Auckland Crickets Womens
Development Coordinator Maia Lewis has
had a lot to do with it and should take a huge
pat on the back for this as she has been
able to put time into this area with a hands
on approach rather than having numerous
contracted people to do bits and bobs.
The Hearts in Wayne Mackeys second
year fnished the season a respectable 3rd
in the State League and can be proud of
their season after they had beaten eventual
fnalists Central Districts in both of their
round-robin games. Still in rebuilding phase
the team was ably led by new captain Ingrid
Cronin-Knight, and she led not only with
captaincy but also with her batting. The
positive development of the young players
was recognised by New Zealand Cricket
selection panel when Ingrid Cronin-Knight
and Ros Kember were selected for the White
Ferns and adding to this, Ingrid Cronin-Knight
(Captain.), Prashilla Mistry, Saskia Bullen,
Megan Murphy and Katie Perkins being
selected for the NZ Womens A team.
The Womens Development team had an
outstanding tournament only to be undone in
the fnal by Canterbury and thereby fnishing
in their own eyes a disappointing 2nd. The
success of this team can be pointed at without
doubt to the coaching of Maia Lewis who
as coach gelled the team together really
well and got the best out of the players. In a
tournament where they dominated, the last
day jitters certainly got the better of them,
however, a number of young players would
have taken a lot out of this tournament and
thats good news for the future!
The Secondary Schoolgirls teams (Elite and
Development) travelled to Wellington and
back by van, an ordeal in itself to take on a
Wellington team and a Hawkes Bay team
playing 50 over as well as Twenty20 games.
Young coaches Sarah Hopkins and Jussara
Bierman respectively coached the teams
and both can be extremely happy with their
teams for differing reasons. Sarahs Elite
team went through the tournament unbeaten
and Jussaras Development team notched up
a couple of good wins which was satisfying
considering the team had a number of
younger players.
The girls U14 teams partook in a tournament
in Auckland comprising of a team each from
Wellington and Northern Districts. Auckland
put in an Elite team and then had produced
seven other players for a composite team that
was completed with players from Northland.
The results for this tournament were very
much alike their older counterparts where the
Elite team coached by Anthony Bowler went
through the tournament unbeaten and were
clearly streets ahead of all the others. The
composite team also managed a couple of
wins and credit must be given to their young
coach Katie Perkins who was playing at this
same tournament only four years ago!
Summary
We are fnding more and more in the instant
society we live in that cricketers are now
expecting to play at a high level with as little
amount of hard work as possible. Matt Horne
is a huge advocate of this problem and we are
grappling with ideas on getting the message
across to cricketers at all age group levels
including frst class players the amount of
hard work and quality practice each individual
must do to succeed, gone are the days when
training twice a week with your team will
suffce, thereby if players want to succeed
they must make sacrifces and ensure copious
amounts of extra work outside of their team
trainings must be taken to ensure success.
A number of us older cricketers take for
granted that cricketers of this age know
the game but lets not be fooled as
the instant society ensures there
is plenty going on that will detract
the players from fnding out
about the game, whether that
be the history, on feld game
awareness, skill development
and understanding, thereby
we as coaches in our position
must design programmes
that integrate the learning
mentioned earlier within all
the cricket specifc skills we
teach.
With the loss of class pace
bowlers (Adams, Tuffey,
Mills, Martin) either for
short-term or long-term for
varying reasons Auckland has
now got to concentrate on
discovering and nurturing pace
bowlers in a very short period of time
and therefore priority must be given to
this area.
Blair Franklin is the
Community Cricket
Coordinator for
Canterbury Country
Cricket. He is one of
over 40 CCCs that are
employed either full or
part-time around New
Zealand.
Describe for us what your job as a Community
Cricket Coordinator for Canterbury Country
Cricket entails?
I look after the 5 to 19 year olds within the
Canterbury Country District. I run the MILO
initiatives through the primary schools, which
involves school visits, and delivering MILO
Cricket Skills Awareness Lessons to the clubs,
setting up MILO Have-A-Go and MILO Kiwi
Centres in clubs, running holiday programmes,
and trying to get as many 5 to 13 year olds
playing cricket in primary schools. I also
encourage them to become involved in the
MILO Cup and MILO Shield.
Do you have involvement with secondary
schools and clubs?
Yes, my time at secondary schools is spent with
both boys and girls and ranges from year 9 to
year 13. My involvement ranges from practice
sessions with teams to leadership courses with
year 12 students. I encourage the schools to
enter the following tournaments:
NZCT Cup junior boys year 9/10
NZCT Cup girls 1st XI
Gillette Cup boys 1st XI
Super 8s (boys and girls)
Why did you decide to become a Coach?
Because I love the game and if I have to
work for a living then I would rather be doing
something I really enjoy rather than sitting in an
offce all day. Getting out and about is really
enjoyable and you feel like you are actually
having an impact on the game.
So when did you decide that you wanted to
make cricket and the development of cricket
your career?
When I decided that I wasnt going to be good
enough as a player to succeed in the game,
and it was a good way of being involved in the
sport that I have a great passion for.
How would you describe yourself as a Coach?
I am a Coach who encourages respect and
discipline and I enjoy the history of our great
game. I encourage people to play the game in
the right spirit.
How does the approach you have to Coaching
change as you work your way through the
different ages that you work with?
With the younger kids its more about
participation, fun, having a lot of patience and
getting kids involved and enjoying the sport.
With the 12 to 15 year olds it becomes a lot
more skill based, and then the philosophy
changes as they get older still so its based
more on game plans. So my approach changes
from active participation to game scenarios as I
go up through the year groups.
Do you have Coaching Mentor?
Yes I do, when I frst started coaching cricket I
was fortunate enough to meet Greg Hills. Greg
used to coach the Canterbury Womens team
for about 10 years and the New Zealand A
womens team and I was lucky to be involved
with him through our children, I use him as a
sounding board.
Do you have a Coaching philosophy?
My coaching philosophy is very similar to my
view on life. The same aspects of respect
and discipline as I said earlier are huge parts
of the game, and I base my whole coaching
around having those qualities in a cricket team.
I feel that if players respect each other and
the game, they will start to appreciate and get
the best out of themselves. If they dont have
respect, its a pretty tough game.
What do you enjoy the most about your job
as a Community Cricket Coordinator?
Getting out and about and meeting different
people. Its varied and exciting every day, the
different range of people you meet from school
kids to school teachers, to coaches, to elite
players, the range is huge and there is never a
dull moment.
And finally, whats the best advice that you
can give your average grassroots Coach?
Enjoyment - enjoy the experience, and upskill
as much as possible. The more knowledge you
have the more enjoyment you get from putting
a good message across, and you have more
confdence in what you are telling people.
An Interview with Blair Franklin
Source: This article is reprinted courtesy of Cricket Australias Overview newsletter, Issue 8, March 2007, p 6-7
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