Panel shares the load

Sunbury Bowling Club’s Trevor Turner and Sunbury captain Jason McGann (front) with Sunbury Cricket Club committee members Travis Botten, Mick Corcorane and Marty Kelders. Picture Shawn Smits

 

Sunbury Cricket Club is confident an experienced coaching panel will help it go one step further in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s McIntyre Cup this season.

The club, which has been runner-up for the past two seasons, has gone for a three-man panel instead of a single coach.

Club president Travis Botten will be director of coaching, while Heath Boffey will coach the bowlers and Paul Webber the batting.

Jason McGann will captain the senior side.

Sunbury secretary Marty Kelders said he was confident the coaching structure would work.

“It’s difficult to attract a playing coach,” Kelders said. “You can only pay one person as coach and it’s hard to attract people to a hard-wicket competition.

“So we went with Plan B … Trevor will be director of coaching and oversee net practice.

“Heath and Paul have volunteered to help the younger players. Heath has coached at Rupertswood and Paul has coached our club.”

As well, the club has announced a new partnership with Sunbury Bowling Club.

Kelders said an unofficial partnership with the bowling club over the past couple of years had been fruitful for both.

“The situation with the bowling club is a unique situation … most cricket clubs are joined with a football club or sporting group,” he said.

“We’ve been there a couple of years now and it’s become an official partnership now.

“It seems like it’s working out for both clubs. We aren’t visitors now; we’re under the ‘Club Sunbury’ umbrella.

“It may have seemed odd initially, but there’s a lot of connections between the two clubs.”