Archive for the ‘News’ Category

With the UCI being held in Geelong this week, access to Queen’s Park will be severely restricted. As a result, training will also be varied as below:

Tuesday Sept 28

5:00pm at Queens Park – As this is only a training day for the cyclists, the roads should be re-opened by 5pm to allow access to QP

Thursday 30th Sept

5:00pm at Geelong College Prep School – Most of the roads around the circuit will not re-open until approx 7pm so the easiest access for most people will be via the ring road and up the deviation hill

Saturday2nd October

10:00am at Queens Park – Make sure you allow plenty of time to get to QP as the roads will be closed from approx 10:30 so traffic is expected to be heavy. Given that they won’t be re-open again until approx 6pm, you won’t be able to leave QP unless you plan on walking. As we now have the rooms back from the footy club, bring a change of clothes so you can shower and change and then nestle in for a bbq and a beer and watch the Grand Final Replay. There will be drink specials on offer so it’s a perfect way to get to know your new team mates…

Remember, there’s only 12 days until round 1 so make the most of every opportunity!

Good day everyone,

We had our meeting of the N&CCC committee last Wednesday night, so time to bring you up to date with what’s happening at our club.

Perhaps the most heartening thing that is happening is the wonderful attendances at training.  It is the best pre-season attendance that we have had for many years. So far 65 different players have attended training. That’s a great credit to our coach, Bryan Thomas, and to Don Royce and the rest of the cricket department. It is also a credit to those players themselves. They have latched on to the new approach at Newtown with both hands.

In addition to the bevy of regular faces, the following new players have been to training:

Tim Nunn, Bennett Merriman, Dan O’Keefe, Peter Lynch, Nigel Jenkins, David Anderson, Hayden Down, Matthew Laughnane, Jack Wood & Levi Dare.

On behalf of N&CCC I would like to welcome you and I am sure your club-mates will have also made you feel welcome.  I am led to believe that a few more regulars and newcomers will be arriving now that football season is drawing to an end. I estimate that there are approximately 35 other players who intend playing with us this season but have not as yet trained. Would all players please take this as a friendly warning. Pre season training will be a significant factor in selection in Rounds 1 & 2 (both one day games). Only 44 people can get selected so there will unfortunately be some disappointments.
 
One of the other things to come out of Wednesday’s meeting was the confirmation of our new Junior Co-Ordinator.  Tony Jefferies has been a great servant of club in the past, especially as a player. Now he will be helping bring on a new generation of N&CCC players, including a few Jefferies, which is also a pretty good sign for our club. Tony will co-ordinate a team of coaches that includes Ian Dalrymple, Ian Hastie, Grant Witham, Alan Wells, Andrew Green,  Rowan Gow, Steve Skinner, Trevor Bartlett and Anthony Sirganis. It should also be noted that Tony is also training in a very impressive fashion so hopefully we may get some games out of him again this season! 

Coach Bryan Thomas and I attended the junior meeting on August 25th. Bryan re-enforced his belief in how important the junior program is, while I outlined the whole of club approach. It should also be noted that Max Ellis and Mark Turnley who have both contributed significantly to getting the juniors organised for Tony this year have done a fantastic job. The adult body have further committed to the juniors in agreeing to provide a roster of adult players to assist with junior training this year.  I also made it clear that our juniors and their parents would be welcome at our Centenary Dinner on February 26th next year. Please note that the Junior Registration day will be Thursday September 16^th from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the club rooms.
             
As Tony takes over the reins, I want to give full credit to Mark Turnley for the role he has carried out over the past few years. Mark has done a fantastic job, from rounding up people to help him with registration days and presentation nights; to dealing with all the little, sensitive issues that go with coaching not just the youngsters sometimes, but their parents; to representing the interests of the juniors on committee, he has done it all.  In his time in charge he has provided the senior club with the most talenedt group of juniors for many years. On behalf of N&CCC Mark, I extend our enormous gratitude on a job well done. When the young blokes that you have helped nurture are winning premierships for us in the future, you should have one of the biggest grins in the club.

On GCA matters, we are pleased that Sam Arthurton has been approved as our overseas player. I have been having a number of email conversations with Sam and other people at Essex and I believe we will be getting a fine young man as well as a very good cricketer. Sam recently made his first century in the Minor Counties competition playing for Norfolk, for whom Jaik Mickleburgh also played. You might be interested to know that Sam and Jaik played each other in club cricket last weekend and Jaik got a duck and Sam 13 as Sam’s side won.  The relationship with Essex is a very good one for our club and I am hoping that in our Centenary Year, we can strengthen the bonds even further, perhaps with a visit of Essex officials to Newtown.  Sam is due to arrive on September 28th, at 5am.  We need a volunteer or two to go to Tullamarine to pick him up.

A big issue for the GCA is a shortage of umpires. If you’re a N&CCC past player who would like to give something back to the game, while earning a few extra dollars on a Saturday, please make yourself available.  Having umpires is one of the important things that sets the GCA apart from being just another bush league.  Please contact me if you are interested.

We have notified the GCA that Ben Neville will be our professional player for the 2010 / 11 season. Ben may well be a ‘significant recruit’ as he is now able to concentrate on playing. And he course, he will be have the assistance of some of our new recruits as well.

The GCA have changed their criteria for relegation promotion and start a two year period with the 2009 / 10 season in which our club starts in 12^th position out of 12. Let me implore you to put your club and your side before your individual wants and pursuits. Never before has our great club been so precariously placed with regards to relegation. The on-ground performance of our first four sides is the main determining factor in getting back up the Club Championship ladder. We must trust and support our selectors. We must clap every run and every wicket, and as a club share and rejoice in every win. Believe me, everyone will eventually get the opportunity that they deserve. When you do, make the most of it. Competition in the club is a healthy requirement for success and every time you train is a contribution to our club to ensure that those selected to represent us on the field understand the importance of their selection and the importance of performing at their best.

Work on the practice wickets is underway. I would like to thank Scott Mullen for his great work on this project, which is huge in both the amount of his time it is consuming, and also the impact on our budget. Unfortunately the rain may be slowing down progress at the moment.

The costs of the new nets puts a lot of emphasis on memberships – get in early and get the discount – and sponsorship.  Phil Morgan and Brett Bentley have been out and about helping us improve our sponsorship performance on last season.  If you have any ideas on new sponsors, or old ones we can welcome back into the fold, let me know and I will pass the information on to Phil asap.

Now, to the Centenary Dinner. We want to reach out to the whole N&CCC extended family for this one. The Centenary Committee has the names of about 800 people we want to contact, but don’t just leave it to them.  If you know a former player, get on to them and tell them to go to the website and find out all the details.  We want this night to be a splendid celebration of 100 wonderful years, involving as many people as we can find from that 100 years.

Because there is no President’s Dinner this year, we are looking to make up for that evening’s contribution to our revenues in other ways.  Warwick Hadfield has donated one of the last bats signed by Sir Donald Bradman, with a certificate of authentication. We believe that via a globally marketed raffle that this will comfortably off-set the president’s dinner revenue loss. Other raffles on the night itself will also well and truly make up for this.

The venue for the event will be the new functions rooms at Cunningham Pier. We believe that as a national, even international centre-piece of our city, this is a highly appropriate venue to accommodate the sort of crowd we are expecting. I know there are some people who would like us to use our rooms, but if we get the crowd we expect, they just wouldn’t be big enough.  We will however, be holding a back to Queens Park day on February 27th, which will include a couple of 20/20 games.

In finishing up, it’s now spring, we’ve had some good rain to liven up the outfield and the wickets and fill up the water tanks.  There’s a real sense of anticipation about what lies ahead for us in 2010/2011. As the coach says, we are re-building, but with an enthusiasm that makes me very proud to be your president in our Centenary Year.

Neville Crane

Good morning,

Last week we held out regular monthly meeting of the club’s committee and I thought it appropriate to report to you on a number of matters arising from it.

It was great to see Don Royce back at the club and he was able to provide us with a great insight into player movements, mostly to the club.

We have been able to recruit some terrific young players and I know that Don, the chairman of selectors, Max Ellis, and the coach, Bryan Thomas, are pretty pleased with progress there. I can tell you the president is as well.

We also had one request for a clearance ­ Darren Fleet.  This was granted but the club wants to put on notice the high regard in which it holds Darren, and hopes that one day he can come back to Newtown and Chilwell Cricket Club.  Darren was a wonderful servant as a first XI captain, as a premiership winning second XI captain and generally as a great contributor at many levels.  The club will be writing to Darren to thank him for that contribution and to wish him all the best for the future.

Something else we did last week was to appoint Mick Wood as our assistant coach, elevating him from batting coach.  Congratulations Mick.

Now, we want you all to put in your diaries Saturday night, February 26th, 2011.  That will be the night of our Centenary Dinner.  We will also be organizing some activities at Queens Park on the Sunday which may include a couple of T20 games – one for juniors and one for seniors – maybe very old seniors. We have a sub-committee headed by Warwick Hadfield, and composed of predominantly past players, working on all the finer details and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

We are working on a price structure for the night that enables families to come, for juniors and for other concession holders and the theme and entertainment for the night will also be family orientated.

We are a great club, we are a proud club and we need to show that on February 26th with a huge attendance at our Centenary Dinner.  If you miss this one, well you can be guaranteed, you won’t be around for the next one.

While the sub-committee will carry the main burden of tracking down past players and administrators and supporters, can I ask all of you, if you know someone who played for our club with whom we might have lost track, give them a call and tell them to get into contact with us, or go to the web-site – www.two-blues.com.au.  Ideally we would like you and them to register for the Tribune and other correspondence.

I was also pleased to see the great job that Brett Loats and his sub-committee are doing putting together a host of social activities for the whole season.  This will be finalized soon and placed on the website.

Again, I encourage you to attend as many of those as possible.

You will also be pleased to hear that bar prices from last year have not changed, and in 2010/2011, we will be introducing a happy hour on Saturday nights.

Despite Council setbacks Scott reported things appear to be progressing well with the new practice facilities.

Philip and Terry have completed the new look sponsorship packages and this will be a priority activity between now and the season start to visit all existing and new sponsors.

Max and Mark are working on the establishment of a Junior Working party or Committee.  Like many aspects of our club it is getting so big that we need many hands rather than a few to satisfactorily achieve our goals.

Our new website looks absolutely magnificent and again reflects the high standards we set for ourselves in all areas at Newtown.  It is a must read. Even an old fashioned non-IT type like myself has found it fascinating.  Once again Scott Mullen has made a fantastic contribution to the club.

Generally, I believe we are a club going forward with a growing unity of purpose and that’s something I am very pleased about. We can have free and frank discussions about what directions we should take, but once a decision is made, let’s all get behind it, especially in our Centenary Year.

GO TWO BLUES

Neville Crane

President

Read the exclusive interview with our Centenary Year import here:

TWO BLUE TRIBUNE:  Hi Sam and welcome in advance to Newtown and Chilwell Cricket Club, what have you heard about us so far?

Sam Arthurton:  Well I played in a Second XI game the other day with both Jaik Mickleburgh and Michael Comber and they had some pretty good things to say about Newtown and being out in Australia.  I think both have a lot of pretty happy memories of playing with the club and still keep in contact with a lot of players and friends they made here via Facebook.  Jaik has been doing well in the first XI and Mike made his first-class debut this year against Bangladesh, so they’re both moving along pretty well.  John Childs, the coach at Essex, has also spoken highly of the club and the way you look after our players.

TBT: What are you hoping to get out of your time with Newtown?

SA: Well, I hope to learn as much as I can. I know the club has a new coach and I am looking forward to working with him.  Essex will set me some goals as well and I am sure they will be in contact with Bryan Thomas on those.  Basically, I want to really enjoy my cricket and get to see as much of the country a I can.

TBT: Tell us a bit about your cricket so far. We know you’re a member of the Graham Gooch Cricket Academy at Essex?

SA: Well I am a top order batsman with my club Great Witchingham and I also bowl leg-spin. As well as playing for my club, I have represented Norfolk in the Minor Counties competition, as did Jaik, and played for the Essex Second XI. Last season, I made a century against Glamorgan in a Second XI game and that was a real thrill.  Obviously, I would like to improve my batting in Australian conditions and also my leg-spin.  They say Australia is a great place to bowl leg-spin. I hope that will be the case for me and I can improve my bowling while I am out there.

TBT: Your Dad also plays with Great Witchingham?

SA: Yeah he does and just recently we had the thrill of batting our team to victory together.  Dad has always been one of my biggest supporters and it is always a thrill to play with him.  I know Newtown and Chilwell has a lot of father/son combinations, so that’s something I will have in common when I get out there.

TBT: Who is the best player you have played with so far, and don’t worry, if you don’t say your Dad, or Jaik or Michael, we won’t tell them.

SA:  I would say Grant Flower. Grant is a true professional cricketer who always gives 100% on the field and is a nice guy off it. He plays spin with ease and manages to hit gaps just as easily. He is almost at the end his career but still works just as hard as he did when he was playing Test cricket for Zimbabwe and this is why he is someone you want on your team.

TBT: We see you played against Monty Panesar in a recent Second XI game, is he the best bowler you have played against so far in your career?

SA:  Yeah he is one of them. I also played against Simon Jones earlier in the season and he was also a tricky opponent just like Panesar. I am going to say both of them!

Sam Arthurton is an 18-year-old cricketer from Norfolk who is a member of the Essex Cricket Academy. He will be playing for Newtown and Chilwell Cricket Club in the 2010/2011 Centenary Season as part of our club’s on-going partnership with the Essex County Cricket Club.

This is the link to his career statistics so far.

And anyone can be part of it…

Bryan Thomas talks exclusively to the Two Blues Tribune.

Two Blues Tribune: Welcome to the club Bryan. How have you found us so far?

Bryan Thomas: Well before I answer that, I would like to say thanks to the club for this opportunity to be the coach in the Centenary year. And I also want to thank the people who have been coaching and leading the club in recent years for doing a great job in what I think we all believe have been pretty tough years.  Now to answer your question, I think everyone accepts that Newtown is a well run club off the field. I was impressed by the way the club ran the presentation night at the end of the last season. As I said then, there aren’t too many clubs in Geelong that would have that standard of function.  The playing facilities are terrific and will only get better when the new nets are in place.  But the most obvious thing for me to address are the performances over the past few summers, particularly the turf teams.  The hard wicket boys have done a pretty good job of getting into the finals in most years.  Essentially, I am still working my way into the club, just looking and listening. What I can say is I am a person who works with positives and tends to ignore the negatives. I have seen a lot around the club that is very positive indeed and that’s where I will be really concentrating my efforts.  Positive reinforcement is a major part of my coaching approach.

TBT: So if we were to ask you where we might be come March in 2011, what would you say?

BT:  Mmmm, probably one year into a three-year re-building process.  There are no miracles: certainly I am no miracle worker.  I think there are some coaching initiatives we can take immediately to make training a more thorough and enjoyable part of our game.  Obviously, we are recruiting new players. But I cannot say it strongly enough:  that doesn’t mean the blokes who’ve been here over the past two summers are just going to be pushed aside. Rather what you tend to find in sport is that if you add a few new players to a really loyal and hard-working group of existing players, those blokes blossom.  So if you were a bloke who got a game on turf last year, rest assured, you’re just as much in the frame this year as last. That applies to hard wicket players, too. Just because you played hard wicket last year doesn’t mean you’re off the radar this year.  I am new to the club and essentially don’t know anyone. So if I see someone putting in at training, getting themselves fit and really doing everything right, I will be considering them for selection, not worrying about where they played last season. Of course, what happens from there will depend on attitude, attendance at training and ultimately performance on the ground over the course of the season.  But right now,  no one is in and no one is out.

TBT: A three-year re-building plan, sounds like you’re in it for the long haul?

BT: Yep, with Neville Crane and the rest of the cricket department, we’ve identified a long -term plan and we will stick to it.  You know we’ve got some really good people around this club.  It is a real thrill to be working with Don Royce. What that bloke doesn’t know about cricket administration hasn’t happened yet.  Max Ellis also offers a lot of wisdom.  Our new coaching group will spread the load more evenly.  One prediction I will make is that we will see a new and refreshed Ben Neville this year. When you talk about recruits, I think our best recruit is already here – Ben! Relieved of all the coaching duties, he will have a great season.   He can’t help but do that because he is such a great player.  And the fact we might not have got a gun recruit per se this year leaves us with that opportunity next year.

TBT: Can you give us a hint about some of the recruits?

BT:  I’d love to, but at the moment, we’re just working away with a lot of names, former players we’d like to come back, other youngsters who can see an opportunity at Newtown to improve their game.  One thing for certain is that we will be a young side, one that will need a lot of patience and support.  I know people have been saying that at Newtown for the past few years now, but there’s no getting away from it, we will be a young side, a bit inexperienced, but I think one that will want to learn quickly.  And that’s what I am about really. As a coach, your job is to show people how to improve their game. And when you see someone take on what you’re saying then go out and improve their game, well it’s why you do the job.  If that flows on to team success and all the rest of it, that’s a real bonus.  But first things first, let’s really concentrate on getting the basics right, whether those basics are someone’s individual technique, or the way we go about training, or the way we approach the game of cricket on Saturday.

TBT: If you had one bit of advice to the players, the new ones and the ones who’ve been at the club awhile now, what would it be?

BT: Cricket season goes from September to March. In fact when you include pre-season, it goes for longer then that. Particularly in the club’s 100^th year, players should be ultra-prepared to commit for that period.  I know Neville has a view that there are only two reasons to miss a game of cricket– death or hospitalisation.  I also know we live in different times these days where there are a lot more demands on our time, but if you really want to get the best out of your cricket – and that’s where the ultimate enjoyment level is – well you won’t achieve that if your commitment is not 100 per cent, then add another 10 per cent.  That’s basically it. It’s not rocket science. You will ultimately get back from cricket what you put in. And blokes who put in will well and truly impress the coach, the chairman of selectors and rest of the cricket department no matter who they are or where they might have played in the past.

Bryan Thomas is one of Geelong’s most successful coaches.  In 2010/2011, he will be both the senior coach and bowling coach at N&CCC.

Bryan is a Qualified Level 2 coach who has an outstanding record with St Joseph’s in the GCA taking over 200 wickets in the first XI. Brian also heads the Barwon Rockets U/18′s side as Coach, where he was instrumental in the U/18 Rocket’s winning the Commonwealth Bank Trophy in 2008/09.

Division  1 Draw   2009 – 20010

Round 1 – Oct 3
NCCC v Grovedale

Round 2 – Oct 10
Geelong West v NCCC

Round 3 – Oct 17
St Josephs v NCCC

Round 4 – Oct 24 & 31
NCCC v Geelong City

Round 5 – Nov 7 & 14
East Belmont v NCCC

Round 6 – Nov 21 & 28
NCCC v Bell Post Hill

Round 7 – Dec 5 & 12
South Barwon v NCCC

Round 8 – Dec 19
NCCC v North Geelong

Round 9 – Jan 9
Manifold Heights v NCCC

Round 10 – Jan 16 & 23
NCCC v Leopold

Round 11 – Jan 30 & Feb 6
Lara v NCCC

Round 12 – Feb 13 & 20
Grovedale v NCCC

Round 13 – Feb 27 & Mar 6
NCCC v Geelong West

Draws for 2^nd and 4^th XI are the reverse of above

Hey Guys,

We’re holding a working bee & BBQ on Sunday after training.

We need to get our training nets up to scratch so that we can stay on track with training to the standard we have set ourselves already.

The more the merrier.. BBQ & Beer on a Sunday arvo.. what could be better??

Date: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Queens Park – Training Nets
Email: admin [at] newtownchilwellcc.com.au

[bizdir_addform]

• Sunday Aug 2 10.00am – 12.00pm Geelong Indoor Sports Arena

• Sunday Aug 9 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Sunday Aug 16 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Sunday Aug 23 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Wednesday Aug 26 CANCELLED due to ground conditions

• Sunday Aug 30 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Friday September 4 8.00pm – 9.30pm GISA

• Sunday September 6 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Wednesday September 9 6.30pm – 8.00pm

Fielding and Fitness Cross Training

We are in Shed Two- On the left. There is a tractor tyre out the front Cnr Wood St and Fyans St South Geelong. Next to Vic Roads

• Friday September 11 6.30pm- 8.00pm GISA

• Sunday September 13 10.00am – 12.00pm GISA

• Wednesday September 16 6.30pm – 7.30pm Venue to be advised

• Friday September 18 6.30pm- 8.00pm GISA

• Sunday September 20 10.00am – 12.00pm Queens Park

• Tuesday September 22 5.00pm – 7.30pm Queens Park

• Thursday September 24 5.00pm – 7.30pm Queens Park

• Sunday September 27 10.00am – 1.00pm Queens Park

• Practice Match Vs Leopold 1st @ Leopold

• Tuesday September 29 5.00pm – 7.30pm Queens Park

• Thursday October 1 5.00pm – 7.30pm Queens Park

If you can’t play or train contact:

Chairman of Selectors & training performance:

Max Ellis – 0409 007 980

Captain Coach:

Ben Neville - 0405 829 683