The red and black of Centrals Cricket Club will make its way into the junior arena for the first time in nearly 15 years for the 2018-19 Orange District Junior Cricket Association season.
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Without juniors clubs struggle to survive, and that’s a fact Centrals president Matt Tedeschi and the rest of his club is fully aware of.
That’s why they’ve pushed so hard to reinvigorate their junior base this season, and that effort’s already been rewarded. They’ll take the plunge with three junior sides this summer.
Two weeknight under-11 sides will take the field in a seven-a-side competition,while an all-girls’, under-12 team will walk out in the Saturday morning competition.
While three junior teams isn’t a massive number, to have 25 players registered is a lot better than what the club had while trying to launch juniors last season.
“It was pretty tough last year as we rallied three kids, we’ve had a pretty good response,” he said.
Most of the new players haven’t played cricket before but Tedeschi says that won’t dampen the excitement of the senior players, many of whom have their own kids pulling on pads and rolling the arm over.
He said a move to have free registration fees for the first year, which had been backed by club sponsor Phocas, was a massive boost for the club.
“It has helped, and we’ve gone out and brought a whole bunch of kit for three teams,” he said.
Kyle Nonnenmacher will coach the under-12 side, with the Orange High School teacher largely driving recruitment, but Tedeschi said the club would have plenty of people looking out for the two younger teams.
“A couple of our senior players will be parents in the side and will be there to watch so they’ll be teachers, they know how to coach,” Tedeschi said.
“We’ve also got a few younger players who might want to step into a coaching role.
“The whole club’s excited to have juniors back.”
The excitement will give the club a chance to grow into more senior teams and give the “ageing club” some fresh talent when juniors have a few seasons under their belt.
“We’re on the fringes of a fourth team this year, and it’s not out of the question, but having juniors will make that more sustainable in the future as we don’t have to rely on older players coming into the club,” he said.
The new-look junior case is one of several exciting updates coming from Centrals’ camp, the red and blacks have also appointed their senior captains for the 2018-19 Orange District Cricket Association season.
Incumbent Centrals and Orange skipper Daryl Kennewell, also the 2016-17 ODCA cricketer of the year, has retained the top job, while Nonnenmacher will once lead the red and black reserve graders. Michael Kennewell will take on the third grade job.
The club will also be having an internal, Twenty20 trial game on Saturday, September 29.
Anyone, junior or senior, interested in joining the club is encouraged to head along to pre-season training, on Tuesdays (4.30pm until dark) and Sunday’s (10am-1pm) at International Gardens, and at Riawena Oval from 4.30pm until dark on Thursdays.
Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
