Teenage leg-spinner Marc Simonds has had the best day of his cricket career made even better with the announcement that he will receive a prestigious ACA Masters scholarship.

Simonds, who along with Paul Dickson, played for CNW against the ACA Masters in a Twenty/20 match last Friday, was identified as a player with huge potential in the sport by the ACA Masters team during the match.

Despite being on the end of a few big hits from Greg Blewett, Simonds demonstrated great maturity and control with the ball, impressing everyone in the ACA Masters.

Marc will receive $1000 and will be mentored over the next 12 months by one of the ACA Masters team. Given the huge improvements Marc has made in just three years playing cricket competitively, the future is a very bright one for him.

Congratulations to Marc on receiving the scholarship, and we hope that further success comes in the future with continued hard work.

As part of a sponsorship agreement with Taco Villa, each week captains in each grade nominate their most valuable player to receive a main meal voucher. This week's winners are Josh Dennis, Brandon Goss and Trent Keep.

Dennis earned the 1st Grade voucher for his valuable innings of 47 not out against South Launceston. Combining with Callan Morse and then the lower order, Dennis helped the Demons reach a respectable 9-175 from their 50 overs. Since getting a chance to play 1st Grade cricket Dennis has impressed and is now an important middle order batsman.

Goss received the 2nd Grade voucher for his terrific all-round performance against Burnie-Yeoman last Sunday. Beeing handed the ball after around 30 overs, Goss destroyed the Emus middle order, taking 5-7 from six overs, including the wicket of Dale Baker. He then followed up this bowling performance with 22 runs, being part of a steadying partnership with Matt Perry.

Trent Keep received the Junior Colts voucher for a valuable team role in the emphatic win over Sheffield. Seizing a rare opportunity to have a bowl, Keep took three wickets with his miserly spin, and then remained not out with the bat as the Demons passed the Sheffield score.

Congratulations to the three players for their performances and the club hopes they enjoy their meal at Taco Villa. We encourage all members to try Taco Villa throughout the season and thank them for their support.

As part of their Tasmanian tour, three members of the Australian Cricketers Association Masters visited Latrobe Cricket Club for Thursday night's training session.

Richard Allanby, Sean Clingleffer and Mick Lewis attended training and passed on tips to Demons players throughout the training session.

The trio remained behind at the end of the session and talked with our members in the club rooms. Allanby even won a DVD on the Demons wheel!

The ACA Masters take on a Cricket North West team, captained by none other than Latrobe's Paul Dickson, in a Twenty/20 match this Friday the 13th of November at Devonport Oval, starting at 6.30pm. Dickson is joined in the team by Marc Simonds.

Latrobe Cricket Club thanks the ACA Masters for their attendance and giving up their time to visit our club. We wish them well in the Twenty/20 match, as long as they don't do too well against our boys!

Junior Colts Coach Nigel Squibb would be a very happy man after LCC's Under-16's defeated Sheffield by 7 wickets on Sunday in Round 2.

After a horrible batting performance against Ulverstone in Round 1, Latrobe did not leave anything to chance this week, cutting a swathe through the Mountaineers batting order to dismiss them for a paltry 10-40.

In reply the Demons cruised to the victory target in 22.5 overs, winning the match by 7 wickets by reaching 3-43.

Individual scores will be available once the scoresheets are handed in.

This week the Demons play a home match on turf against Wynyard and will be looking to play well with the bat and ball.

Latrobe Cricket Club's 2nd Grade team scored its first victory for the season last Sunday in defeating Burnie-Yeoman in a close match by 3 wickets.

In a match moved to a synthetic wicket at Langley Park, Somerset due to West Park still being one week away from use, Latrobe won the toss and elected to bowl first, aiming to put the Emus under pressure.

Zac Weeks and Nathan Dennis bowled a tight line in the first few overs, reaping rewards for Weeks when he removed Sam Rubock thanks to a simple catch by Matt Clarke in the covers.

Justin Murrell (52) and Dave McCrae (20) then combined for a handy partnership to resurrect the Emus innings before the improving accuracy of Josh Squibb saw Murrell caught behind by returning keeper Scott Read.

Squibb then knocked over Brady Yates, and Kodie Clarke deceived McCrae with a slower ball to really put the brakes on the Burnie-Yeoman innings.

Captain David Squibb then turned to Brandon Goss to bowl for the first time this season, and he didn't disappoint, taking 5-7 from 6 overs of nagging line and length, including the big wicket of Dale Baker. Goss was rewarded for his patient bowling and was well supported through good catching from his team-mates.

Aiden Smith (19) and Dion McCall (18 not out) made handy runs in the latter overs before Smith was run out and the Emus innings was closed for 164.

In reply the Demons got off to the best possible start with Colin Lamont striking three early boundaries. However, he managed to nick a ball from Dion McCall and was caught behind for 16. Josh Gadsby (0), Scott Read (0) and Matt Clarke (3) soon joined Lamont back in the pavilion as Latrobe slumped to 4-27 at one stage.

A very patient Matt Perry and Brandon Goss (22) then resurrected the Demons innings, adding 56 runs before Goss spooned up a catch off the bowling of Callum Withers. However Perry continued to knock the ball around and punished anything short of a length, just missing out on a well-deserved half-century when he couldn't quite clear mid-on, dismissed for 43.

With the overs running out Kodie Clarke holed out trying to loft the spin of Sam Rubock into the outfield, leaving David Squibb and Travis Butler to try and get the Demons home.

Squibb and Butler required 30 from the last five overs, and began by taking cheeky singles to regularly rotate the strike. Pressure was mounting until the 48th over when Travis Butler recorded the first 6 of the day over midwicket to give the Demons some breathing room.

With three runs required from the final over a composed Squibb knocked the ball around and ensured that the Demons recorded the victory, finishing with 37 not out, and an improving Travis Butler 17 not out.

Following this victory the Demons now have a home match against Ulverstone, which will be tough, but with its young players gaining in confidence and experienced players match practice, they will be hard to beat.

Latrobe Cricket Club's 1st Grade team suffered a defeat to South Launceston in Round 1 of the Greater Northern Cup last Saturday.

In a match moved to NTCA No.2 with Latrobe Recreation Ground still unavailable the Demons batted first on a wicket offering some seam and spin.

Callan Morse and Nathan Avery opened the batting and started well, making solid progress in the opening overs. However, when Avery was dismissed for 14 Latrobe struggled to form another meaningful partnership, with Adkins (11), Trent Keep (9), Dickson (17) and Viney (5) unable to capitalise on their time in the middle.

Morse then combined with Josh Dennis and the Latrobe innings started to gain momentum. Morse was looking solid in defence and was able to give the strike to the aggressive Dennis, who took on the spinners with a series of well-placed sweep shots.

However Morse was struck in front LBW for 43, and in the process suffered a foot injury, leaving him unable to field for periods in the South Launceston innings. It was then left to Dennis to work with the tail to try and get the Demons to 200.

Jamie Aherne (10) offered some lower order support to Dennis as the Demons reached 9-175 from its 50 overs, an impressive Dennis making 47 not out.

The South Launceston innings started shakily when Dion Parsons dismissed Morgan for 5, caught behind by Trent Keep. However from that point forward the South Launceston batsmen took control, able to score consistently against most of the Latrobe bowlers.

Mark Nutting and M. Hay showed their class with the bat, and would have reached the Demons target earlier but for some good accurate bowling from Parsons (2-33), Viney (0-24) and Dickson (0-22). Parsons was rewarded for his consistency by knocking over Hay for 59, but the irrepressible Nutting (94 not out) guided South Launceston to victory with 11 overs to spare.

The Demons would have liked another 30-50 runs with the bat but were pleased to face 50 overs and gain some valuable time in the middle. Bowling-wise Latrobe need to work on their defensive plans but there were plenty of positives to come out of the match.

This week the Demons are on the road again, taking on George Town, hoping to notch their first victory for the season.

Thanks to the hard work of its committee and players, along with the generosity of businesses in the community, Latrobe Cricket Club is defying the global economic downturn to strengthen its financial position for the 2009/10 season.

An exhaustive sponsorship campaign, consisting of a highly detailed sponsorship invitation sent to previous and potential sponsors, along with lobbying from players and members, has seen the club raise close to $10,000 in sponsorship in 2009/10.

The sponsorship funds have been allocated to the purchase of warm-up shirts and playing hats, delivering a mutual benefit, with players receiving the clothing and sponsors receiving highly visible exposure at LCC training and matches. Sponsors also receive regular advertising in the clubrooms, newsletter, website and social networking pages. A huge thanks must go to Matt and Ange Nicolle at MAINESAFE for their work in completing our club clothing while working to a tight deadline.

Despite tough economic times the club has secured 25 sponsors, an increase on last year and double the number of sponsors the club had two seasons ago. We now have four major sponsors – WHK, MAINESAFE, ROBERTS REAL ESTATE SHEARWATER and MACKEYS ROYAL HOTEL, without whose support the club would struggle to provide the great environment currently on offer to our players. Latrobe Cricket Club has also secured three Demon sponsors – LENNY’S SNACK BAR AND GRILL, PHOENIX COACHES and TASFREIGHT, along with six Red and Blue sponsors and twelve player sponsors. We welcome all of these sponsors into our family and aim to build a long-term relationship with them.

As a result of our great relationship with our sponsors, the club is delighted to announce that some have gone above and beyond to offer our members further incentives to patronise their businesses. ROBERTS REAL ESTATE SHEARWATER are offering $500 to Latrobe Cricket Club each time a club member sells/purchases a home through them. TACO VILLA are providing a main meal voucher to a player in each grade for each game of the 2009/10 season. LENNY’S SNACK BAR & GRILL are providing a 10% discount to all members on match days. We thank these sponsors for offering the incentives and encourage all Latrobe Cricket Club members to regularly visit these businesses.

Latrobe Council’s General Manager, Gerald Monson, has also been particularly helpful in allowing the club to restructure the way it pays its accounts to council, as well as assisting the club in prioritising its activities for financial stability into the future. We are fortunate to have a General Manager who has sought to understand the day-to-day issues facing a small cricket club and is proactive in planning for the future.

Finally, the club has been extremely pleased with the players commitment to paying their subscription fees upfront or entering into a payment plan for the 2009/10 season. As of this weekend all registered players are also financial members of the club – something that has not happened for a long time. This commitment from the players has provided LCC with much-needed cash flow early in the season, allowing for the purchase of cricket balls for the season, early payment of bills and the purchase of further training equipment. With home games starting soon the club is well-placed to capitalise on increased bar trade and should be in a very strong financial position into the new year with the player’s continued support.

Off-field our family club is certainly a high achiever. Despite our small size we provide a great environment for our players and terrific return on investment for our sponsors. President Shayne Keep and his committee are to be congratulated on what has been achieved so far. It’s now up to the players to do the right thing on the field!

On Saturday October 24 Latrobe Cricket Club held its 2009/10 Season Launch. This was the first time that the club had held such an event and the night was a huge success. It definitely will not be the last.

All of the club’s senior players were in attendance, and the function was very well attended by our Junior Colts players – who demonstrated that they had developed great team spirit already by devouring plate after plate of supper!

The players attending looked fantastic in their blue LCC polo shirts and dress trousers and shoes, exuding the professionalism for which Latrobe Cricket Club wants to be known going forward. The sponsors and members in attendance were impressed and commented positively on the demeanour and appearance of our players.

The purpose of the evening was to introduce and thank the club’s sponsors, presenting their sponsored player(s) with a warm-up shirt and playing cap bearing their name/logo. Player photos and photos with sponsors were also taken for future use in the clubrooms and on the LCC website.

Although there were only a few sponsors in attendance it was still great night for all concerned as the club looked forward with excitement to the season getting underway. Latrobe Cricket Club would like to thank Corinne and John Price from ROBERTS REAL ESTATE SHEARWATER, Megan Beamish from UNIEK SKIN & BODY, Lenny and Melinda Marshall from LENNY’S SNACK BAR & GRILL, and Bob Dickson from PERKINS INVESTMENTS for their attendance on the evening. Additional thanks must go to LENNY’S SNACK BAR & GRILL for providing the delicious sausage rolls, party pies and other savouries for supper. Fantastic work guys!

A highlight of the evening was the season preview featuring our grade captains, with Steven Adkins (1st Grade), David Squibb (2nd Grade) and Zac Weeks (Junior Colts) speaking honestly about their expectations for 2009/10, along with some individuals they were looking to have big years. An unexpected success was the “Pillow Talk” segment, where David Squibb put best buddies Trent Keep and Marc Simonds in the hot seat, and some secrets were revealed!

This hugely successful evening is sure to be repeated in 2010/11. Thanks must go to the people who contributed to the success of the event: Janine Keep, Bev Dickson, Mel Nicolle, and Bree Dickson for their catering efforts; Shayne Keep as the MC; Darren Nicolle, Grant Goss, Shayne Keep, Janine Keep, Paul Dickson, Steven Adkins, Zak Nicolle, Jake Nicolle and Nathan Dennis for setting up the venue; David and Vicki Squibb for their photography on the night; and Nathan Dennis for his slide-show presentation showcasing our players and sponsors.

What a great night!

Latrobe Cricket Club held a hugely successful Junior Registration Evening on Wednesday November 4, signing up close to 100 new players for IN2 Cricket or the club’s Primary School Roster.

Boys and girls aged five to twelve turned up to Latrobe Recreation Ground to register and pay for their participation in this year’s junior cricket, as well as participate in free cricket games and competitions on the evening.

Bob Dickson and Nathan Dennis were kept extremely busy signing up the new players, with over 30 new IN2 cricket participants (Grades 1 and 2), and in excess of 50 players registered for the Latrobe Junior Cricket Association roster (Grades 3-6).

Alex King from the TCA provided equipment for the games and competitions to be held on the ground, and also provided participants with posters and Milo products on the night. Thanks must also go to the many Latrobe Cricket Club players who attended on the evening to assist with the games and competitions, particularly Jamie Aherne and Zac Weeks.

It is not too late to register your child for IN2 Cricket or Primary School Cricket. Our clinics and games start this Wednesday the 11th of November, from 4.30pm at Latrobe Recreation Ground, and new registrations will be accepted on the night. Costs are $50 for IN2 Cricket (includes backpack, cricket bat, ball, t-shirt, hat and more), and $30 for Primary School Cricket (includes trophy, bucket hat, equipment use and break-up barbecue).

For further information or to register please contact Nathan Dennis (0429 961700 or latrobedemons@gmail.com).

Get your child involved in the great game of cricket!

With the new season finally starting after the terrible weather of late-winter and early-spring, it is appropriate that Latrobe Cricket Club welcomes new players into its family. We are pleased to welcome the following new players to LCC this season: Colin Lamont, Clint Viney, Zac Weeks, Jordan Marshall, Alex Marshall, Anna Brain, Lewis Beveridge, Travis Butler, Layken Farrugia, Selwyn Deverell, Michael Bishop, Ryan Keep and Scott Read.

Lamont is a former club champion, A-Grade Premiership player and President who returns to the club after two seasons with East Devonport Devils. This accomplished top-order batsman has made 1st Grade centuries, played for the Tasmanian 2nd XI and represented Tasmania and Australia in Indigenous cricket. Colin will be a great help to the club’s young batsmen and we welcome him back with open arms.

Viney is an A-Grade Premiership player with Sheffield and former Latrobe player who returns to the Demons after two seasons with Gawler in the Leven Cricket Association. He is now a mature cricketer, able to bowl consistently with the new ball at good pace, and is capable of tearing attacks apart with the bat. He has impressed everyone at the club in the pre-season with his intensity and encouragement of his team-mates.

Weeks has played Junior Colts cricket with LCC in the past, but this season has made the move to Latrobe full-time. As captain of the Junior Colts team Zac gets a great chance to demonstrate his leadership skills, and will be spending Saturdays developing his batting and bowling under the watchful eye of David Squibb in 2nd Grade. Zac was unlucky to miss out on Tasmanian Under-15 selection last season, and is very motivated to improve his batting and bowling techniques to make the most of his potential. Welcome Zac!

Butler joins Latrobe having played with the club previously in Junior Colts. He is an attacking middle-order batsman and clever medium-pacer who enjoys bowling at “the death” in one-day matches. Travis has worked hard through the pre-season and impresses everyone with his skills with bat, ball and in the field. Definitely an A-Grade player of the future.

Deverell is a tall fast-medium bowler and hard-hitting batsman, joining the club after stints in the MVCA. He is a former Imparja Cup representative and we welcome him to our club.

Michael Bishop and Ryan Keep re-join the club after work and injury kept them off the field for much of last season. Both are talented all-round players and the club is looking for them to make an impact in first grade this season.

Scott Read re-joins the Demons after a couple of years in Hobart and will boost the club’s wicket-keeping and batting stocks. Read is a former A-Grade player and will help to give Latrobe a harder competitive edge on the field in 2009/10.

Finally, the club is delighted to welcome some new junior players into our club. Layken Farrugia, Lewis Beveridge, Alex Marshall, Jordan Marshall and Anna Brain will all be looking to make their debuts for our Junior Colts team this season. All have been training hard in a bid to impress their coach, Nigel Squibb. Good luck guys (and girl)!

On behalf of Latrobe Cricket Club good luck to all of our new players this season. We hope you enjoy success on the field and enjoy being a part of our club.