LATROBE CRICKET CLUB

CLUB COACHES

The Latrobe Cricket Club has been fortunate to have had some excellent coaches in recent years.  It is here that we profile them.

Dale O'Halloran (1983-1985): Dale was a highly decorated Latrobe player, having made 1583 runs for the club as well as winning the A-Grade bowling average twice.  As a playing coach he led by example, had a great feel for the game and passed on his knowledge to younger members of the club.  He still maintains a close interest in the club and can be seen at many A-Grade games.

Kevin Jones (1985-86): Kevin came to the club after having a highly decorated career in the MVCA.  In his time as coach he focused heavily on promoting young players, and he took an active role in this by being A-Reserve Captain as well.  He has been heavily involved with Don Cricket Club in recent years.

Kimbal Fraser (1988-1990): Kimbal Fraser was a quality all-rounder who had played at the club for many years before taking over as a relatively young Captain-Coach.  He helped to unearth some quality young players in Stephen "Happy" Smith and Brendan Boyles and led by example out on the field.  In recent years he has come back to the club to lend assistance to our A-Grade group, particularly our young batsmen.

Gary Spillane (1990-1992): "Spilla" came down to our club from Sheffield after a wonderful career there and was in his prime as a bowler.  A great leg spin bowler and hard hitting batsman, he passed on his aggressive style to his team-mates, and Latrobe played a good brand of cricket.  He won the A-Grade Bowling Average for three consecutive years, and in later years would have great success as A-Reserve Captain, winning a Premiership and two One-Day titles.

Alastair Storie (1992-93): Alastair came to the club from Scotland for a year, and made a huge impact.  He was a wonderful player and gave his team-mates a lot of confidence.  He went out of his way to help out young players as well.  Alastair made 677 runs at a phenomenal average of 84.25, and made close to 1000 runs for the season with limited overs and representative games included.    Alastair went on to represent Scotland in the years to come. 

Kevin Pearce (1994-1998): Kevin came to the club as a former State player and Devonport Premiership player.  He brought some talented players with him from Devonport, and quickly moulded a quality team, making the A-Grade Grand Final in his first year.  Kevin could do some amazing things with the bat and ball, and had a great knack of getting the best out of people with just a few quiet words.  He liked to encourage young players and would give many their first taste of A-Grade cricket.

Grant Astell (1998-2000): Grant is the club's leading wicket-taker and was an inspirational leader of the club.  As Captain-Coach he had his best years as a player, winning club and NWTCA bowling averages and being selected in the State squad.  He showed a great deal of belief in our young local players, giving them an opportunity and helping them to believe they could perform well in A-Grade.  The young Demons had many great wins under Grant's tutelage, and made A-Grade Semi-Finals and the Grand Final of the Advocate Cup in his time as Coach.

Peter Bonney (2000-2001): Peter came on board as Coach for a season after a decorated career at Latrobe as a leg spin bowler and batsman.  He had previously Captained 3rd Grade and developed young talent there.  Peter focused a lot on improving the club's fielding standards, and this improved our play markedly.  He was also big on batting and bowling discipline, staying in the game longer than the opposition.  He was rewarded with an A-Reserve Premiership in his year as Coach.

David Squibb (2001-2003): David is the club's leading run-scorer and played some of his best cricket for us as Coach.  In his time as leader he helped to develop talented players like James Wescombe and Rhys Bonney, and gave extra responsibilities to emerging leaders like Paul Dickson.  David was very much focused on improving the standard of all players within the club, and would put just as much effort into helping a 3rd Grade player as he would an A-Grade player.

Nathan Dennis (2003-2005): Nathan was appointed as a relatively young Coach at the age of 24.  A debilitating arm injury stalled his A-Grade career and his role was in working with the Grade Captains to develop a common set of standards.  Nathan used a lot of games and fielding practice in training and it paid dividends, with the A-Grade team making the Semi-Finals in both of his years as coach.

Stewart Ashdown (2005-2007): Stewart took on the role after a decorated involvement with the club.  He has been President, 2nd Grade Captain and 3rd Grade Captain in the past and loves the club dearly.  Stewart focused a great deal on getting player's mental approaches right, and believed in using local player talent.  He was rewarded in his first season as Coach in 2005-06 with A-Grade and Senior Colts Premierships, and completed the trifecta with A-Reserve winning the Premiership in 2006-07.

Paul Dickson (2007 - 2008): Paul has played all of his cricket at Latrobe, progressing through the grades in the last ten years.  He is the longest-serving A-Grade Captain of the the club and is a passionate, determined and versatile cricketer.   His great character traits rubbed off on Latrobe's players in his stint as coach, and while A-Grade was not as successful as he would have liked, many of our younger players improved significantly during his tenure.

Shane Wootton (2008 - ): Shane was recently re-appointed as coach for a second season, having unearthed plenty of young talent in his first season. He is the first person from outside the club to take on the role in many years.  Eagerly sought by other clubs, Latrobe secured Wootton's services, and he has bold plans for the club.  He has already indicated that there will be far more match practice at training and is excited by the chance to work with what is still a young group.  Wootton joins the club as a highly decorated Sheffield player and coach of the Cricket North-West Representative Team in recent years.