WHY PLAY FOR LATROBE?

To the uninformed, Latrobe Cricket Club has been known as a glorified country club and the poor relation to the city-based Devonport and Burnie-Yeoman Cricket Clubs.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

1. We offer a pathway from IN2 Cricket for those aged 5-8 all the way through to Senior CNW cricket.  Players can essentially "grow up" as a member of our club. The pathway starts with IN2 cricket, progresses to the primary school roster, high school cricket, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, 2nd Grade and finally 1st Grade.  From this season Latrobe Cricket Club will also be offering Girl's/Women's cricket, recognising that playing and enjoying the game should not be limited to men only. All players share our facilities and are equally valued within our club.

2. We are a family-friendly club.  Parents, partners and children are all made to feel welcome and get to know one another.  In our club ranks we have brothers, cousins, fathers and sons playing together.  A lot of our playing group are second and third generation Latrobe players.

3. Inclusion is at the forefront of what we do.  We have players from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.  We support indigenous players and players with disabilities.  Kendall Brazendale, the first female to play senior turf cricket, was a member of our club.  No-one is judged at Latrobe - we are all here to do our best and enjoy the game of cricket.

4. Our subscription costs are the lowest of any club in the competition.  We want to maximise participation and don't seek to profit from our players.

5. We have just enjoyed our most successful decade as a club, destined to only get better. In the past the club has had to claw and struggle for any bit of success. However in the last 10 years, with a focus on developing local talent with a community focus, we have been very successful.  Some of our achievements are:

1st Grade: Semi-Finalists in 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05 & 2010/11. Premiers in 2005/06.  In the last two years the average age of the side has been under 20 as several new young players have been given opportunities.  Among this group are Australian Under-19 representative Marc Simonds; Tasmanian underage representative and CNW 1st Grade Batting Award winner Trent Keep; and bowlers Jamie Aherne, Josh Squibb and Brayden Butler. 

2nd Grade: Premiers in 2000/01, 2006/07 and 2007/08. Grand Finalists in 2009/10.  Semi-finalists in all but one of the last ten seasons.  This group has been the breeding ground for our current 1st Grade team and has set a new standard for success within our club.

Under-17's:  Premiers in 2009/10.  Semi-Finalists 2002-2009/10 (eight years in a row). Testament to the development systems we put in place for this age group is the very high number of players who progress from this grade to 1st Grade within one season.

High School: The Latrobe High School team, which Latrobe Cricket Club supports, has won the high school roster for the last five seasons.

6. We look after our players.  Thanks to an amazing curator in Ray Read, our facilities are first class.  We boast our own Indoor Centre (the only club to own their indoor facilities) complete with bowling machine, which has recently been refurbished to be the equal of any other facility in the region.  We are also the only club that has a public gym incorporated as part of our club facilities, meaning that our members can incorporate using this facility as part of their club training.  We have synthetic nets and practice wickets, turf nets and a practice centre wicket.  Our playing centre wickets are also now known for consistent bounce and see regular scores of 250-300. 

7. We have the a positive, experienced coaching group.  Co-coaches Shane Wootton and Paul Dickson have both played over 100 1st Grade games and are Life Members of Sheffield and Latrobe Cricket Clubs respectively.  Wootton has a great deal of experience in managing people, with Dickson a Level 2 Cricket Australia coach.  Added to this mix is former 1st Grade player Stephen French as Assistant Coach, and our playing group receive tremendous support in improving their games.  All of our lower grade coaches must complete at least a Level 1 Coaching accreditation so you can rest assured you will be getting the best possible coaching available.

 8. Travel the world, and play with our sister club.  We have had a decade-long association with Frimley Cricket Club in the UK.  Players from both clubs have been regularly exchanged and enriched the culture of the other.  Players and their partners from Frimley are really made to feel wanted and this sister-club relationship has been great for our on-field performance. Cricket really can bring people together!

9. We embrace our history.  Thanks to Andrew Garwood, Paul Dickson and Nathan Dennis we have compiled a list of all of our A-Grade players and have comprehensive statistics from our history and all current players.  If you play cricket at Latrobe you'll know just how many wickets, runs and catches you have taken and where you fit into our historical statistics.  Past players are always welcome at our club and now more than ever we are looking for them to come back and help our young players develop. 

10. Our Women's Committee are the unsung heroes of our club.  Led by Janine Keep, they keep the kitchen going each and every week, organise functions and provide a much-needed feminine touch to the club.  It is a great way for wives, sisters and partners to make a new network of friends!

11. Loyalty.  Many of our players have played for Latrobe for their entire career.  It is a place that feels like "home".  Many players who have been interstate or overseas return to Latrobe to play when back in Tasmania.  Young or old, if your passion is for cricket, Latrobe is a great place to be!