Alex Storey: First of all, congratulations on being elected as skipper of the Blues this year. How are you looking forward to leading the team this Summer?
Matt Honywood: I am very proud to represent this team and this club. I think it is a huge leap in the development of our club and with the support I have from the club and teammates am looking forward to a very successful season.
AS: The Glenmore Blues is a new team this year. Maybe you could explain a little about the team...the make-up of the squad, the hopes and ambitions for the team, what the goals are, etc.?
MH: We decided we needed a program to transition our older and better juniors into senior traditional cricket. We had a really successful year last year with the Royals where we were able to give some juniors a few games at the end of the season. However the dedication of the Royals players was excellent so the opportunities for the juniors was limited. To overcome this problem we started the Glenmore Blues to offer juniors a chance to play against harder opposition.
Our primary goal is not about winning but about development. We want to challenge the juniors by putting them into different situations like opening the batting, scoring 24 runs off the last over or bowling in the death overs. We also need to be mindful of the self-esteem and confidence of the players so will have to manage these situations carefully. Our overall goal is to develop these young men into successful cricketers who will enjoy the game for many years to come and hopefully represent Glenmore at the highest levels.
AS: You have some talented young players in the squad. Who are your senior players and what will you be looking for from them, both in terms of performance and guidance?
MH: Ryan Jenkinson, Syed Hasan, Wasim Naqshbandi, Dave Lankester, Jim Irani, PJ Deol and Muhammad Pasha have all agreed to mentor our next generation. Each player brings a certain skill set but they are all very experienced, very skilled and have the appropriate philosophy to mentor the junior players. We didn’t want to just throw the juniors in at the deep end with a sink or swim attitude so we have added some experienced seniors to help guide and support them in their development. The idea is that we will hopefully have a senior and a junior batting at the same time to model and advise them as they face new challenges. We want the juniors to be in situations where they are challenged and will sometimes fail but over the course of the season see more success and confidence. We needed senior players who can dig in when needed, get quick runs when needed and sometimes not bat or bowl when needed. I am very confident that these players all have the commitment to support our juniors that will result in a successful season.
AS: How do you think the young players will fair in the Weeknight league? What would your main message/advice be for them as they start the season?
MH: We have had a few players playing in this league for the past couple of years and they have done well so I am confident that each of our players will be able to contribute throughout the season. For the past two seasons the Bowling Award was given to junior players for the Royals and I fully expect this tradition to continue. My advice to the junior players is to be patient, play straight, keep the ball on the ground (even on the long grass at Riley) and to not get too high or too low. The game is a great teacher and they will soon learn that you go through good patches and you go through bad patches. As long as they are having fun, enjoying the game and supporting each other they will be successful and continue their playing careers.
AS: Are you looking forward to the games against Iain's Taverners and Ken's Royals?
MH: The pressure is certainly on the other teams to perform this season especially the Tavs. We always enjoy playing against our fellow club mates as they always play the game in the correct spirit and there are never any controversies (well mostly never!). These games will also help us gauge our development as we will play some preseason friendly’s and then meet later in the year. In the end we really have nothing to lose as our goal is development not winning so the pressure will certainly be on the other teams.
AS: Any other teams in the Weeknight league you think will be tough opponents? How do you anticipate the other teams will approach their games against the Blues?
MH: The Predators were tough last season and there will be plenty of competition from the other teams. In the past other teams see it as a bit of a novelty to play against our kids and they joke with each other and think they are going to hit each ball for six. What normally happened though was they were greeted by an in swinging delivery of perfect length that went straight past their defence. I don’t see why we won’t continue this trend until word gets around that the kids can actually play. We have also received a lot of positive comments and respect from other clubs in the way we are developing our juniors. Hopefully other clubs see the light and follow the model that we are using so that we get more and more juniors playing cricket.
AS: Will you be employing a Fines Committee this season?
MH: I’m pretty sure there are laws against taking money from teenagers but I will look into it. One of our goals is to teach the juniors the etiquette in cricket so players who don’t follow these rules will be expected to pick up boundary markers, pack up the kit or clean the captains boots maybe. There will be a lot of analysis of games and feedback to help us develop, however we won’t be using the traditional fines committee.
AS: Will there be a strong social aspect to the Blues this year? Any fun plans, maybe to get families along to some games?
MH: I am fairly certain that we will have the largest crowds in the league this season which will certainly make it a fun season. I hadn’t really thought about this until you asked this question so I will probably delegate the social committee duties to the Vice-Captain. He’s a fun guy with lots of good ideas so we should be good!
AS: The opposition need one run to win and you need one wicket. The ball gets hit high into the sky...which Blue do you want under it? And which one do want nowhere near it?
MH: It depends who is bowling. Based on last season if Pasha is bowling then you want him under the catch, if he isn’t bowling then you don’t want him anywhere near it. (Sorry Pasha!) As a captain I want a team of players who all “want” to be the player to take that catch. It is important to play without fear.
AS: Anything else to add?
MH: You know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”, I think this is appropriate for our club. I would like to give my sincere thanks and admiration to our club executive and members for fully supporting the junior program. I have always tried to push things and every time I have been supported in every possible way whether financially or in terms of people volunteering their time. It is not just 1 or 2 people working on this project but about a dozen or more which is why we have been so successful. I am certain we will look back on this year and see that it was a pivotal and significant one in terms of the Club’s overall development. I look forward to sharing stories of our development throughout the year, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Thanks again for your support and Go the Mighty Blues!