This month I should like to focus on our A team who are riding high in the First Division. Tom Brocklehurst, Deepak Chandrababu, Luke Hobbins, Hugh Matthews and Chris Mulligan have enjoyed a fantastic first half of the season winning 5 of their first 7 matches, yet last year we were relieved that they were not in relegation trouble, as they had been previously.
What has changed? One factor has to be Deepak who asked to transfer to us because he was fed up of turning out for a team which did not belong to a club. Deepak has thrived in the social environment that our club offers and has taken full advantage of our practice facilities. He is often to be seen practising the coaching routines set by our coaches. He has established himself as our number one BUT has also improved the standard of his team-mates and I believe there are several reasons why this is so. Having a good number one can make it easier for the rest of the team who know straight away that any contribution they make is likely to result in a draw or even a win. The youngsters who play with Adam Cooper in Division 4 have benefited from this, as have the team-mates of Lincoln. Deepak is also a motivator. He tells his team-mates how good they are and instils a self-belief in them, a quality that others in the club possess, most notably Sam Wiggins who has brought the best out of Callum and helped him to a deserved promotion. Sam and Callum have proved a formidable doubles pairing because they constantly encourage one another. I believe all the A team are playing so well because they are happy with each other’s company and commitment and have a cracking team spirit.
Tom, Luke and Chris have developed into outstanding coaches and this has helped them to analyse their opponents’ play. It has made them better players, astute at knowing when to play a shot and when not, quick to recognise a weakness and adding a range of shots to their game which can be called upon as appropriate. Our apprentice coaches, Roald, Ben Haigh and Callum are all flourishing this year. It is not a coincidence. All of our youngsters and many adults benefit enormously from the coaching that goes on in club. It is making a tremendous difference to your skills. We would love to have a coach at every match to help you analyse what is needed. We will never have enough coaches to do this BUT you can help one another. I was thrilled to see Joe and Lee talking to each other between games swapping ideas about what might work against their opponents.
The first team spend much time practising the routines they share with you in club. The more they practise the better they have become and the more they want to practise. Michael Ho knocked off the rust that not playing for 20 years brought on by practising several times a week and is now flourishing in Division 2. Kris Reiman was spotted at club on every practice night during the Summer and his form has been a revelation. I could give you many other examples and we can all copy the first team.
Hugh has brought experience to the first team. Young Luke especially has gained from playing with team-mates who are more experienced, who can encourage and quickly give tips on how to win points, so much so that Luke is now a firmly established part of the squad. Matthew Flood has thrived because of playing with the more experienced Estyn and Anita in Division B and has helped them to promotion.
There are facets of the Division one squad that we can all copy but what I hope they give us most is the inspiration to follow in their footsteps. Tom, Luke and Chris all started as beginners with us. Many of you could emulate them.
Enjoy the company and competition of your club-mates, encourage one another in matches, attend coaching regularly, practise as often as you can and enter the competitions that are on offer. You can also be premier league!
