Tara Murray
Point Cook Centrals jumped at the opportunity to move into the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 3 competition this season.
A vacancy arose in the division and clubs were asked to submit applications which wanted to fill the vacancy.
Sharks vice-president Brett Talbot said they were excited to get the news that they were going up.
“It’s an exciting new challenge for us,” he said. “We put in a submission to the VTCA and we were pretty confident.
“We finished third last year in division 4. We lost by a wicket in the semi final to the team that won it.
“We were hopeful.”
The promotion means a second straight promotion for the Sharks having been promoted from division 4 to 3 last season.
Talbot said there aren’t many opportunities to be promoted so you need to take it when there is the opportunity.
It will be the first time that the club has been in division 3.
Talbot said many of the group had played at this level and against teams in this competition.
For the club it’s the next step in their plans to progress through the ranks.
The club has done a lot of work in the past five years to help the club further progress in all areas.
“Our pathway is second to none,” Talbot said. “Our junior development and our women’s is as strong as any in western Victoria.
“Our men’s side is getting stronger and stronger each season.”
On field, Talbot said they had managed to keep everyone from last season. Though Talbot, who was captain in that team, has retired.
Owen Doolan has stepped up into the captaincy role this season.
Saroos Jazeem and Sachika Udara have joined the club to add some more depth to the squad.
Talbot said now that they have confirmation they are going up, they’ll look to add a third recruit to the mix to make sure they’re competitive.
He said they want to continue to make an impact. He said the club would set some internal goals.
“Every team wants to play finals,” he said. “Every Saturday we’ll be ready and prepared to perform.
“We had a five year plan to reach division 3. We have now reset those goals chasing other challenges.”
As well as the second XI going up to the division 3 seconds competition, the club’s third side has also gone up a division.
