While the results are yet to come for Werribee Centrals in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Clark Shield, the club is in the best position it’s been in for more than a decade.
The Centurions started the season with three losses with injuries and unavailability meant they haven’t been able to put the same side out each week.
Centurions president Luke Allister said they were looking at the wider picture.
“We definitely didn’t want to be 0-3 and we don’t feel like we are with the way the club is going,” he said.
“We have not played good cricket for two of the games. But I’m proud of what we’re building overall.”
Allister said they’d seen a lot of growth in the past couple of years and it is reflected in the number of sides they’ve had this season.
They’ve got five junior sides along with their first under-18 turf team which is an exciting development for the club.
The majority of the team comes from their under-17 program while they’ve managed to add a few more players on top of that.
They’ve just put in a fifth senior side due to the numbers they’ve got.
“When I was a young bloke, we used to have eight teams on Saturday,” Allister said.
“At one stage we struggled to get three teams up.
“This is the best position the club has been in my eight years as president and even longer, 10 to 12 years.
“We haven’t got the results yet and hopefully they will come in the next few weeks, if not it will be in the next two to five years.
“We’re not panicking.”
Allister said the club wouldn’t be in the position it is with a number of people stepping up.
He highlighted Andy and Jen Maurer, Nathan Milne, Brad Yates, Dean Cachia and Dale Robbins who have all taken on driving roles with the junior program and getting it to where it is now.
Allister said their first XI side hadn’t had an ideal start to the Roy Picone Shield season.
“We’ve had mixed results with the teams,” he said. “We’re finding our mix in the senior side and haven’t had a settled team with injuries.
“We’ve got a good vibe around the club regardless of the results.
“We’ve played some good sides as well. It doesn’t help that Tarique, our captain-coach, got injured on the weekend.
“Jacob Russell, our key spinner for 10 years, has been injured as well.
“We are confident in what we have got.”
The Centurions were left on the sidelines on Saturday as all VTCA matches were called off due to heavy rainfall in the lead up to the match. It then continued to rain all day Saturday.
The Centurions will now face Pascoe Vale Central in a one-dayer this Saturday.
