Hoppers Crossing coach Greg Kennedy has experienced a week in charge of his sub-district cricket club like no other.
A crisis found Kennedy being part coach, part player – and mostly counsellor.
Seven days before taking the field last Saturday, the Cats suffered the humiliation of getting bowled out for an abysmal 19 by Melton.
Kennedy, along with his assistants, had to use their years of cricket experience during the week to assess the mindset of the players after such a body blow.
“As much as the coaching staff tried to push to be forward thinking, everyone was aware of last week,” Kennedy said. “It was definitely there on people’s minds.”
The meetings during the week were all positive, with the batsmen eager to atone.
So after winning the toss against Williamstown at Hogans Road Reserve on Saturday, Hoppers Crossing opted to rip off the sticking plaster quickly and bat first. Thankfully, the Cats passed the dreaded 19 runs with only three back in the dressing rooms.
There was undoubtedly mental scarring from the previous week, but they managed to reach 105.
“We had a bit of a chat with the batsmen before the game and they were all very keen to redeem,” Kennedy said.
“They were very positive on the day. Everyone wanted to get back out there and have a dip.
“While the endeavour was good from our batting team, you could see the nerves created by the week before.
“Some of the wickets lost were definitely a mental thing where they were caught between instinct and being defensive … we didn’t have a collapse like last week.”
Williamstown’s bowlers did not make life easy for the Hoppers Crossing batsmen.
They bowled disciplined lines and lengths and never let the Cats get any momentum.
James Grixti was the Cats’ top scorer with 25, while a raft of others got starts.
“At no stage did we get a roll on or think we were getting ahead in the match,” Kennedy said.
Chasing 105 for first-innings points was easy pickings for Williamstown, which finished the day on 4-113 with a day still to play.
The Seagulls have an outright result in their sights, but Hoppers Crossing want to scupper those plans and take another step forward.
With the game seemingly out of reach for the Cats, they should get a chance to bat a long time on Saturday.
Time in the middle could be just what the doctor ordered.
“We need to stay in the game and have a crack,” Kennedy said. “We’re going to get an opportunity with the bat and we’ll speak about being positive with that opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Shaun Dean cracked his third century in 12 months to lead Werribee to 214 against Noble Park at Pat Wright Senior Oval on Saturday.
The Tigers were otherwise light-on for contributors, with skipper Tim O’Brien (31) and opener Matthew Burton (31) the only standouts.
The second week will be crucial for Werribee and Noble Park, which both have three wins and a loss to be in the finals mix.
