Change is afoot at the Point Cook Cricket Club as leadership options are surveyed.
Club president Joe Polzella says the Warriors are in need of a fresh voice and new ideas after a period of stagnation.
The well-respected Travis Bean spent four years in charge as captain-coach but stood down after his side missed the VTCA west B1 finals, allowing the club to step up its search for a leader who will take the club into the future.
“It was actually his choice,” Polzella said. “He just felt that after four years, the club needed a new voice. He pretty much said, ‘Look guys, we need to be looking elsewhere’. We want to be moving up the grades.”
Bean will not be lost to the club, with the star wicketkeeper intending to play on in 2016-17.
The veteran enjoyed a strong summer with the bat, scoring more than 300 runs to be ranked eighth in the division and reeled in a massive 20 catches behind the stumps.
He will be part of the selection committee for the new coach.
“It shows the level of respect he has at the club,” Polzella said.
“He’s a 200-game plus firsts player and coach at sub-district level so he’s got a wealth of experience.
“He’ll be sitting in on the interviews for all of the potentials.”
There is a sense of urgency for Point Cook to achieve success.
The Warriors are the envy of the competition for their facilities but their results have not matched up.
They have not played finals since 2013-14 and endured relegation two seasons ago.
Their aim is to climb out of the VTCA’s bottom tier and begin a rise up the ranks.
“We’re west B1, so we know where we are at as a club,” Polzella said.
“We want someone that can start us off on the journey up the grades.
“Everyone says we’ve got the best facilities going around – we’ve got two turf tracks – but we have to start winning some games and playing in finals, which we haven’t done for a couple of years … it’s about finding the right person. It’s important for us to get the right person from a cultural perspective, too.
“We’ve got a lot of good juniors that need to be shown the right way and all that sort of stuff starts from the top.”
