Few among us can equal the feats of the BWUCC’s Carl Huyser. In as many years he has led the premier side, either as captain or coach, to five trophies – three One-Day Championships and two consecutive Two-Day titles. As well he is just the second player in the Club’s history to chalk up over 300 premier games and sits third on the all- time runs aggregate. Not bad credentials to lead his young charges. Add to the mix his quiet, unassuming and performance driven manner and it is no wonder success follows.
If anyone ever asks me about playing cricket abroad I will certainly encourage it. The lessons you will learn about yourself and your game will be invaluable. The pressure of being an overseas player can be very unique and can certainly bring the best and worst out of players. The expectations to perform and win games for your club are huge. It is the perfect mental challenge to take your game to the next level. Learning the art of playing or controlling the swinging ball and with different pitch conditions in the UK can be one of the biggest learning curves. The development and growth opportunities certainly don’t stop on the cricket pitch. Being out of your comfort zone with new flat mates, on a tight budget on the other side of the world will equip you with some important life skills and friendships to last a lifetime. From a coaching point of view, a returning players fitness and conditioning will tell you a lot about the players discipline and accountability. Willows scholarship recipient for 2023 Nick Gibb came back fitter, stronger and with a new maturity about him. His performance and continuous improvement in the premier men’s competition is the perfect advertisement for a stint abroad.
Something I found very interesting with opportunities to play and coach in South Africa, England, Scotland, Pakistan, Australia and NZ is certainly the mindset vs the resources. It was amazing to see some skill acquisitions from players in Pakistan who rarely get an opportunity to have a net practice with the lack of facilities. The financial need to potentially have a career in cricket gave them a mindset where there was certainly no space for excuses. The differences on how the game gets played technically and tactically can hugely impact a players growth as well. Helping individuals find the best way for them to be effective can look very different in a player led self discovery journey in NZ or England compared to Pakistan or South Africa with limited resources and when they do get coaching it can be very prescriptive with a cookie cutter approach. On the other hand some of the very best players in the world can quite often be very far away from what the coaching manual suggests. As coaches it is our responsibility to use an individualistic approach, with natural talent in a specific area being the guide to continue developing players but not going away from what will make a certain player special. Raising awareness of growth areas but transferring accountability back to the player would be my ideal way to see sustainable growth.
I think our strength in New Zealand is our coaching community and our willingness to share knowledge. We are very lucky to have some of the world’s most successful sports teams and coaches on our doorstep. It would be silly not to look at what makes these teams successful. If you are looking for some reading over the winter look no further than Belonging by Owen Eastwood. It has had a big impact on my coaching journey and was suggested to me by Stephen Fleming. All the best for the 2024/25 season.