The club has appointed Jon Varcoe as head senior coach, where he will oversee and work alongside all senior men’s and women’s teams at Victoria Park in the 2020-21 season.
Varcoe said he had already put plans in place to ensure Echuca would hit the ground running when the season did get under way.
“At the end of the last season, the club held a future direction meeting where it came up with a plan to help us move forward and it’s already been very beneficial,” Varcoe said.
“Our aim is to be a club who are great on and off the field. But the most important thing is that we are having fun while doing it.
“I think there are going to be some exciting times ahead for the Echuca Cricket Club.”
Club president Chris Hinks said Varcoe’s appointment would play a key role in ensuring Echuca had a consistent coaching structure.
“We know all grades across our men’s and women’s teams want to continue to improve as players and achieve success for their teams on the field,” he said.
“Jon is one of the most experienced, knowledgeable and passionate cricket people across the region and we are thrilled that he has accepted this position.”
Echuca has already signalled its intentions to make up for lost ground on last season, after it missed out on finals in the men’s A-grade competition, welcoming several players back to the club.
Varcoe said he was looking forward to working alongside players including Brendan “BJ” Moyle and Taylor Beard.
“We made it our intention to get Echuca people back to the club,” he said.
“Our A-grade side is obviously the flagship team at the club, and we want to see them challenging for premierships on a consistent basis.
“Hopefully the guys that we have brought back, and the new guys as well can help us take a step towards those goals.
“But at the end of the day we want to see all of our teams playing in finals.”
As part of his role, Varcoe will return to coach the women’s A-grade side which won its maiden premiership earlier this year.
And Varcoe said the team’s hunger was stronger than ever.
“The attitude those players had is infectious and one that we want to see right throughout the club,” he explained.
“They were always willing to improve their skills at training and in matches.
“This season, the B-grade will also have a fully-fledged competition which is really exciting.”
Junior development will also be key in Varcoe’s role.
“We always want to see our junior players stepping up into the senior teams,” he said.
“If we are able to continue pushing through those players it will only make us a stronger club.”
The club remains on the lookout for new players and anyone interested can contact president Chris Hinks on 0491 178 095.
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