We’re set for the pre-season – our training dates

Moonee Valley’s new coach Rex Bennett has prepared the schedule for our pre-season training.
The schedule comprises both indoor fitness training and indoor nets sessions, and we’re urging players to attend – to sharpen their skills and to meet the coach. 
The fitness sessions involve boxing equipment such as punching bags and speedballs, and are being held at the Fitafex gym at 952 Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon – on the Essendon junction. 
The Wednesday sessions are being held on August 14, 21 and 28, starting at 8pm. The cost is $10 per session, and players should bring a drink bottle. 
Our indoor cricket training is again at Action Indoor Sports at 90 Gordon St, Footscray. 
They are Thursday sessions, on August 22 and 29 and September 5. Players need to be there by 7.15pm for a 7.30 start. We have two courts booked, and the cost is $10 per player for each hour-long session. 
We are now liaising with the Moonee Valley Football Club on ground availability for outdoor sessions at Ormond Park from the end of August, and will advise when we have firm dates. 
Moonee Valley Cricket Club is also working towards a couple of pre-season practice games. 
Over the past two seasons we’ve been very appreciative of the warm welcome we’ve had from Noel Seipolt and Donnybrook, and we’re hoping they will again be in a position to host a match. 
We are also keen to try out for a pre-season trip to Bairnsdale again, for a match or matches against Lucknow Cricket Club. 
New players
Coach Rex Bennett has a firm view that every player should also be a recruiter for our Club, and so we invite all of our members to bring a friend, relative or acquaintance along to our sessions to also join our club and bolster our numbers. 
We will have spots available for players in both Saturday and Sunday grades. 
Anyone interested in joining our Club for the 2013/14 season should ring President Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543, Vice President Simon Thornton on 0417 570 779 or coach Rex Bennett on 0412 472 334.

Welcome back, Big Rex

Moonee Valley Cricket Club has gone "back to the future" in the appointment of Rex Bennett as our senior coach for the 2013/14 season. Rex previously coached Moonee Valley for three seasons commencing from 2001/02, and has had a high-level coaching career before coming back to us.
In his first appointment as our coach he encouraged Moonee Valley to transfer its turf teams from the old Moreland Moonee Valley Cricket Association to the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, then coached us into a Grand Final in the North B Division in our first season in VTCA.
We were promoted to the North A Division, and Rex coached us through that season.
When he left Moonee Valley be became bowling coach for Premier club North Melbourne, then took over as senior coach at North Melbourne.

Above: Rex Bennett (centre) is welcomed/welcomed back to Moonee Valley by committee members (from left)
Peter Golding, Stephen Tassos, Jesse Nankivell-Sandor and Allan Cumming. 

Rex then coached St Bernards in the VTCA, taking them from the North A Division through to the top-grade Senior Division. Last season he coached Sunshine in the Victorian Sub District Cricket Association.
In his earlier career, Rex played in Footscray's only premiership team in the old Victorian Cricket Association. He has maintained his connection with Moonee Valley in the years since he coached us, attending a number of club functions including our 40th anniversary.
Rex has firm ideas on how he can improve the playing group, and we look forward to working with him. Rex is firmly of the view that the club doesn't have a recruiting committee - every member of our Club should be an ambassador, and encouraging friends, acquaintances, relatives and former teammates to come and join us.
If every one of our members can bring someone else along to the Club this year, we'll have plenty of strength.
Welcome back, Rex!

Ken McLeod: We celebrate a fine innings

Past greats from Moonee Valley Cricket Club gathered at the bowls rooms recently for a memorial to celebrate the life of Ken McLeod, who was one of our Club's inaugural players.Ken was one of the Eleven to take to the field in our first game in the 1971/72 season, and is sadly the first of those pioneers to end his innings.Kenneth Alexander McLeod, 65, was killed in a farm accident on June 2.
He was the brother of Rod McLeod, who founded our Great Club with Ray Storey, and the son of Alex McLeod, who was our first President.
Four of the players who took to the field for Moonee Valley on that first Saturday in 1971 were at the memorial - Rod McLeod, Ray Storey, Colin Netherclift and Peter Dawkins.
In our foundation year we had a single team playing under the name of Moonee Ponds, and from these beginnings came the club that would grow into the Moonee Valley Cricket Club.
Others who played with Ken in those early years - Peter and Kevin Gardiner, and Brian Moore were also at the June 14 memorial at the Moonee Valley Bowls Club, along with past players Brian O'Reilly, Warwick Knill, Scott McLeod and Stewart Storey, and Life Member present players Darren Nagle, John Talone and Charlie Walker.
Ken McLeod 70 games for Moonee Valley for 1122 runs @ 14.38, and took 92 wickets @ 17.53. He was an important player in our first two Premierships.

Main Club contact details:

Charlie Walker - President 0409 237 543; 9370 1802
Peter Golding - Club Secretary 0419 009 721
Simon Thornton - Vice President 0417 570 779
Email: mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au


For more contacts, see " Office bearers & Officials " under "Club News & Info" at the top of the page

Last updated: August 2, 2013.