Courts in the act - our new coach

Moonee Valley Cricket Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Glen Courts as our senior coach for 2020/21.
"Buddha" is no stranger to Moonee Valley, having played 50 games with us over the years - in our First Eleven from 1999, and then occasional Over 35 games at the Barooga tournament.
After his first stint at Moonee Valley Glen went to Essendon for three seasons, where he played Premier Firsts.
He then had eight seasons at Greenvale as it worked its way up to the top division in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association.
Glen then set his sights on coaching, and for the past six seasons has coached or captain-coached teams in the North Metro Cricket Association.
Even during his time at other clubs Glen was a regular visitor to Moonee Valley, and ran occasional coaching and training sessions to provide a different voice and perspective.
We shortlisted five applicants for the role of senior coach after 2019/20 Premiership coach Tony Gleeson advised he was not in a position to continue due to work commitments.
Glen impressed the coach selection panel with his insights into the job, his success working with younger cricketers in his previous coaching roles and his continuing connections to our Club even when he was playing or coaching elsewhere.
And here's the first message to the players from our new coach Glen Courts:

Given the year we’ve all had, I’m hopeful all of you will be bringing your A-game and best attitudes. 
I have always found that focussing on finals, throughout the season, ensures we make it there.  When the team is focussed on a common goal, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to attain.
New coach Glen Courts (far right) with MVCC Vice President Mark Gauci - they played together in the Moonee Valley Firsts.
I’ve scheduled the following dates for pre-season training and I’d be grateful if you could all put these in your calendar now, so you have less room for excuses when it comes time to get there.
Sunday 11am pre-season dates
Sunday 23rd August - fitness
Sunday 30th August - fitness
Sunday 6th September - fitness / skills

Sunday 13th September - fitness / skills
Sunday 20th September - fitness / skills

Wednesday 9th September - indoor session at Cutting Edge - TBC
Wednesday 16th September - indoor session at Cutting Edge - TBC
Wednesday 23rd September - indoor session at Cutting Edge - TBC

Sunday 27th September 2020 - potentially up at Barooga
Wednesday 30th September 2020 - indoor session at Cutting Edge - TBC 
*Shoot me a message or give me a call on 0403 329 652 with any ideas or queries you might have.  I’m always interested to hear different ideas or points of view!
*Note - Midweek - looking at indoor at cutting edge - to be confirmed
*Ideally 4 mid week sessions at cutting edge. 2 nets for an hour each.
One of the weekends have to be up at Barooga - practice game Saturday, training Sunday, come home Sunday afternoon

Our Firsts unfurl their flag 

It might have been unconventional and probably couldn't be classified as a win for the ages, but Moonee Valley has brought home our 13th First Eleven premiership.
In a finals campaign dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, we were the beneficiaries of the hard work during the season which saw us claim top spot on the ladder.
So when the decision was made to scrap Days 3 and 4 of the Grand Final due to health concerns, Moonee Valley as the top team won the flag.
Above: Moonee Valley celebrates on our home pitch after being officially declared the 2019/20 Premier. L-R Sameera Vithana (front), Nadeera Thuppahi, Shiwantha Kumara, Jack Newman, Anthony Cafari, Sumit Anand, Bede Gannon, Channa DeSilva, Sam Walker (front), Daniel Comande and coach Tony Gleeson. 
We'd started steadily enough on Day 1 of the March 14,15,21 & 22 Grand Final and held Sunbury to just over 200, and got them out for 232 early on Day 2. 
Then a horror half hour set in and we lost 5/1, with the first run coming as a bye. 
Our first runs off the bat were scored by No. 7 Joshua Gorry. 
Then Joshua bunkered down with Anthony Cafari and they ground out a 71-run partnership before Caf fell late in the day. 
We lost two more wickets before finishing Day 2 at a jittery 8/78. 
The boys were resolute that we could turn around a first innings deficit if needed in the second half of the game, but coronavirus intervened and with no further play, Moonee Valley won on the basis of an imcomplete first innings. 
***More words and pictures - click HERE

OUR SENIOR WISDEN - TAKE THE QUIZ AND SHOW YOUR KNOWLEDGE 
Our 2019/20 Wisden is now out, and is published on our website. It’s packed full of current and career stats and records across the club, and this year runs to 129 pages.
There are photographs from across our season, as well as a commentary of the season that was.
We’ve also got the Junior Wisden online.
Here are some testing questions from the Wisden. No prizes, but test your knowledge - and let us know how many of the 10 you answered correctly. Here we go!

*Who’s the only current-day player with a career batting average over 50?
*Who’s the captain of our 2019/20 Wisden Team of the Year?
*Who has bowled the most consecutive maidens in club history?
*Who (a current-day player) has the best bowling average of all time for players with 30 or more wickets?
*Who has scored the most runs in our seven years at the Barooga Over 35s tournament? And who has taken the most wickets?
*The Fifths set a new all-time high score for their grade in 2019/20. Who was it against, what was the match and what was the score?
*Who scored the most runs for Moonee Valley in the summer season? And who was second?
*How many Premiership players made the Wisden Team of the Year?
*Which two players brought up 400 wickets during the season?
*Who has played the most official Twenty20 games for Moonee Valley (37)? And who has scored the most runs?

Read through the Wisden and find the answers. And for a bonus point - who has played the most combined senior and junior games for Moonee Valley? And who has scored the most runs? A hint: They're both life members.
To see the Wisdens, go to these links:  Senior     Junior

                           
Moonee Valley players and other friends of Heath Webb-Johnson send him off with a guard of honor.

MOONEE VALLEY - WE DID HEATH PROUD

More than 50 Moonee Valley Cricket Club players, partners and past players turned out in force at the funeral of much-loved member Heath Webb-Johnson on March 12 to demonstrate the impact he'd made on our Club in just over a dozen years.
The Moonee Valley Cricket Club was left devastated by the death of one of our most bubbly yet uncompromising members, on March 3, and we were determined to show our support.
Most of our players turned out in the requested Moonee Valley black tops, and were part of a guard of honor with raised cricket bats as Heath ended his innings and left the field for one last time.
A heartbreaking but poignant image was Heath and Lezanne's son Reid with his bat as part of the guard of honor.
As a further mark of the impact Heath Webb-Johnson made on our Club, he has been named as 13th man in our First Eleven Grand Final side. All our players will have Heath at their back as they take to the field for the decider.
The service was held at Tobin Brothers Diamond Creek. It was a request of the family that there were no flowers and any gifts were to be in the form of a donation to the Black Dog Institute.
At left: In a heart-breaking scene, little Reid Webb-Johnson holds a bat aloft in a tribute to his dad.
Heath played 98 games in the black and white since his debut in 2006/07, and no-one was more fiercely proud to pull on the club colors and represent us without compromise.
We learned of his passing on March 5, and a large group of players, supporters and past players, including those who have moved on to other clubs, gathered at the Ormond Park clubrooms to honor him and reminisce about Heath's impact on our Club.
Moonee Valley players wore black armbands to honor Heath the weekend after his passing - the Fifths for their Grand Final victory, and the Firsts for their semi final win.
Heath's finest moment as a Moonee Valley player was his 150 not out v East Keilor in the Seconds in February 2013. He backed it up the next day with a 50 retired in the Fourths, doubling up across the weekend.
His games had been sporadic in recent years but even this season Heath chimed in with a 54 in the Fourths and 64 in the Seconds, as well as playing a key role in our Barooga Over 35s tournament team in January.
Heath's bright red helmet was an indicator of how he was prepared to stand out and be counted, and he was passionately proud that it could be seen as a target for the opposition bowlers. The harder they came at him, the more he liked it while representing Moonee Valley. Heath leaves behind two children, Reid and Bree with Lezanne.

     Main Club contact details:

* Charlie Walker - President/Secretary 0411 705 381; 9370 1802
* Peter Golding - Treasurer 0419 009 721
* Mark Gauci - Vice President 0457 778 335
* Peter Pickering - Junior Co-ordinator - mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au   
* Channa DeSilva - Membership Co-ordinator 0402 833 592

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 : June 3, 2020.
For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE