New coach Vic Hodge

Moonee Valley Cricket Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Vic Hodge as our senior coach for the 2011/12 season.
Vic, who last season coached the Melbourne Cricket Club Fifth Eleven and trained his squad part of the time with the Premier club’s top four sides, has played representative cricket in England.
He has also been a player-manager with semi-professional soccer teams in England.
Vic played Under 19s rep cricket for County club Warwickshire as an opening bowler, and had the distinction of being a net bowler at Edgbaston for the 1981 Ashes series.

Accepting our coaching role, Vic said he was excited to be coaching a club as big and diverse as Moonee Valley.
“My cricket philosophy is to make the most of what you have and look for continual areas of improvement, however small; in order to sustain performance and extend one’s playing career,” he said.
As a player/coach with Melbourne’s Fifth Eleven, which is one of 10 teams in the MCC Club Eleven competition, Vic coached a team of mainly MCC cricketers, many of whom have represented the Club at Premier level and sometimes even State or national level.
He plans to play with Moonee Valley this season in combination with his coaching role.

Vic (left) is shown above with Vice President Simon Thornton at the North Suburban Club,

where we did the coach interviews. Anyone wanting to talk to Vic, or intending or interested
new players, can ring him on 0438 803 084.

“I decided to apply for the job as coach in recognition and acceptance that my playing career will end at some point,” Vic said. “This is coupled with my commitment and desire to stay involved in the game, and to give something back to the sport.”
Vic said he was very interested in having some input into Moonee Valley’s junior program, with a view to helping advance the players to senior cricket.
He also has an interest in our women’s section, as his mother had played cricket in St Kitts, in the West Indies.

Moonee Valley Vice President Simon Thornton and President Charlie Walker, who interviewed Vic twice at our sponsor the North Suburban Club, said they were impressed at Vic’s commitment to the challenge and his eye for detail.
“He’s got us excited already – and pre-season hasn’t yet started,” Simon said.

Lou Raffaele, who coached Moonee Valley for four seasons, including to our First and Second Eleven flags in 2009/10, advised at the end of last season that he planned to step down because of the demands of his young family.
Lou intends to keep playing at Moonee Valley.
And Pakistani player Ihtisham Uddin, who played in our Firsts for the first half of last season, has reached agreement to come back to Moonee Valley this season. Ihtsi will take on an assistant coaching role.