New Hawke's Bay senior men's cricket coach, Dave Castle, prefers to give his charges freedom to express themselves. Photo/Duncan Brown
New Hawke's Bay senior men's cricket coach, Dave Castle, prefers to give his charges freedom to express themselves. Photo/Duncan Brown
New Hawke's Bay senior men's representative coach Dave Castle sees himself as a new broom who'll sweep well this summer.
"I think I'm a very new coach with the current style of cricket and certainly the modern way that it is played is a strength to my type of coaching," says Castle, before taking the Pay Excellence-sponsored side to pre-season matches against a Bay of Plenty XI in Tauranga this weekend.
The 32-year-old from Wellington has been coaching the Havelock North CC premier men's club team for the past two seasons.
Having come through mentoring sessions, in the mould of former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson-type clinics, Castle reckons is his point of difference.
The Hastings Boys' High School sports co-ordinator has signed a one-year contract with an option to renew it.
"It's very exciting and a big step in my career so I'm looking forward to taking it full on."
Castle said, while there was a jump in the skill level from premier men to senior representative men, he was prepared to take the side.
"It's not too much of a step up in what I like to do with my coaching and certainly I was pushing Havelock North, hopefully, to a higher standard last [summer]," he says.
Castle says he was up against the experience and nous of former international Llorne Howell, who is at the helm of The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist premier men's side as a co-coach.
"As a player and coach myself, I was fortunate to put up an application that Hawke's Bay were happy with so I was lucky to get the job."
With seven years of premier men under his wings, Castle embraces the philosophy of letting players "be nice and free" to play to their strengths.
"I don't like to change them too much technically because I think by the time you're at the Hawke's Bay level you have a simple and secure game plan where you have your strengths and I coach them to stick to that."
Former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson-type coaching sessions have left an indelible impression on Dave Castle during his career. Photo/NZME
He sees his role as providing a little more clarity around the game plan to make sure the players are in the mental zone a bit more rather than letting things drift and occur at their own pace.
"It's more about taking control and making it," he says, enjoying getting the best out of players but also taking immense pride in seeing others succeed with a well-trodden pathway regardless of whether its the men or HBHS pupils.
Castle, of Wellington, took up coaching when he realised he had reached his playing ceiling after stints in India, England and Australia.
"I'm also an extreme lover of cricket. I watch it all the time — five-day tests — and being able to share that passion is also a big part of my coaching."
A grinning Castle says it's easy to step back to see he's not good enough to be a player despite a great experience playing and coaching Havelock last season.
While filling the roles as player and coach has been satisfying in different ways he believes the latter stands above the former.
He and team manager Dale Smidt, along with captain Jacob Smith, have ensured they selected a "balanced" squad of 22 of not only the best players but those who have the potential to be developed.
They include four debutants in wicketkeeper Bayley Wiggins, Angus McKnight, Joey Field and Izaiah Lange.
"It's good to see guys who have worked hard in the pre-season as well as guys who are pushing for a spot this year," he says of the strong club cricketers at the cusp of making a step up.
Waikato University-bound Field, back from helping the New Zealand age-group side secure world champion bragging rights in the indoor format in Christchurch, is in there to become "comfortable with the group".
Castle hopes to experiment in the Twenty20 games today before consolidating for a strong one-day combination tomorrow.
"I don't too much will change in the way we play because we're a side who like to move the game on," he says, revealing the limited-overs game requires more mental application.
The one-day Central Districts inter-district Chapple Cup tournament will be played later this summer rather than the traditional Labour Day weekend.
"I quite like it because it allows for a slightly better one-day cricket to be played, mainly around the weather and the preparation time around getting the wickets so that suits us because we're a particularly strong group and we'll play whatever comes our way," he says, happy to restructure whatever way CD see fit to play it.
Castle says the wider group is exciting and the focus isn't necessarily on the 11 blokes on the field.
Cornwall Cricket Club batsman Bayley Wiggins is among the four debutants in the Hawke's Bay senior men's team playing warm-up games this weekend. Photo/file
BOTH TEAMS
The Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay men's team to play Bay of Plenty XI at Tauranga Domain this weekend:
■ HAWKE'S BAY: Jacob Smith (c, Cornwall), Liam Dudding (Cornwall), Joey Field (Havelock North), Dean Foxcroft (Taradale), Callum Hewetson (Taradale), Izaiah Lange (NTOB), Jayden Lennox (NTOB), Angus McKnight (Taradale), Angus Schaw (CHB), Ben Stoyanoff (Taradale), Dominic Thompson (CHB), Todd Watson (NTOB), Bayley Wiggins (wk, Cornwall). Coach: Dave Castle. Manager: Dale Smidt.
■ BOP XI (today): Jono Boult, Sean Davey, Joe Carter (c) Peter Drysdale, Brett Hampton, Henry Collier, Tim Pringle, Ben Musgrave, Blair McKenzie (wk), Dominic Crombie, Iman Singh, Chris Atkinson.
Tomorrow: Stephen Crossan, Henry Collier, Peter Drysdale, Joe Carter (c) Ben Musgrave, Tim Pringle, Ben Pomare (wk), Fergus Lellman, Dale Smith, Chris Atkinson, Bharat Popli, Brett Hampton. Coach: Charles Williams.
