Fresh outlook sorely needed

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When a new era starts every 12 months, it's a little hard not to be cynical.

However, having witnessed three full innings hammerings, a six-wicket loss and a first innings points defeat in a rain-affected match as the sum of Wanganui cricket's Hawke Cup efforts in 2013-14, the advantage the new coaching regime of Ian Snook and Rod Bannister have is literally nowhere to go but up.

The world-travelled rugby coach from Taranaki and the multi-time national masters squash champion will hopefully bring a sorely-needed fresh perspective to Victoria Park this summer after the official announcement they are taking over the role this week.

It would be far too kind to say they are stepping up to the helm of the Good Ship Lollipop.

Wanganui, with increasingly limited resources and player numbers to call upon from its Premier 1 club scene (last season was a five-team grade that only four could win), have struggled from lack of top-down leadership for over two years.

There was no coach in season 2012-13, with manager Andrew Lock often struggling to find 11 fit and willing players to travel to away Hawke Cup games.

But at least with professional Ben Smith available on occasion, that team picked up a first innings victory and a couple of near-honourable draws from their five games.

Marton mates Dominic Rayner and Justin Lock put up their hands to provide a more formal coaching structure last summer, under what Wanganui chairman Stu Gill called the "new era".

But with Smith away on Central Stags duty and youngsters like Henry Collier and Nick Blundell more focused on their New Zealand U19 preparations, the next tier of local players both veteran and youth alike seemed to suffer complete mental disintegration with how they applied themselves at the batting crease.

Individuals can go through form slumps, sure, but literally no one stepped up to carry the can, with only one team score exceeding the 200 mark at 10 innings at bat.

So, the "hands off" approach didn't work and neither did "one of the boys" style coaching, thus we come full circle back to more of a "school master" mentality with Snook and Bannister.

Having worked for both Taranaki and Wanganui newspapers respectively where they have been contributing columnists, I have found Snook and Bannister to be very astute in their sport and fitness lifestyle analysis, as well as in their theories on how to pull the best out of young men.

I can only hope they can get inside the craniums of our key batsmen and figure out the frayed wires to connect which can allow them to perform for long periods at the pitch.

It's heartening to hear a few of them have been puffing around doing the road-work ahead of the start of the season, as a strong fitness ethic lends itself to a tougher mental outlook. Although, not everyone may be a convert to the new altar. One pub conversation I picked up begged the question that with ageing knees, what was the point of running long distances? My response was while a little added stamina couldn't hurt, I just want to see better application of the willow.

After all, you can jog slowly between the stumps if you're hitting fours and sixes.