SuperCoach BBL winner Tom Aitken reveals how he picked the best team in Australia ahead of 70,000 other coaches
Aaron Finch’s spectacular return from India helped launch a Queensland teacher to SuperCoach BBL glory. Tom Aitken reveals how he won the $25,000 grand prize.
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Shrewd captaincy choices proved pivotal to Brisbane teacher Tom Aitken becoming Australia’s premier SuperCoach BBL coach.
The 27-year-old eclipsed more than 70,000 other coaches to claim the $25,000 grand prize when his team, TheKdawg, finished 14 points clear of its nearest challenger.
Aitken spent Saturday’s Big Bash League final checking scores while he was at a Cold Chisel concert after entering the last round as the team to beat.
Despite posting the lowest score of the top-10 — 391 — he held on to secure the major prize.
“I didn’t do as well as I thought I might. Tried not to have the spinners in,” Aitken said.
“My last round score was pretty dodgy, but luckily I had a bit of a gap.”
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The Queenslander attributed his success to regularly nailing captaincy choices.
Players chosen as captain score double points and Aitken cashed in when he had Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch as skipper in consecutive rounds late in the tournament.
“I just couldn’t really believe it. I just played at the start of the summer to keep myself busy and didn’t think I’d get anywhere near the pointy end of the competition,” he said.
Wade blitzed Melbourne Renegades (66 from 29 balls) and Sydney Thunder (56 from 34) during his Round 12 double, while Finch returned from India with a Round 13 century against the Sixers.
Aitken’s charge to SuperCoach glory started when he opted not to trade for Sydney Sixers despite the BBL champion boasting a Round 10 double.
The Sixers were rained off after 6.4 overs against Hobart Hurricanes and then skittled for 76 by Sydney Thunder in a second weather-affected fixture.
Aitken will soon start planning how to emulate his BBL success in KFC AFL and NRL SuperCoach.
He described himself as a “casual sports fan” who succeeded by putting his own spin on expert advice.
“SuperCoach BBL was really fun and it caters for all sorts of levels. You can put hours into it or you can put a few minutes into it. Literally anyone can play the game,” he said.
Originally published as SuperCoach BBL winner Tom Aitken reveals how he picked the best team in Australia ahead of 70,000 other coaches