MPCA 2020-21: Mitch Stansborough appointed captain-coach of Crib Point
Crib Point has a new captain-coach and regained a premiership star as it looks to fly high in the 2020-21 MPCA season.
South East
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New Crib Point captain-coach Mitch Stansborough says the Magpies are in “a really strong position” ahead of the 2020-21 MPCA season.
Former Queenslander Stansborough, 29, has played with Crib Point for the past two seasons and watched it take significant strides forward, including a semi-final appearance in District ranks last season.
He says the club has the players, training structures and motivation to go even further next season.
“A lot of credit goes to Glenny for what he’s done with us over the last couple of years,” Stansborough said, referring to the club’s previous coach Brad Glenn.
“I’m excited. Getting Luke Herrington back and Brad Arnold back was a big thing of mine to get Cribby people back around the club.”
After several lean seasons, Crib Point got its mojo back last season, winning six games to surge into the finals.
Waide Symes led the way with 452 runs (at an average of 45.2) and 12 wickets, while champion Henry Dolphin (307 runs and 24 wickets), Scott Clark (229 runs), Spencer Wilton (202 runs and 25 wickets) and Andrew Sharp (16 wickets) did well.
“We were just inconsistent,” Stansborough said.
“Our batsmen would let our bowling group down. I don’t think we won two games in a row. We went win, loss, win, loss all year.”
This will be Stansborough’s first foray into coaching a club (he’s been Cribby vice-captain, and occasional skipper, for the past two seasons).
When Glenn stood down due to work commitments, Crib Point president Ricky Thompson offered Stansborough the coaching role.
“I went home and had a think about it and, yeah, I took the job,” he said.
“It was always something I had on my radar. Obviously the coaching happened a bit quicker than I anticipated but the captaincy was always something I wanted to do.”
Stansborough said his coaching style would be based on an all-inclusive ethos.
“I want to be approachable,” he said.
“You are coaching a lot of your mates. I just want that club first mentality, that’s all I’ll be looking to instill in the boys. I’ll be really pushing that as my motto.
“You’ve got to take that hard edge approach with your mates. They can take you for a ride a bit at times in local sport...I just want to be known as approachable and I’m all about the club.”
Stansborough grew up in Mackay, in central Queensland, and played with Walkerston.
Looking for work, he moved to the Mornington Peninsula in 2015.
“Mum’s side of the family is from Flinders originally, so me and the wife packed up and said we will come down here for a bit of a sea change. Six years on we’re still here,” he said.
Symes will be the Magpies vice-captain and Clark assistant coach.
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