Subbies Cricket: Box Hill coach Richard Armstrong looks to youth to propel ladder climb in 2020-21

Incoming Box Hill coach Richard Armstrong says youth will be the key to the VSDCA South-East outfit’s ladder climb this season, while the game-plan is set for a change...

Box Hill's Tom Newman. Picture: Josie Hayden

Opportunities for youth coupled with a heavy emphasis on fielding will be the theme at Box Hill this VSDCA season under new coach Richard Armstrong.

Armstrong took over the head coaching role in April following Ryan Webster’s decision to step down due to work and family commitments but will serve as captain.

Captain Ryan Webster in action for previous club Caulfield. Picture: Chris Eastman

The incoming coach brings Premier level experience having served a lengthy stint as an assistant at Ringwood and had previously coached St Andrews in the RDCA.

Despite coming into the role not long after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions took hold in Melbourne, Armstrong said he’s had a “smooth transition” into the gig.

“Having a Premier background being an assistant coach at Ringwood for several years I was able to work alongside a great deal of terrific coaches and the guys with their commitment and engagement at Box Hill has been first-class,” he said.

“I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve received a lot of support, not only from the playing group but the administration and committee and the women’s side … I’m certainly enjoying the challenge.”

The club will be without key batsmen Somil Bandi and Asish Mathew this season, with Bandi returning home to India and Mathew heading to Premier club Kingston Hawthorn.

Armstrong said with their departures comes opportunity for those looking to take the next step in their career, in lieu of big-name recruiting.

“Obviously the likes of Somil made 200 last year, and he was the backbone of our innings,” he said.

“To me that’s now exciting that some of these younger guys who are utilising our club as perhaps a platform or bridge to premier cricket … that’s exciting for me and they’ll be given opportunities.

“We’re quite comfortable going from within the club at the moment and giving opportunities to a lot of the younger guys.”

Box Hill finished ninth in the South-East group in 2019-20 and Armstrong said improvements in the “small margins” will hold it in good stead for the 14-round one-day format this season.

“Our one-day form, we actually lost four games by seven runs and under – you win a couple of those and obviously you’re in the picture to play finals,” Armstrong said.

“They’re only small margins that we’ve worked on, we think in terms of our one-day cricket, from the data from what I was able to have a look at, we were probably more a two-day side so being 14 rounds of one-day cricket this year we’ve got a really strong game-plan already.

“We’ve got focuses in line with batting, bowling and fielding, but fielding, we’ll hang our hat on that – I see fielding as a bit of an index to intensity and engagement and buy-in and so far we’ve done a fair bit of that … the boys will have their hands wringing by the end of the season.

“That’s something that’s very much within our control and obviously just building bigger totals. In terms of opportunity, we now need some of our new players and some of our more experienced players to step up.”

Armstrong is looking to instil an “outwork and outlast” mantra to his new side on match-day this season.

“A big part of my role will be teaching that guys that we want to be able to stay in the game as long as we possibly can, and I’ve always worked on the theory of being able to outwork and outlast the opposition - the idea that we’re still in the game in the last hour or 30 minutes,” he said.

“Our perspective post-COVID is that we’re grateful to be able to get a game, we’re all pretty grateful to be back and to have so many people enjoying the game again.”

Box Hill opens its season against Mount Waverley on Saturday, November 21 at Box Hill City Oval.