Could “Shippy” be heading back to Blundstone Arena?
The Tigers pre-season was thrown into upheaval with the sudden resignation of Jeff Vaughan, but Cricket Tasmania might be turning to an old friend to help out. LATEST >>
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THE Tigers could be turning back to a familiar face to help them out in their hour of need.
The Mercury understands Cricket Tasmania has been in talks with former coach Greg Shipperd to come back to Blundstone Arena in an interim senior position while CT looks for a permanent replacement for Jeff Vaughan.
Vaughan has joined the Australian set-up as an assistant coach, leaving the Tigers men’s program without a leader just a couple months out from the season’s start.
Shipperd, 62, would not be the head coach, but would have a senior role in the program.
An interim coach would be appointed, who would work with Shipperd in implementing a program leading into and during the start of the season.
It is believed former Hurricanes spinner Johan Botha could be in line to fill the interim role, having worked under Vaughan during the Sheffield Shield bubble in Adelaide last year.
A CT spokesman would not confirm or deny Shipperd’s possible role, only saying the process is still being worked through.
The current Covid lockdowns interstate could also play a late role in thwarting CT’s chances of landing Shipperd and/or Botha.
Shipperd would be the ideal person to fill the role during the transition.
He would bring instant respect and an impressive resume across all formats, as well as being already familiar with the Tasmanian cricket landscape.
The former West Australian and Tasmanian opening batsman started his coaching career with the Tigers, leading them from 1991-92 for 11 seasons.
He took Tasmania to its first three Sheffield Shield finals, but was never able to lift the trophy in triumph.
After departing Tasmania, he was an assistant coach at Cricket Victoria under David Hookes and then took over as senior coach following Hookes’ death in mid 2002.
He led Victoria in a golden era, taking the state to four Shield titles, a one-day trophy and four state T20 competition victories.
His success did not stop after leaving Victoria.
After stints at the Melbourne Stars and the Delhi Daredevils, he took over the reins at the Sydney Sixers where he coached the team to the past two Big Bash League trophies.
Hurricanes lock in Christmas Eve fixture for this summer’s BBL
DUST off your purple Santa hat as the Hurricanes are coming back to Christmas Eve.
The Mercury can reveal Hobart will take on the Melbourne Stars on the day before Christmas – a timeslot Cricket Tasmania hopes to make its own.
Hurricanes general manager Scott Barnes said Hobart was delighted to secure the coveted spot again having lobbied hard to originally land it before last summer’s pandemic wreaked havoc on the schedule.
“We are excited about the return of the Christmas Eve afternoon fixture here in Hobart, where the Hurricanes will take on the Melbourne Stars,” Barnes said.
“The Hurricanes have made the Christmas Eve fixture our own over previous seasons, and we’re looking forward to welcoming families back to Blundstone Arena on December 24 to celebrate the end of the school term and start of the Christmas holidays with what is sure to be a great game of cricket against the Stars.”
The full fixture will be revealed on Wednesday, with Cricket Australia looking to cram 56 home-and-away matches around a home Ashes series.
“We’re thrilled that between the League and all eight clubs we are poised to deliver a full home and away schedule for BBL|11, including seven Hurricanes matches at home in Tasmania.
The BBL will start on December 5, just four days after the scheduled finish of the historic Australia v Afghanistan Test in Hobart, with the back to back titleholders the Sydney Sixers opening the season with a clash against the Stars.
But which international players will be playing and for who remains an unknown.
CA had plans for an overseas player draft for next season but the increased threat of the global pandemic has the suggestion under a cloud.
The Hurricanes main import last season, England top-order batsman Dawid Malan, failed to dominate the competition as hoped, but it is understood Hobart would be keen on getting him back should the opportunity arise.
Hobart will be looking to bounce back this series after missing the finals last summer.
Hurricanes land big WBBL coup
A DECISION to “fully entrench” herself in Tasmanian life has seen the WBBL’s all time leading wicket taker leave the only Big Bash club she has called home.
In arguably the biggest move in the T20 off-season, Molly Strano has signed with the Hobart Hurricanes for the next two seasons, ending a six-year association with the Melbourne Renegades.
Last summer the off-spinner became the first bowler in WBBL history to take 100 wickets, and she will enter WBBL|07 with 104 scalps at an average of 18.74.
Having left Victoria to join the Tigers program for the WNCL, the 28-year-old said a complete move to Tasmania made sense despite obvious interest from rival Big Bash clubs.
“I had a really wonderful time at the Renegades, I was there since the inaugural season, and I was just really excited to come over here and have a bit of a sea change,” Strano said.
“I’ve sort of jumped in the deep end and signed for both Tassie and the Hurricanes and I’m really excited to fully entrench my life down here in Hobart and so far it’s been really awesome.
“When I like to do something I like to go into it wholeheartedly, so I thought personally the right move for me would be to join both the Tasmanian teams for both formats.
“I’m really excited to sort of start my life in Hobart and start this next chapter of my cricketing career.”
The recruitment of Strano, who has made seven appearances for her country and holds the best bowling figures (5-10) by any Australian at international T20 level is a major coup for the Hurricanes, who are looking to rebound from several poor campaigns.
She will join a strong spin compartment which already includes leggies Maisy Gibson and Amy Smith.
Coach Salliann Beams has already flagged where the spinner will be deployed in an effort to fix a glaring weakness with the ball.
“Molly’s got a lot to offer, she’s going to feature in our powerplay,” Beams said.
“We’ve obviously not had the best powerplays and with Tayla Vlaeminck not always available [as she recovers from injury] she’s going to take the new ball for us.”
The WBBL fixture has also been announced, with action to return to Tasmania after last year’s tournament was forced into a Sydney hub.
Hobart will play four home games in Tasmania in total, with seven WBBL games to be scheduled across the state.
The Hurricanes, Melbourne Stars, Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat will play a block of three games at UTAS Stadium on October 26 and 27, before the hosts are joined by the Heat, Strikers and Sydney Sixers in Hobart, for four games on November 13 and 14.
HOBART HURRICANES WBBL SCHEDULE
Sun Oct 17 v Melbourne Renegades (North Sydney Oval)
Sat Oct 23 v Adelaide Strikers (TBC)
Sun Oct 24 v Melbourne Stars (TBC)
Tue Oct 26 v Brisbane Heat (UTAS)
Wed Oct 27 v Melbourne Stars (UTAS)
Sat Oct 30 v Brisbane Heat (Metricon Stadium)
Sun Oct 31 v Adelaide Strikers (Metricon Stadium)
Fri Nov 5 v Perth Scorchers (Karen Rolton Oval)
Sat Nov 6 v Sydney Sixers (Karen Rolton Oval)
Tue Nov 9 v Perth Scorchers (Blacktown)
Sat Nov 13 v Adelaide Strikers (Blundstone Arena)
Sun Nov 14 v Sydney Sixers (Blundstone Arena)
Fri Nov 19 v Melbourne Renegades (Mackay)
Sat Nov 20 v Adelaide Strikers (Mackay)
Tigers quartet headed to The Hundred
SALLIANN Beams is confident there will be little disruption to the Tigers pre-season program despite the women’s coach missing six weeks to participate in the inaugural season of The Hundred in England.
Beams will hand the reins of the state squad to assistant Dan Marsh when she returns to her home country in two weeks after being appointed coach of the Trent Rockets.
Joining her from the Tigers camp will be former Kiwi international Rachel Priest and all-rounder Heather Graham, while analyst Tim Kendrew will also be making the journey for the new 100-ball competition.
Tasmania is only several weeks into its preparations for the 2021-22 domestic season, with Victorian duo Elyse Villani and Molly Strano and Hayley Silver-Holmes (NSW) fresh faces.
However Beams has a more than handy fallback in her absence.
“Hopefully not a big impact because otherwise I won’t be leading very well. I certainly don’t want to build a program that’s reliant on me, it should be able to run well,” Beams said.
“It gives an opportunity for Dan Marsh to step up as head coach for the six weeks and really for our program to grow here a little bit.
“We’re just getting to know each other now from the new recruits coming in four weeks in,
we’re actually heading up north to spend a bit of time away from training to form those deeper relationships, so they’re not just surface level.
“But it’s good actually, the standards have risen, which we want, but we’re still having fun.
“To be in an environment where I can step back is brilliant because all those things are happening instead, rather than because, of me.”
Priest and Graham received late call ups to the tournament following a spate of international withdrawals due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both are looking forward to getting some match conditions under their belts in a different environment.
“The way the world is at the moment, you don’t get these opportunities coming up as much,” Priest said.
“It was a little bit of a surprise to get the call up with all the girls that have pulled out. Sal was obviously looking for some extra players so I’m just really lucky to get the opportunity to go over.”
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