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Monday
13 June 2005

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JUNIORS MEET SKILLS AWARD STANDARDS

Juniors attending the Club's coaching sessions at Melbourne on Friday evenings are continuing to progress and are gradually developing towards 'player' standard through use of the Dunlop Skills Award training system. Both coaching sessions for beginners and improvers continue to flourish under the leadership of head coach Neil Gooday (ETTA Level 3 Coach). With progress being recognised by achieving the required standard to receive a Dunlop Skills recognition certificate. For beginners the immediate aim is the basic 'Rookie' award, covering stance, bat grip, movement, service and beginnings of basic shots like a forehand and backhand push and drive. There is then the opportunity to progress to improver and player standards which require more sustained play and ability to produce repeated and consistent strokes. It's great to see that a number are now progressing to these higher levels and this was recognised in the most recent batch of awards as the pictures below show. Neil is well supported in the coaching programme by Adrian Pitt, Ryan Pitt (who is now training for his level 3 award), Graham Turner and Arthur Clark. League Coaching Officer Hil Dowsett also joins the third coaching session on a Friday designed for the "Elite" players, those who have already reached league standard and are keen to improve further. The coaching programme has been hard work over the last 21 months since the move to Melbourne but those efforts are being rewarded by one or two fine young players starting to emerge onto the League scene, and also representing the League in National Junior League play. Well done, and keep up the great work.

Alex Beaumont receives his Dunlop Skills Improver Award from Coach Neil Gooday at the presentations ceremony on Friday  5 June
	After just 12 months play 13 year old Damien Laverty receives his second Dunlop Skills Award at Improver level and is hoping that come September he will be ready to play in the Introductory League Competition - CLICK- designed especially for players at beginning standard. Sure he is happy about that, although you might be forgiven for thinking otherwise from the face!
Daryl Knock is another who is making good progress and seems to have a fair eye for the ball - despite the cap! maybe it will be a League Cap next year...?
	Matt Evans is a relative newcomer but has already obtained his Rookie Award and is well on his way to Improver level. Expect to see him appearing in CLICK come September if he keeps up progress at this rate.
You might say this young man is a chip of the old block! Scott Dowsett one of the youngest of the current batch of award winners looks as if he could well follow father, Terry, uncle Neil and  granddad Hil to become a very fine player.
	Two in one!  Shane Bone another relative newcomer to coaching picks up both his Rookie and Improver Awards. With just a little more discipline and application Shane could also be heading for CLICK this September.