1. SQUADS
It is important to note that registration does not equal selection. For starters, it assumes perfect availability which is never the case. Players will be unavailable, team schedules will clash, among many reasons why anyone performing well will get their opportunities. We only register 11 per team initially (and subsequently register players as they’re selected for matches). All this is to say, players should not be overly concerned with registration, but pay more attention to what squads you fall in – registration really it only informs the lowest someone can play. And even then, they can be shifted and adjusted if need be as we go along. It also does not mean you are totally out of consideration if not named in a squad, only that you have a bit of work to do to change the pecking order – something than can definitely be done through exploits on field when opportunity comes.
2. SELECTION
AVAILABILITY: It should be obvious but one of the first selection criteria is availability. If your availability is only patchy and doesn’t really line up with any one league team, there is a fair chance you will be considered more of a reserve to be inserted when convenient for both player and team. Don’t expect that just because you’re available for one particular weekend, that you are entitled to be drafted straight into a league team at the expense of others. And if you aren’t actively providing your availability via the SCC Cricket Section App then you won’t play. Too many people involved now for chasers and the onus is on players to keep this updated. It is also upon players to check the App so ensure that things have been updated correctly.
PERFORMANCE: We attempt to be very much a meritocracy at the club. If you are performing well and meaningfully contributing to team success, you are very likely to get opportunities to play, and play higher. We pack a heap of league quality friendlies into the season as well for players to always be auditioning. One strong performance can get you noticed, and backing that up again is what normally will lead to selection. Similarly, if things aren’t going your way on field, sometimes that will mean someone taking your spot. League structure being what it is, this will not always mean dropped to a lower division, however we have the previously mentioned Club XI games to regain form. Different teams also serve different purposes within the club and I will go into a little more detail further below.
TEAM: Contributions to a successful team are not always immediately evident from a scoresheet or people following casually. Being a good team player and doing the little “1 percenters”, particularly in the field, are things that captains and teammates will value and help advocate to give you more time to find form with bat and ball. Tying in with availability earlier, players like unity and consistency in teams. Conversely, if you are a difficult or unreliable teammate, you are making your case for selection that much tougher.
TRAINING: We fully understand that training is difficult for everyone to attend. We are trying to make this easier by hopefully exploring a weekend afternoon as an alternative. So it is not essential to attend, but training does give players a number of advantages in selection. It’s fairly correlated to performance for all but a lucky few. But it also gives selectors, captains, coaches and teammates a chance to see you working and playing outside of a match. That might give you a little extra run in a team, or get you picked in a close call over someone else.
None of this is an exact science. In fact it is subjective almost by definition. So there will be plenty of times where individuals will not agree with myself, coaches or captains’ assessments. We will do our best to provide our logic and guidance on how to improve selection chances. But please be understanding, as frustrating as it can be at times, that we are all wanting what is best for every player and the club as a whole. It is also important to keep yourself accountable – very difficult to improve as a player if you’re not your own toughest critic.
3. TEAMS
While meritocracy is the primary driver behind selection at SCC, there is a little bit of nuance behind some of the teams. A brief summary of the philosophy behind the teams is below:
LIONS – Our Lions team represents the club in the separate Development League T20 and is the strongest XI in the club subject to availability and commitment to play with ‘high performance’ expectations. If there is any slight selection bias, it is for players who can progress to the national team.
TIGERS – Our strongest XI eligible to play in the Clubs’ League, subject to availability and commitment to play 40 overs cricket. Pathway is directly to Lions.
COUGARS – A pre-selected group of experienced, quality older players who are finished with high performance cricket combined with the strongest JSMs in the club. Occasionally, the older demographic will be replaced with someone similar, but generally the selection will for all places outside that small group will come from our JSM ranks as we attempt to develop the next group of Lions players. Pathway is into Tigers and Lions.
CHEETAHS – The next strongest XI we can field subject to availability. Pathway is up to Tigers.
PANTHERS – The next strongest XI (equal to Jaguars) we can field subject to availability. This is the entry level league squad for newer Sports Members and for JSMs over 21 who are not immediately selected in a higher division. Pathway is to Cheetahs and Tigers.
JAGUARS – The next strongest XI (equal to Panthers) we can field subject to availability. This squad is exclusively for Ordinary and Term Members, with some allowance for Sports Members who have been around for a while. No JSMs. Pathway is to Cheetahs and Tigers.
PUMAS – This squad is exclusively for JSMs U21. It will not always be strictly the strongest available XI but primarily aimed at our best young JSMs transitioning from junior games into senior cricket. This is the entry level league squad for all U21 JSMs. Pathway is to Panthers, Cheetahs and often directly to Cougars.
CLUB XI (non league) – All non-league matches that are not Saturday XI fall into a generic Club XI bucket. These might be an internal competition, ad hoc arrangements with other league teams when we have a free slot, or an incoming touring team, or an outgoing tour. If suitably league standard then they will also be performances that get noted and factored in.
Looking forward to a big year ahead!