GORAE-PORTLAND will head into the 2023-24 cricket season with plenty of change on hand, with a fresh renovation at their home ground of Alexandra Park, along with a familiar face at the helm of their A grade side in Nick Wills, to go along with the new-look Hamilton and District Cricket Association.

Wills, who will be taking on a captain-coach role for this season after Zac Duncan captained the side in the 2022-23 season, said at the time of his appointment that he was excited to bring his experience and knowledge to the table for Go-Ports once again.

“I was sort of the coach last season… I had a lot of other commitments going on last season, but coming into this year I was keen to take on both roles (again),” he said earlier this year.

“Being able to coach and captain in the same style between training and the game… I think it works quite well.

“I’ll be able to bring the experience I had in prior stints in the role into this season… we were able to get really good alignment between how we were training and how we were playing.”

Wills said the group is also excited to welcome a valuable new player into the fold, with opening batsman Finn Saurine to line up for the club this season.

“He’s a pretty big inclusion for us… he actually came down to train with the footy club (Westerns Football Netball Club) and some of the boys asked if he played cricket and he said he preferred it, and here we are,” Wills said.

“We’re excited to see what he can bring to the table for us, he’ll be a good opening bat in A grade for us which is something we needed.

“We’ll also be welcoming ‘Compy’ (Damien Compton) back into the side.”

Wills said the group is “really excited” for the season ahead and that the Hamilton move had given them a renewed sense of passion.

“We’re putting a really big emphasis on training this year… last year we really tapered off, so I’ve asked the boys to really take ownership of that,” he said.

“I think especially for the younger guys this move to Hamilton is a great opportunity for them to test themselves, but there’s a higher level of professionalism which has to come along with it as well.”

He said Go-Ports being back on their home turf at Alexandra Park would do wonders for the side’s morale, admitting that the 2022-23 season had been especially tough since they had not been able to use the facility.

“It was really tough, it never felt like we were really at home for the whole season, and even just the logistics that went into it including finding training venues… we’re glad to be back home,” he said.

As for the goals the club has coming into the season, Wills said making finals is always at the front of their minds.

“We missed out on finals in the PDCA last year which was a big disappointment for us… but we know if we get things right, we’re capable of it,” Wills said.

“I think what it comes down to is challenging the guys to have their cricket smarts about them… we’re going to be coming up against guys we’ve never played against before, and often only playing them once before the end of the season.

“That’s where getting an understanding of players’ strengths and weaknesses quickly will be really important.”

Gorae-Portland’s season will get underway October 7 with a home game against St Andrews.

Gorae-Portland Cricket Club

A grade captain: Nick Wills

Player gains: Finn Saurine (Seville CC), Damien Compton

Player losses: nil

Most runs 22/23: Nick Wills – 287 runs at 31.89

Most wickets 22/23: Stephen O’Brien – 15 wickets at 17.00