Message from our captain

With that said, following are my priorities for this season (in no particular order):

1. Passion for the club and the game

I will start by saying, I am proud to be part of this Club! I say this to everyone with the same passion as I am writing this email. I have been with the club since 3 years and I can tell you without a doubt this is the best club in Kanton Zurich! I have become more attached to this club, than any other club I have ever played for. Simply because of the members of this club, plenty of cricket and the social events, all good fun!
 
I personally believe passion drives achievement. Only if you have passion for the club and the game, we will succeed as a team. Therefore, I want every team member to put:
- The Club first;
- Team second and;
- You, as the third priority every time we play (Friendly, Tournaments or League)

Yes, I said "You", because you form the team and the club!

2. Social life in WCC

(http://www.winterthurcc.ch/social/ please note, some social events are under the Matches section of the website)

We all have a life outside weekend cricket, we all work and we have families. I would like to urge every WCC member to appreciate the efforts of our social secretary by participating in the social events too. Us members form the club and we have the responsibility to ensure the social side of the club is as active as the cricket side, plus you owe your partner, friends and kids a nice sunny weekend out of the city hustle and bustle with cold beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), warm sunshine and a even a nice barque ;-) :-)

3.Cricket in WCC

(http://www.winterthurcc.ch/matches/)

We have 2 formats this season (a doodle link will be sent for availability checks, at least a week before the match):

- Pickwick T20 Championship
- McGees 40 over League
- Friendlies - internal or Vs other clubs (could be 20, 30 or 40 over match)

Obviously, we have to win both formats, that goes without saying! The key to win any match is to play as a team, you can only play as a team if you get to know your team mates and build that rapport, therefore Wednesday practice and social events are crucial. All of us work and have different time schedules and yet, most of us make it for the Wednesday session, it would be disrespectful to our team mates who show up by aligning their work schedules for practice and make a difference for the team. After all, we are all professionals and we value time, so lets make the Wednesday practice session a success.

4. Communication on and off the field
Cricket is a fun game and that's how we will play it, come with an open mind and some level of a sense of humor :-D, leave your stress for work ;-) :-D Winning is important, but winning is NOT the only important task. Be a good team player, encourage your team member, everyone makes at least one mistake, so tease the daylights out of him, but be fair and don't get carried away! Have a laugh! it helps to concentrate.(I’m always the clown of the team)
 
Please refrain from any discussion on or off the field that may bring the morale of the team and your individual performance down. As a Captain and your team mate, use me to address any concerns or issues, I’m sure we will always find a solution (not everyone likes all the jokes or the tactics or team selection).

5. Expectations from playing 11
We are all cricketers, almost all of you might have a significant level of experience and there will be no shortage of ideas, strategy and tactics from your experience. Twenty minutes before every game, we will have a team huddle, where I will communicate the plans for the game (batting order, bowlers, tactics etc.) During a game, I will not be able to communicate all my plans and thoughts to all in the field, and it’s inevitable that the game changes every over and all of you will have brilliant ideas to accelerate or recover. I promise, I will give all of you fair chance to communicate your ideas to me.
Therefore, for every match, I will choose two members of the squad to play the adviser role, only these two individuals will advise the captain on tactics, final decision is always with the Captain ;-) allow me to lead you. I will rotate the selection of two individuals every match, so almost all of you have a fair chance to contribute over this season. With that said, all the other members of the squad MUST fully focus on the match and deliver what is expected of you.

Lastly, I want to make a commitment to all of you that, i will perform the duties of a Club Captain with utmost responsibility. Many of you know me personally, I am an easy going and fun person, I promise you that we will have fun during the game and during the social events, so I request you all to come with an open mind and your best sense of humor ;-) and just enjoy the company of your team mates and other WCC members.

Looking forward to an exciting and fun filled season!

Cheers,
Tom Mampilly

tel. 078 784 04 07