Welcome to our Captains for 2025/26. This is a guide to help set expectations and sets out the main procedural requirements for our Captains.
Contact details & key personnel
Feel free to contact the following club administrators for any questions relating to Seniors cricket at WPHC:
| Name | Role | Best contact |
| James Makin | Seniors Director | 0459 699 393 |
| Ross Anderson | Director of Operations | 0422 841 169 or operations@wphccc.com.au |
| Prathamesh Datar (Prats) | Registrar (mainly PlayHQ and e-scoring) | 0401 046 506 |
Below are the contact details of the Senior Captains for 2025/26:
| Team | Captain | Phone |
| A1 | Cameron McBrien | 0405 801 303 |
| A2 Blue | Todd Hutchinson | 0409 965 385 |
| A2 Red | Warren Schwartzel | 0417 906 980 |
| B1 | Prathamesh Datar | 0401 046 506 |
| B2 | Sparsh Polepalle | 0478 036 370 |
| C1 | Aniket Mahindre | 0425 277 890 |
| C2 | Indranil Mukherjee | 0488 846 372 |
| C3 Red | Karl Erdmanis | 0439 995 275 |
| C3 Blue | Chintan Shah | 0451 960 603 |
| C4 Blue | Rob Hanich | 0414 551 546 |
| C4 Red | Ravi Gunna | 0451 632 846 |
| D2 | Ross Smith | 0477 384 327 |
| D1 Red | Ian Digby | 0433 810 293 |
| D1 Blue | Roger Friend | 0407 924 511 |
Selection process
The Club’s selection policy/guidelines are as follows:
- Players must be financial (i.e.; registered on PlayHQ)
- A1 to B1 is picked on merit, with the best 11 players playing in A1 each week
- For other grades:
- Players must be playing at the right level, according to the Association ratings
- To the extent possible, consider requests for friends/family groups to play together. It is very clear from past player surveys that playing with friends is the most important aspect of playing cricket at this club
- Aim to have a good mix of batting and bowling across the teams, and a mix of “experience” and young legs where possible
However, please respect that there is unlikely to be a perfect combination of all the above factors. It’s an impossible jigsaw that we do our best to solve.
In terms of fill-in players during the year, below is the order of priority that the captains and selection committee run through each week:
- As above, the best 11 players from across the club must play in A1 each week
- First preference is given to any surplus players from other teams (i.e. fully registered senior players). This may include teams that have byes
- Next preference is any Club Juniors that are keen for a game
- If all the above fails, we can look to bringing in any other friends, family, ex-teammates, etc on an ad hoc basis. However, they must be registered before playing
New players
All new players must be registered and rated before playing.
Registration
When registering to play for WPHC cricket club, players are also registering on PlayHQ. This enables captains to add them to the team for scoring, etc
- Players are allocated to teams in bulk at the start of the year
- If players are borrowed from other teams, or new players introduced to fill-in, the Captain may need to search through the full Club player list to assign this player to their team
New players to the Club may need to go through a transfer process when registering. Their previous club is required to release them before they can be registered with WPHC. This process can sometimes take a few days to work through.
Player ratings
All players must receive a player rating from the Association. This ensures players are in a grade that’s appropriate for their ability.
Ratings are published on the Association website. For past players, a rating is allocated based on performances in past seasons. For new players, a rating must be requested in the week prior to play, otherwise they must play under restrictions (e.g.; max of X runs or Y overs – see the latest Association rules for details).
To help with these rating requests, please complete the sentence below:
Last played in [year] for [club name] in [grade]. Scored XX runs at an average of XX and took XX wickets at an average of XX
If this information is not known (e.g.; last played 20 years ago in another city) then provide whatever guidance you can regarding the correct rating for this player.
Junior fill-ins
Juniors are not registered automatically to play Seniors, they must be given a Permit by a Club Administrator. This is a straightforward task, but needs to happen before you can select this player in your team in PlayHQ. They also need a player rating from the Association (as above).
Fees for mid-season fill-ins
If mid-season fill-ins are required due to injuries, illnesses or bulk absences, arrangements can be made for partial fees based on the likely number of games played. This could range from nil (for last-minute emergency players that we need to beg to play 😊) through to a per-game or proportional fee based on the estimated number of games to be played. Please speak to the Seniors Director for details.
Live scoring & PlayHQ
Live scoring is strongly encouraged. Being able to follow other games being played across the club is fantastic for getting to know who’s who across the club, and for celebrating successes.
Below are some handy resources for Live scoring:
- E-Scoring Guide (Quick) PDF
- Other CricketNSW eScoring resources: https://www.cricketnsw.com.au/play-hq/e-scoring#:~:text=Matches%20can%20be%20e-Scored%20using%20any%20device%20via,Admin%20access%20by%20your%20Club%20or%20Association%20first.
You need to have e-scoring access to do live-scoring on game day. Contact the Registrar if you aren’t already set up.
If you don’t live score, you’ll need to enter scorecards into PlayHQ after the game. You need Manager level access – contact the Registrar to arrange this. The captain’s role is quite full, so we strongly recommend you share this responsibility with others in your team.
Club culture
There are many ways that Captains contribute significantly to Club culture. Here are a few:
- Please support the club training session. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships across teams and a one-club culture
- Use the club-wide Whatsapp group to keep your club-mates up to date with how your games are going. Especially if a key milestone is happening. We all want to celebrate your team’s successes
- The match reports on the Club website are a great read. And, it seems, a great outlet for our player’s journalistic (and comedic) talents! They get many, many hits every weekend. Please ensure that some sort of match report is sent to Ross on Saturday evening after the game so he can upload them first thing on Sunday. Whilst some Captains love writing these reports themselves, but they’re also an ideal task to delegate to other team members to keep them involved in the team
- Also, Ross is always on the lookout for good stories to add to his anecdotes page. Feel free to flick anything interesting his way
- Please encourage as many players as possible to return to the Sports Club after the game to have a drink, or a feed, and to share stories with other clubmates. It’s no coincidence that players who return to the Sports Club tend to play with WPHC for longer due to the friendships they build up across teams. These teams also tend to be better supported when it comes to finals and ad hoc filling in across the grades. The Sports Club have also sponsored us for years, providing funds and practice facilities for free, so this is the least we can do to repay them
Photo: C2 after their Semi Final win at the WPH Sports Club 8 March 2025
Other captaincy administration
Captain’s Reports
When umpires are provided to a game, a Captain’s Report is required after the match to assess the performance of the umpires and the suitability of the ground conditions. Failing to do so may incur fines or loss of points.
As of 2024/25, Captain’s Reports operate automatically via PlayHQ. The critical step is to name the captain in the team list, then a Captain’s Report will be emailed to that captain for completion.
New/replacement gear
Please contact the Director of Operations for any ball, scorebook and kit requirements.
The Spirit of Cricket
Our goal is to lead the Association in playing cricket the right way. Playing hard, but being respectful to other players, officials, spectators, etc. Being fair and unbiased. Being the team that other teams think “well, whist we didn’t win the premiership, at least it was WPHC that did.”
The preamble to the MCC Laws of cricket sum this up really well … https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket/preamble-to-the-laws-spirit-of-cricket. Definitely worth a read – it’s only one page.
As the Captain you’re in the best position to define the tone of each game, and to lead the way in this regard. You obviously can’t control everything that happens, but if you do see something going awry, jump in and cool it down. Regardless of who’s at fault, you can stop it from being an issue. You’re best placed to get everyone back to playing cricket.
“Sheep-station Trophy games”
These are games played against another WPHC team in the same grade. These games should represent the epitome of the spirit of cricket. Captains should be looking for ways to out-do each other in terms of sportsmanship. The basic rules are:
- If we’re umpiring, we umpire as if the batsman and the bowler are both our teammates. Completely unbiased
- The umpire’s decisions are accepted without question, which is fine because of point 1
- Batters walk if they nick it. The umpire does not need to make a decision, regardless of whether it’s an official or not. Your Clubmate is bowling – pay him the respect of walking
Traditionally the toss is done wearing a blazer and club tie (if you have one). It’s one for the photo gallery – go big!
Photo: Cameron McBrien (A1) & Campbell Wallace (A1) at the coin toss for the Sheep Station Trophy 19 November 2022
Tips on how to win a premiership
There are many ways that Captains can influence the success of a team, but here’s three key factors that have proven time and time again to improve your chances of winning a premiership:
- Teams that focus on a handful of stars may win a few games, but they don’t win premierships. You need 11+ players to win a premiership. Make sure everyone has a role, and a way to contribute to the team’s success
- That includes players filling in from other teams or from Juniors. They are your clubmates, future permanent teammates, and may be required to fill in again. Make sure they’re very keen to come back and play well for you
- Teams that aren’t enjoying their cricket don’t win premierships. It’s OK to strive hard to win, but if you do so at the expense of the enjoyment of the game, then it’s counterproductive. You won’t win in the long term. Referring to item one is a good place to start
- Don’t make the other teams more determined to beat you. Sledging and rule-bending backfires more often than it succeeds. And if it does succeed, it’s only short term. The other teams just want to beat you more, either this time or the next time they play you. It’s OK to play hard, but be respectful and fair. Be the other team’s friend, while you beat them
Useful links
| Rules | https://www.hkhdca.com/club-policy |
| Latest list of player ratings | https://www.hkhdca.com/club-policy |
| Availability spreadsheet used by captains/ selectors to manage players across teams on a weekly basis (access required) | https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cYEb3TEPlAVnEZcr5MyDVlp7RZRwHsuXv-sFOa87FrM/edit?usp=sharing |