General News
1 April, 2019
Bulls leader recommits
POMBORNEIT’S premiership skipper Grant Place admits he did not have to give too much thought to extending his time as the leader of his club.
POMBORNEIT’S premiership skipper Grant Place admits he did not have to give too much thought to extending his time as the leader of his club.
The Bulls reappointed the top-order batsman for a second year at the helm after he led the side to their first flag in a decade.
“It was a pretty easy decision,” Place said.
“After the year we had I didn’t have to think too hard about it after the boys on the executive offered it to me again.”
Place said his first year as captain had been both enjoyable and challenging.
“It was very enjoyable for the most part but there were times when it was challenging, particularly when blokes gave advice or opinions,” he said.
“But you just had to go with what you thought was the right decision for the team, but that is part and parcel with taking on leadership decisions.
“You either have to take on their advice or back in your own decision.”
Place said one of the “big learning curves” he experienced was accommodating the opinions and advice he received, admitting it was something he became better at as the season wore on.
“I definitely learned how to take blokes’ opinions,” he said.
“Obviously playing with a brother and cousins in the side they were more than happy to give their opinions.
“But it was about being patient with them and doing as I said before, either taking on their advice or making my own decision.”
With the Bulls still basking in the glory of the 2018/19 season, attention has started to slowly turn to next year, with Place keen to keep the premiership list intact.
He said the executive would “hopefully have good news” on whether Sri Lankan pair Lahiru Fernando and Tharaka Sendanayake would return before both players head home in the coming months.
As for the rest of the squad, Place expects to know more closer to the start of the year as to who will remain.
“Obviously we want to try and keep the blokes that are there already and I don’t think it’s unrealistic to aim to be up the top again,” he said.
“But it’s a long way from the start of April to the start of cricket season.
“We’ll just try to keep the ones we’ve got at the minute and go from there I suppose.”