Hinchliffe looks back on his time at West

Following the departure of the legendary John Blain from West, I was appointed as club coach at West of Scotland for the summer of 2015. Over five seasons, I brought several changes to the club, while cementing the great tradition of West.

Known to members as Hinchy or Seagull, my most obvious achievement was the introduction of evidence-based coaching - using the PitchVision ball-tracking system video analysis at training and matches, as well as detailed statistical analysis of matches. Players at every level had the option of using this data to personalise their training. Many took advantage of special small-group and one-to-one sessions. The indoor school saw an increase in use by members in structured training.

My tenure saw steady acquisition and use of other training tools that better allowed players to improve. Fielding boards and bats, ball sticks, throw-down nets, weighted balls, rubber stumps and more were used to recreate match conditions in realistic and challenging drills. Practice activity was tailored to the needs of the players, and each one focused on helping the members improve their cricket from whatever level they started. I prided myself on dedicating long hours to detailed planning and preparation for these sessions.

However, it was not all about the tools and drills. Club cricket is built on strong relationships and spirit. West has a powerful tradition of both, and a lot of work was done to build on these foundations. Gradually, a spirit of both self-sufficiency and helping each other grew through the club from absolute beginners to performance players. I hope this virtuous circle will continue long into the future.

A sense of belonging and pride in the club was also grown. The club’s history was brought to the fore with the reintroduction of the “Baggy Roon” club cap as a prize to earn. Achievements were honoured with awards. Clear standards were set with a revision of “The West Way” philosophy underpinning every team who represents the club with clear expectations. Youth players were integrated into the club through the popular “honorary 12th man” initiative that saw under-12 and 14 players carry the drinks for the 1st XI.

Although I moved on at the end of 2019 to new challenges, my heart will always rest with West as my club, and I will often return as a supporter to sit on the bank and raise the clarion call of “Come on West!”. I am yet to tell an opposition bowler to stop begging.

David Hinchliffe

You can see some of the statistical analytics David completed in the season statistical reports found here.

This article forms the first part of a new Coaching Corner series which will look at the coaches that develop the skills and ability of all members of the West of Scotland.