Sport
Betsey to bat on
TORIN CHEN
Wednesday 7 May, 2008 10:00am
VETERAN cricket coach John Betsey has vowed to continue coaching for as long as he can.
Betsey was recently honoured by Cricket NSW with a special award for his service to coaching, and the 64-year-old from Hoxton Park has no immediate or long-term plans to retreat into retirement.
``I will continue to coach and do the best that I can for sure,'' he told the Liverpool Leader.
``I've always maintained a high level of fitness and I will coach until I drop.''
Betsey has been coaching Fairfield-Liverpool representative teams for 10 years and has coached teams in the under-13s, 14s, 15s and 17s.
A host of players he has coached have gone on to play in the state and international arenas, including NSW player Greg Mail and Australian test and one-day international star Michael Clarke.
Betsey believes the key to being a successful coach is applying the same attitude you take into a game to training.
``I think the secret to a good coach is a coach who can maximise the similarities between practise and performance in a game,'' Betsey said.
``If you practise rubbish, you play rubbish.
``If you give 100 per cent at practise then you can give 100 per cent during the game.''
Betsey said seeing his players rise through the representative ranks is his greatest source of satisfaction in coaching at the junior representative level.
``I get satisfaction out of seeing those boys perform and just seeing them succeed,'' he said.
``After you see someone wave their bat at the pavilion after scoring a hundred, I like to think I've played some part in it.''
