When Steve Nicholson took over as coach of Williamstown Imperials at the start of last season, he found a club in desperate need of a makeover.
He inherited an ageing playing roster that had enjoyed a modicum of success en route to two minor premierships and two grand finals.
When they failed to make it to the holy grail after two attempts, the premiership window for that crop of players slammed shut.
Nicholson had to rebuild for the future, but he did it without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Instead, he moulded a side around captain Rohan Hilson and veteran Glen Robson, while bringing in the youth to take the club forward – just in the nick of time.
While the Imperials missed the Williamstown and District Cricket Association finals last season, the side arrived at its new digs in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association west B1 this summer all the better for it, and with a seemingly brighter future.
“We’ve put an emphasis on young people,” Nicholson said. “It has certainly invigorated the place.
“It needed a bit of a kick up the bum because it had been a situation where it was same old, same old – getting to a grand final and not being able to go on with it for a couple of years in a row.
“Something had to change; guys weren’t getting any younger.
“We’re giving the younger guys as much of a chance as possible and exposing them to the highest level we’re playing at, to give them a taste of what it’s like,” Nicholson said.
“We’re pretty happy with the direction we’re taking at the moment.”
Hilson and Robson remain key planks of Imperials’ push to be a promotion contender in their first season of VTCA. Hilson is the captain and still capable of taking his regular 30 wickets a season. Robson is the premier all-rounder, having taken 21 wickets and scored 324 runs last campaign.
The improvement, however, will need to come from the players on the periphery. They need to take the next step and get up to speed fast to realise their promotion aims in year one.
Nicholson has already driven a shift in the players’ thinking in his short time at the helm.
“Now we’ve jumped out of the WDCA, our first and foremost aim is to get out of the section we’re playing in at the moment as quickly as possible,” he said.
“To do that, we probably had to get a bit more professional and fall into line with how the other clubs in VTCA operate.”
The Imperials have brought across English import Tom Pugh, a left-arm orthodox spinner, who opened the bowling in his first game at the club, finishing with three wickets in a win over Sunshine YCW.
“It’s an old tactic I used to use as a skipper,” Nicholson said.
“He’s a kid who bowls a very good line and length.
“He’s got a very competitive spirit about him and he’s out there to win on every occasion.
“He’s come over here to enhance his cricket, learn as much as possible and hopefully take that back to England.”
The Imperials are 1-1 for the season after losing on Saturday to Footscray ANA.
