There is a new head honcho at Katamatite Cricket Club with the Tigers announcing Mark Haberfield as their coach for the 2023-24 season.
Haberfield has played for Mooroopna, Strathmerton and most recently Cobram, also spending time as an administrator with Southern Riverina Cricket Council.
Now, he is taking the reins as the senior coach at Tigerland.
“It is brilliant, it felt right,” Haberfield said.
“It was the right time, right place in my career to look at venturing further into coaching.
“Under the tutelage I have received under Adam Harwood at Cobram, I felt that the time was right to take on a senior coaching role of my own.”
The new coach said he was enthusiastic about what was in store for the club.
“Heading up the whole club is exciting, we have got some really, really good juniors out there that I am excited to work with and develop,” Haberfield said.
“I think there is massive upside with very little downside to the Katamatite Cricket Club as a whole and the whole Katamatite community.
“I am really looking forward to getting into it and knuckling down, getting some recruits in and challenging for finals next season.”
A focus on women’s cricket
While the goal is to return Katamatite’s A-grade men’s side to the finals, Haberfield said he was just as passionate about establishing a women’s cricket team at the club as well.
Katamatite currently does not have a senior women’s team and neither the Murray Valley Cricket Association nor Cricket Shepparton have a senior women’s league.
Nathalia, Echuca, Moama, Shepparton United, Kyabram, Bamawm-Lockington United and Rochester compete across two grades in the Goulburn Murray Cricket.
“I am really excited to try and set up an open women’s side based out of Katamatite,” he said.
“There is a chronic lack of support for women’s cricket in the area and that is something I am passionate about.
“I have two daughters myself and I think we are missing a massive opportunity as a whole zone not to have a women’s side somewhere in the area, whether it is Cobram, Tocumwal or Katamatite, we need to put a side into GMC and to play against the Shepparton teams.
“I think it is an exciting time for women’s sport in general across the board.”