Central Sparks assistant coach Dominic Ostler says he enjoys his role with the team ‘hugely,’ and it ‘inspires’ him, as he continues his journey with the club in 2023.
Former Warwickshire great, Ostler began his coaching journey before 2020, but in that year, he linked up with Head coach Lloyd Tennant to work with the Sparks.
The former Bears batsmen, who recorded 10,000 runs for the Edgbaston club, finds himself now, in a pivotal role helping the Sparks team develop and grow, as cricket grows in the female game more and more.
Ostler said: “I’ve been here since the start with Lloyd [Tennant], and it’s something that I really enjoy.
“It’s something that inspires me, I want these girls to do well, I want to improve them and hopefully we’ve had a lot of fun doing that over the last three years.
“In the role, you must keep up with everything that’s going on in the women’s game which I think we are. We’ve got the quickest bowling attack, the best batters, we just need to put it all together now."
As Ostler is deep into his coaching career, he reflected on his time playing the game, where he won everything there is to win in the game at club level, in the famous Brian Lara Bears era.
He said: “Playing for Warwickshire was a big dream for me, a massive dream. I loved every minute of it, I had 15 years at Warwickshire. We won everything; we had a team that was just sensational.
“We won at Lords I don’t know how many times, won the County Championship a couple of times, won the treble in 1994, it was great.
“Our team in the early to mid 90’s, just didn’t know how to lose. Whatever situation we were in, we seemed to find a way to come out on top.
“We had a fantastic work ethic, everybody wanted each other to succeed, and I was lucky enough to be a part of it.
“I loved being a part of it, I loved doing it and watching everyone else play their part. Everybody contributed, and I think that’s why we were so successful during that era.”
Discussing why he got into coaching, Ostler admitted it wasn’t something that was ever in his plans.
He added: “I left cricket and went into business, I did that for a few years, then I ran a bar for 12 years.
“During the time I ran that bar, I got into a bit of coaching, helping at a school and then just probably, out of luck, got asked to help with the Warwickshire under 17’s girls.
“I did that, thoroughly enjoyed it and soon after I got asked to do the Warwickshire women’s first team. With them, we won the T20 for a couple of seasons in a row, then I was lucky enough to join the Sparks.
“Since then, I’ve been working with Lloydy [Lloyd Tennant] and all the guys there.”
Moving to the now, Ostler and the Sparks have begun their 2023 journey and so far, have two losses and a win from their first three games. The former batsmen believes the Sparks have a brilliant side though and hopes for success this year.
Ostler said: “We’ve got a great squad; we have the ability so we can back ourselves.
“We’ve got some really good players in our side, we just need to bat with confidence, bowl well and enjoy it, and be positive and I’m sure this year will be a success.”
Comentários