Sport

Parade this weekend. p71.

New Penrith Cricket Club head coach Andrew Lamb. Photo: Melinda Jane.

NATHAN TAYLOR

New head coach Andrew Lamb may still be learning everyone’s name at Penrith Cricket Club, but he hasn’t wasted any time in putting his stamp on things.

The 43-year-old former cricketer – who only arrived in the country earlier this month after 14 years living and working in New Zealand – replaces Penrith Cricket Club icon Michael Wholohan, who quit his long-standing role last winter to link up with crosstown rivals Hawkesbury.

During his decade-and-a-half across the Tasman, Lamb played first class cricket with Wellington and Central Districts for six years before moving into coaching club cricket. Lamb coached Wellington U17’s for four years and was also Pathway Bowling Coach for Wellington Cricket.

Speaking with the Weekender, the former fast bowler said it was a “hard decision” to leave his family in New Zealand and return home to Australia to pursue the next stage of his coaching journey.

“I’ve done a lot of high performance coaching in New Zealand and I thought this role at Penrith might be a good opportunity to come back and really get started over here,” he said.

“I thought I’d apply for the role and let the club know I was keen. Sure enough they got back to me and said ‘we’re really keen to see what you can do, we like your ideas and we want to go from there’.”

Arriving in the country just in time for Penrith’s opening round clash on November 6, Lamb is slowly getting himself acquainted with everyone at the club. Having been a member of ManlyWarringah during his playing days, Lamb said he’s looking forward to the challenge of coaching in the competitive Sydney Grade Cricket competition.

“I know what the calibre of cricket is like over here and I expect it to be a step up from coaching club cricket in New Zealand,” he said.

“The processes that I’ve got in place and the things I’ve figured out over the years in coaching have pushed me towards a higher level, so I feel ready.”

Lamb, who originally hails from Bathurst, said replacing a club legend like Wholohan won’t be an easy task, but he is keen to sink his teeth into the role and eventually make the place his own.

“For me, it’s not about coming in and changing everything – there are things that work well already and things that ‘Whols’ put in place that are brilliant… but there are a few little tweaks that I’ll make to bring things into a different way of thinking, to elevate the boys into a more professional standard of training and playing,” he said.

Penrith enjoyed their first win of the season under Lamb last weekend.

NATHAN TAYLOR

On the eve of the upcoming football season, the Western Sydney Wanderers have confirmed a two-year partnership agreement with global manufacturing and technological innovator Komatsu Australia.

Komatsu was founded near Komatsu City in Japan and are now a leader in the manufacturing and distribution of earthmoving and mining equipment globally. Komatsu will be supporters of the Wanderers A-League Women’s side where they will feature on the right sleeve of the jersey as well as supporting a range of community initiatives led by the club.

Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas welcomed Komatsu to the Wanderers family.

“The next two seasons are set to be major on both a domestic and international level with the FIFA Women’s World Cup on our shores in 2023, and we are very proud to have Komatsu on-board to support our A-League Women’s team over this period,” he said.

Managing Director and CEO of Komatsu Australia Sean Taylor said: “Komatsu is celebrating 100 years in 2021, and we couldn’t think of a better way to mark this occasion than to give back to the western Sydney community that our business has been so lucky to have called home for all these years.” F or the first time since 2016, the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC will play in the opening round of the A-League Men season.

The Wanderers will kick off their 10th season in the competition this Saturday night when they do battle with the Sky Blues at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta.

A crowd of more than 20,000 fully vaccinated fans are expected to be in attendance for the blockbuster clash, which will usher in a new era for the A-Leagues.

After a long association with Fox Sports, the A-Leagues officially have a new home in 2021/22 with every game of the A-League Men and A-League Women seasons to be broadcast on streaming service Paramount+, plus one A-League Men’s game will also be broadcast on Saturday nights on 10 and live-streamed on 10 Play.

Tomorrow night’s Sydney Derby will be screened live on 10’s main channel from 7pm, with the rest of the round’s games to be streamed on Paramount+.

With coach Carl Robinson back for his second year in charge and new captain Rhys Williams set to lead out the side for the first time, the Wanderers will go into Saturday’s clash as slight outsiders against last season’s runners up.

Despite having not qualified for the playoffs since 2017, the Wanderers are equal third favourites with the bookmakers for this year’s title.

NATHAN TAYLOR

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NATHAN TAYLOR

Nearly two months after Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo hoisted the Provan-Summons Trophy at Suncorp Stadium, Panthers fans will finally get the chance to cheer on their Grand Final heroes this Saturday morning in Penrith.

The celebrations will officially get underway with a street parade through the CBD, immediately followed by a ticketed event at BlueBet Stadium.

The street parade will begin at 10am, with the open-top bus to start its journey to the stadium from the corner of High and Evan streets, next to the Fire Station.

Fans are encouraged to line the CBD streets as the bus travels down High Street before turning left at Station Street and finishing at BlueBet Stadium.

The route and timing will allow members and fans to participate in the parade before heading over to BlueBet Stadium for the Stadium Celebration.

The Premiers Stadium Celebration will kick off at approximately 11am as the Panthers make their highly-anticipated return to home turf.

Accompanied by the coveted ProvanSummons Trophy, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary and the players – including some that have since moved on to other NRL clubs – will relive the memorable Grand Final moments and share some insights from their history-making campaign.

Limited tickets have been available to fans over the past week, with a strong crowd expected to be in attendance for the historic event.

One man who has been involved in a parade or two during his career is Panthers legend and 1991 Premiershipwinning captain Greg Alexander.

Speaking with the Weekender, Alexander said tomorrow’s event will be an opportunity for supporters to celebrate the 2021 NRL champions in-person.

“Because of the unique situation this year’s Grand Final was played under – the players were away for four months and didn’t get to play at their home ground – the one regret I felt for them is that they didn’t get to go on a bus from ANZ Stadium and travel out to Penrith and come back to the club, which would have been surrounded by 10,000 people,” he said.

“This Saturday’s street parade is a chance for the players to capture a little bit of what they missed on Grand Final night and for the people of Penrith to get out and show their appreciation for the season that the Panthers had.

“Yes the players had their own unique celebrations up in Queensland, but this is an opportunity for them to lap it up and enjoy their feats one last time.”

In between her two bouts – the first in July and the second last weekend – Blencowe spent the past six months living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and training out of the prestigious Jackson Wink MMA Academy.

Blencowe said she’s excited to reunite with her family and friends before slowly returning to the gym and preparing for a big 2022.

“I haven’t been home for six months. I haven’t seen my kids, my partner, my family, my friends. I’m going to go home and enjoy the rest of the year, enjoy Christmas and then come back fresh and take on whoever is put in front of me,” she said.

The rest and rehabilitation might do Blencowe the world of good. Just hours after defeating Sorenson in style, Blencowe revealed on social media that she’d been dealing with a troublesome left leg injury and was reliant on crutches.

“I probably should’ve pulled out of this fight,” Blencowe admitted.

“Going into it with an injury, a fight camp that was compromised and risking my number one ranking… not the smartest move. But I backed myself.”

NETBALL: Western Weekender journalist Nathan Taylor took home a Judy Dunbar Media Award for ‘Best Local Media Coverage’ at the 2021 Netball NSW State Awards last week. This is Nathan’s second Judy Dunbar Media Award after previously winning the accolade in 2017. Meanwhile, Giants Netball and Australian Diamonds mid-courter Jamie-Lee Price was named the state’s Super Netball Player of the Year, taking home the Marilyn Melhuish OAM Medal. The Medal is presented to the standout player from Netball NSW’s two professional clubs – the Swifts and Giants – over the course of the Super Netball regular season. Price tallied the highest number of points throughout 2021 to win the Medal for the first time.

CRICKET: Penrith have won their first game under new head coach Andrew Lamb, defeating CampbelltownCamden in Round 2 of the Belvidere Cup last weekend. Playing in a One Day match at Howell Oval, CampbelltownCamden won the toss and sent Penrith into bat first. Penrith were on fire with the willow, finishing on a super impressive 4/299 after 50 overs. The very talented Ryley Smith was huge for the home side, notching up his maiden century in first grade with 112 runs. When Campbelltown-Camden hit the crease later that afternoon, they played well but were ultimately dismissed for 194. Recent Basil Sellars Scholar Liam Doddrell was best with the ball for Penrith, taking 3/30. Penrith will aim for back to back victories when they face St George this Saturday at Hurstville Oval.

CRICKET: Round 2 of the Nepean District Cricket Association (NDCA) is in the books, with Panthers Cricket Club having mixed results for the second straight week. In first grade, Panthers 4/85 defeated Gen X 10/82 to secure their first victory of the year. In fifth grade, Panthers 10/86 went down to Colyton St Clair 6/89. In seventh grade, Panthers 6/81 were too good for Mulgoa Valley 9/78.

AFL: Following a career-best season, Penrith-born GWS Giants star Jake Stein has re-signed with the club for 2022. Stein played six games in 2021, including both finals for the club, cementing a spot in the Giants’ backline late in the season. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Harry Perryman signed a two-year extension and defender Jack Buckley has also added another year to his contract to take him through to the end of 2023. Like Stein, fellow rookie Zach Sproule will also be back for season 2022. Giants General Manager of Football Jason McCartney said: “It’s really exciting to confirm another lot of re-signings. Harry is an important part of our side and it’s been great to see his journey over the past few years. Jack is also one that has flourished over the recent years and showed this season how important a player he can be for us. Both Zach and Jake are coming off career-best seasons and deserve another year on the rookie list.”

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NATHAN TAYLOR

Six months abroad and two massive fight wins later, local Bellator star Arlene Blencowe is finally home.

The 38-year-old Jordan Springs mother of two arrived back in the country on Monday morning, greeted by her loving partner Dion and son Keane at Sydney Airport.

Less than 48 hours earlier in Hollywood, Florida, Blencowe was in the cage going toe to toe with American Pam Sorenson in their Featherweight bout at Bellator 271.

Despite some attempts by Sorenson to take Blencowe down late in the second round, the proud Penrith local completely dominated the majority of the three-round battle, winning the fight by unanimous decision.

Speaking after her victory against the 35-year-old Minnesotan, Blencowe said she was pleased to end the year on a high and was looking forward to returning home.

“It wasn’t the performance we trained for or I was hoping for but, at the end of the day, I walked away with the win,” she said.

“I’m two from two this year and heading home tomorrow, so I’m all smiles.”

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