Marr offers coaching services

CRICKET: Former Wanganui cricket coach/captain Warren Marr had offered his coaching services to new selection convenor Alan Cooper, but remains very unhappy with a situation which sees the representative team without an official listed coach.
Marr, who leaves Wanganui at the end of the year for a couple of years school teaching and cricket work in the United Kingdom, was one of a two-man Wanganui's representative cricket management structure before Englishman Phil Cooper was appointed at the start of last season.
Phil Cooper has since resigned because of apparent player dissatisfaction with him, and Wanganui Cricket has not appointed a replacement coach because of an apparent lack of money.
Instead new selection boss Alan Cooper has sought assistance from anyone in the area with cricket experience and a willingness to help.
One who has stepped forward is former Wanganui opening batsman Russ Barron, and he assisted at the representative practice on Wednesday night.
Now Marr ? who believes the situation is a "disgrace" ? has offered his services as a bowling coach until he leaves Wanganui, one of his reasons being that he believes some young players are already flirting with giving up cricket aspirations because of the coaching situation. Marr does not believe the representative players, as a group, were out-of-line in wanting a say in their coach.
"I want to come out in support of the players, especially Mark Parsons as captain," Marr said.
"As a former representative captain, player and coach myself, I believe the players deserve better.
"What message is this giving to all Wanganui cricketers who are trying to aspire to the top team ? when they get there, that we don't care about you?
"I've got young guys in my (High School) side who have been asked to turn up to training ? they're saying they don't want to go because they won't get any training," Marr said. Clearly he's talking about young bowlers like Jermaine Rurawhe and Kori Paio here, with Paio also having shown major talent in touch football ? and a liking for playing it.
"It's turning cricketers away ? that's why I want to support Parsons. All he did was ask for a coach, someone who could help them be the best they could be. But Wanganui is saying there is no budget for it," Marr said.
Marr asks what would happen if this situation was allowed to happen in any other code?
"I'm disappointed, and up at Victoria Park there is not a good word up there from the players. My point to the Wanganui board would be ? the players are the stakeholders in the game and they should be consulted on some issues."
Marr says the players were not involved in a review process after last season. If they had of been, they would have told the board they were unhappy with Phil Cooper, he said.
He asks Cricket Wanganui chairman Graham Young to walk around Victoria Park on a Saturday and hear the players' point-of-view.
"Get yourself down to Victoria Park and start talking to the players," Marr suggests. "I think he needs to go up to Victoria Park to be seen."