The Chairman of the Tasmanian Cricket Association, Denis Rogers AO today announced the following appointments within the structure of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers for Season 2003/2004.

Tasmanian Cricket Association20-May-2003The Chairman of the Tasmanian Cricket Association, Denis Rogers AO today announced the following appointments within the structure of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers for Season 2003/2004.

Daniel Marsh: Vice-Captain
Shane Watson: Deputy Vice-Captain
Dene Hills: Assistant Coach-Batting
David Saker: Assistant Coach-Bowling

Ricky Ponting has been re-appointed as the Captain of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers.In announcing the appointments the Denis Rogers said: "Over the past months we have been reviewing our position and the Cricket Committee decided to appropriately address the challenge of re-building Tasmanian cricket. It was decided we should strengthen the coaching area in the senior structure from a batting and bowling point of view."The Chairman added upon the appointment of the Assistant coaches: "In our midst we had two relatively young men who have played a lot of 1st Class cricket and have been high achievers and we thought there was nothing better than to appoint Dene and David."This appointment of dual assistant coaches is a first in Australian cricket, with both being responsible for dedicated specific aspects of the game within the coaching environment.The Cricket Committee and the Board of Directors unanimously agreed that the leadership on the field be Ricky Ponting (Captain), Daniel Marsh (Vice-Captain) and Shane Watson (Deputy Vice-Captain).Mr. Rogers said of this announcement: "We are delighted with all these appointments and all concerned are looking forward to their challenges."Brian McFadyen, Head Coach of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers expressed his delight with the new structure saying: "We needed to improve upon our support structure for the team and I am very excited with the support given to me this year and with this structure for the future. We are now a step ahead of the other states with the luxury of two full time assistant coaches with specific roles to develop the on-field performances of the team."Commenting on the appointment of Dan Marsh, McFadyen said: " Dan is a well respected person and player, he possesses an articulate knowledge of the game and has all the attributes of a good leader. He deserves the opportunity to Captain in Ricky’s absence."Upon the announcement of his elevation to Vice-Captain, Daniel Marsh who was in Adelaide with relatives after the birth of his daughter Ella said: "It is a fantastic honour to be named Vice-Captain of the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers and I am looking forward to the season ahead. With such a young squad of players I am sure that it will be an exciting one. To have people of the quality of Dene Hills and David Saker as assistants to Brian McFadyen can only be positive for Tasmanian cricket. With Shane Watson as Deputy Vice-Captain we have a good mix of people in the leadership positions."Shane Watson was extremely excited about his new role, which he hopes will lead to further leadership opportunities down the track. He was looking forward to helping the team move in the right direction and working with Brian, Dene, David and Daniel.Dene Hills and David Saker were equally looking forward to their new roles in the coaching area.Hills said: "I am proud to be wearing the badge in a different form. I played with a lot passion and I love Tasmanian cricket. I would hope that my experience at a 1st Class level and the passion I bought to the team will rub off on the current members of the Tigers."David Saker added: I believe we have produced some good bowlers in recent years and I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with some promising young bowlers and hopefully producing Australian bowlers for the future."Both believe they will work very well together. They also expressed a belief that their respective specific roles of batting and bowling inter link and they will assist each other in providing the best possible preparation for each and every player and the team in order for them to achieve the highest possible standard of performance.Profiles:Dene Hills: Assistant Coach- BattingDene Hills retired from 1st Class cricket in 2002/03. He is without doubt one of Tasmania’s most successful and celebrated batsmen. A left handed opener with a tight technique and a penchant for making big scores, Hills formed the other half of that famous opening pair, Cox and Hills. Dene played over 100 matches for Tasmania and was named Sheffield Shield Player of the Year in 1997/98. He served his state with distinction and his 265 in 1997/98 remains the highest by a Tasmanian. Dene is a Level 3 qualified coach and has recently coached the South Hobart-Sandy Bay Cricket Club in the TCA Grade competition after many years as a senior player and mentor at the University Cricket Club.David Saker: Assistant Coach- BowlingDavid Saker joined the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers in 2000/01 after a distinguished career with Victoria. And retired in 2002/03. David was a whole-hearted and resilient cricketer who was respected for his tenacity and determination as a player throughout the country. His leadership and competitive nature is sure to provide a good blend within the coaching staff. Saker has played 72 1st Class matches and 43 Domestic One-Day matches as a right-arm fast-medium bowler and was named Cascade Tasmanian Tigers Player of the Year in 2001/2002. He is a level 2 qualified coach.Daniel Marsh: Vice-CaptainDaniel Marsh first moved to Tasmania from South Australia in season 1996/97 and has since established himself as a respected cricketer of note and a senior member of the team. Daniel was named Cascade Tasmanian Tigers Player of the Year in 1999/2000 and was Man of the Match for the Prime Minister’s X1 against England in 1998/99. Marsh has played 87 1st Class matches and 62 Domestic One-Day matches. Coupled with his powerful stroke play in the middle order, all round skills as a left arm orthodox spin bowler and safe hands in the slips, his leadership qualities and experience have been utilised on many occasions in both forms of the game.Shane Watson: Deputy Vice-CaptainOriginally from Queensland, Watson moved to Tasmania in the 2000/2001 season and immediately enhanced his reputation as an exciting young all-rounder. In the following 12 months he caught the National selectors’ eyes and made his Limited Overs International debut against South Africa at Centurion Park in South Africa in 2001/2002. Shane has played 16 1st Class matches, 20 Domestic Limited Overs matches and 21 Limited Overs Internationals for Australia. He is currently making a full recovery from a back injury sustained during last season, which kept him out of Australia’s victorious World Cup campaign.