Coach Fleming awarded

by Nicholas Duck
Neerim District Cricket Club coach John Fleming has been recognised for his efforts in the local community after recently winning Cricket Victoria's Community Cricket Coach of the Year award.
John's recognition comes largely off the back of his efforts to keep the club's division five side up and running by introducing seven junior players into the fold.
It was those junior players who went on to nominate him for the award - something he described as "really humbling."
"They're a great bunch of kids," he said.
"There were so many amazing volunteers and people. It was quite humbling to be recognised in that company and to win it was a shock."
The awards don't stop there either. After it was announced John was listed as a finalist for the Victorian Sport Awards Community Coach of the Year.
John will travel to the MCG next month for the ceremony where he will be up against three other coaches for the top title.
When Neerim District went through an exodus of senior talent during the off-season it meant they were staring down the barrel of only being able to field one side in season 2025/26.
Instead of allowing the division five to go quietly, John stepped into the coaching role and brought in juniors to boost numbers up to the required level, combining youth with a handful of veterans.
He put in plenty of time into the club's younger players, working with them one on one during training sessions to help them get the best out of themselves.
The Stags went on to claim two wins during their season, including a thrilling final round win over Iona that saw them claim three wickets in the last over for victory.
"We had no other choice, really," he said.
"The thing was by Christmas time we actually became a bit of a cohesive unit.
"It wasn't like we were relying on experienced cricketers. It was amazing from where we were to where we ended up. After that last win we realised we were definitely going in the right direction."
John said it wasn't a one-man show to help coach the kids, paying tribute to division three captain Matt Kelliher, division five player Warren Darcy and parent Lara Naus for the work they put into helping him.
Lara, along with her daughter and division five player Tess, were recognised in their own way at the Warragul and District Cricket Association's awards night, where they took home awards for outstanding services and junior female cricketer of the year, respectively.
"Without her it wouldn't have been possible," John said of Lara.
John now hopes the club can bring more players in during the off-season, whether they be seniors or juniors, to help put up a full complement of teams.
The early signs are good - Neerim District is confident of getting a dedicated women's team off the ground should there be a competition for them.
"I didn't realise how big women's cricket is (until the awards). There were some amazing people and players there."
The 2025 Victorian Sport Awards will take place on Wednesday 13 May.