Photo: Handover of the TDCC Premier Women’s Team Coaches’ Jacket to the new coach – from left to right: Mark Steyn (Coaching Development Manager), Amita Weerakoon (Director of Cricket), Stacey Nicholas, (Women’s & Girls’ Chair) and Hashan Goonetilleke (Premier Women’s Coach)
Hashan who is a certified NZ Cricket level 2 cricket coach will take over the coaching role from Mark Steyn who has now been appointed to the new TDCC Coach Development Manager (CDM) position to manage the TDCC Coaching Pathway programmes.
Former St Joseph’s College Colombo 1st XI Captain, former Premier and 1st class cricketer Hashan Goonetilleke has been appointed as the new head coach of Takapuna District Cricket Club (TDCC) Premier Women’s team for the next two seasons in Auckland, New Zealand.
Before taking over the Premier Women’s role at TDCC, Hashan has played for Johnsonville CC (Wellington) and Hibiscus Coast CC (Auckland) and has gained his coaching experience working with Johnsonville CC, Newlands College 1stXI, Wellington College 1st XI and assisting with the Wellington provincial women’s team. In Sri Lanka, Hashan has represented NCC, BRC, Ports Authority and Sebastianites CC at Premier level.
“Takapuna Cricket is so privileged to have two very experienced coaches of the calibre of Hashan and Mark to assist us with upskilling our players and coaches of women’s cricket, and we wish them all the best” – Amita Weerakoon, Director of Cricket, TDCC.
Takapuna District Cricket Club is one of the biggest and top-performing cricket Clubs in New Zealand with a playing membership of 1,050 that include 74 cricket teams from juniors, seniors to masters and an overall membership of over 1,500.
During the 2019/20 Auckland cricket season, TDCC men’s team emerged as the Premier T20 champions whilst the TDCC women’s team won the Premier one day limited over championship. Amita also said “with the earlier coaching appointment of the former Sussex County player and Auckland ACES Captain Craig Cachopa as our Premier men’s coach, we are delighted to have the quality coaching resources across all our premier grades to develop our players as we advance.”
Amita Weerakoon is a former Thurstan College 1st XI cricketer who played Division 1 cricket for Nomads SC in the 1980s and Premier cricket for Grafton United CC in Auckland from late1980’s to early 1990s. Before accepting the Director of Cricket role at TDCC in 2015, Amita was a Senior Business Manager with New Zealand retail giant Whitcoulls Group and James Pascoe Group for 21 years.
