Former Port Fairy captain Alex Jennings returns as assistant coach

Star all-rounder Alex Jennings, who last led the Pirates in the 2021-22 season, returns as a playing assistant-coach after a year where he split his time playing for Victorian Premier Cricket club Northcote and South Barwon in the Geelong association.

He played four games for Northcote's third grade side while living in Geelong before work commitments saw him play the remainder of the season locally with South Barwon.

Port Fairy coach Alastair Templeton, also a Pirates recruit, is thrilled to have Jennings on-board.

"Obviously (he was) a player at the club in the past and having him move back this way with the experience he's got and he already knows everyone around the place, it'll be really good," he told The Standard.

"Having another person on the field with that captaincy experience, you can never have too many. (He will be) great as an assistant to bounce ideas off.

"He sees the game really well, I know because I've played against him a lot. His captaincy is always very proactive and keeps the game moving forward."

Templeton expects Jennings, who has moved back to Warrnambool, to occupy a "middle upper-order spot" with the bat and as a bowler work well in tandem with fellow tweaker Sam Allen.

Jennings and Templeton (West Warrnambool) headline the Pirates' off-season signings, with Hamilton District cricketers Henry Bensch (College) and Tobi Cook (Hamilton) also valuable additions.

Templeton said signs were positive at the Pirates.

"Everyone's really keen, off field it's working really well," he said.

"We haven't lost anyone over the off-season so we've maintained our full list from last year and been able to add to not only our top grade but also our seconds and thirds.

"We'll be entering another team this year (division three), a fourth team. We should have a full quota of four teams which is really positive."

Uncertainty however surrounds the return of champion Pirates all-rounder and Sri-Lankan Jason Perera, as well as other imports in the competition. Cricket Australia recently announced in a letter to community clubs the organisation would only provide letters of support for 408 Sporting Activities visa applicants playing premier cricket or above.

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