Cricketers thread

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SOS had his two day game turned into a one dayer on the basis the opposition only had 6 players. I remember when I was young...well firstly you were never short but the game would have been awarded. Times have changed and for the better I think, I had a coach in primary school when I was in grade 5 who tried to make it enjoyable but there were some tools out there, worse in football, coaches in under 8s giving 3/4 time speeches that were pretty much a Tourettes victims speech.

Still, SOS took the game being called off well, just looked at me and said "still not out, hows your batting going"
 
Soooo, I'd like to say he has gotten out but yeah. His footwork is terrible, his defense is worse but he has an eye like a dead cat.

I really have to work on his bowling though, you can't help but feel he was maybe a left hand bowler but as we all know, that is cheating and against the rules of cricket and sadly, he has spent enough time going right handed to go back now. He honestly, should come out and watch me bowl, the rhythm, the delivery stride, the whole thing, if Michael Holding saw it, he'd have to say that was what he was trying to do his whole career.

On Holding though, he seriously got women just by bowling, I am sure of it. There is no way a young maiden watched him coming in from the long run for 4 or 5 overs and didn't think "well, he's getting rewarded".

Anyways, onto the cricket, last match was a bit crap. We put a side in and dropped tons of catches, mostly off my bowling. Pretty sure I took 2-11 off 8 but we let them get away. I really wanted to come back on and bowl a second spell but my inability at my age to throw over arm after 30 overs didn't fill myself or the cap with any confidence. We had a decent but not impossible chase but in week 2 of the match I was notified that my best mate was in hospital about to pass. Cricket will always take a back seat to this man, picked me up when I was down and was a really good man of which we need more of in this place. I sat with him and held his hand and reminisced all of the bad things we got up to together whilst his two sons who possibly thought their dad was a saint, heard all about the evil stuff we did. Pretty sure he squeezed my hand on one of the stories and it was a ripper.

He was a big man, 6 foot 5 and seriously built, great cricketer, still remember him making an awkward comment about a group of people in front of us and two guys turned around to confront us, saw the big man and turned back around and walked with the group. I mean, if they had said that he was out of line he would have apologised but wanting to go the fist...yeah, they made a wise choice. Will be sadly missed but remembered.
 

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Onto this week though...playing against my old club and I have had to put up with a lot of crap the only year after I moved. Luckily one of my ex team mates, after people kept on calling me a traitor all day pointed out that I had bought all the soft drinks and chips for the club out of my own pocket for years and that maybe they should just move on.

He's a good man too, shared a house with Tarrant and Solomon during Uni. Apparently, those two had a spit roast most weekends whilst they were starting out. Ahhh the life of footballers hey?

Onto the match though and I absolutely didn't want to score a duck or a small score and today I did better, scored 60 (though according to someone in the house, I did get out). Kinda a bit annoyed really, premeditated a shot but seriously, how many more chances will I get to score another ton?

Sadly, we went from 1 for maybe 110 to all out for 162. Best part for me was watching 11 year old Henry ( who is also our keeper) come out to bat and after I have said to him " just hold up an end", walked across his stumps and smashed it in front of midwicket. I'm not sure he is as good as Hamish Case at the same age but geez, the kid does not lack self confidence.

He did pretty well as a keeper too, you'd want him to take it in front of his body but no byes and for an 11 year old, just amazing.

We had 14 overs to bowl before stumps and we really needed to make in roads. In my first over I got my bunny out LB and the next over, our captain had their other opener out from a pretty decent catch.

We had got to 10 overs down and the captain said " do you want a rest" to which I told him to eff off and give me the ball. Now this really could have gone one of two ways, usually it would have resulted in a 24 run over and me limping in for the last ball or two as an excuse of why I was plastered around the oval.

Today though, not only did it result in their best bat falling but it was because of a brilliant running with the ball, Travis head in a final sort of catch...by the same guy who dropped 3 easy catches off my bowling 2 weeks ago. How the hell he caught that and not others will be a mystery but good on him, he was stoked.

So they are 3-30 at stumps, nothing will make me happier than knocking them over
 
Cricket called off...now they're words to warm an old mans heart.

Sadly, I got up early to get down there with my blower vac to get the water off the pitch but hopefully I can sneak a lunch somewhere.

SOS played last night and again, the little effer didn't get out. He hit a square drive off the front foot that almost went to the boundary which had me doubting whether I'm actually his father. I have always worked on playing through the arc of mid on and midwicket until at least the first hundred and then you can bring out those fancy "off side " shots those T20 players play.

I think I'll be OK here as I'm averaging low 30s at present and starting to bat better but if he keeps going and only gets out once and I muck up a couple of times, I am going to have to hear all winter about who had the best average
 
spenze said:
Cricket called off...now they're words to warm an old mans heart.

Sadly, I got up early to get down there with my blower vac to get the water off the pitch but hopefully I can sneak a lunch somewhere.

SOS played last night and again, the little effer didn't get out. He hit a square drive off the front foot that almost went to the boundary which had me doubting whether I'm actually his father. I have always worked on playing through the arc of mid on and midwicket until at least the first hundred and then you can bring out those fancy "off side " shots those T20 players play.

I think I'll be OK here as I'm averaging low 30s at present and starting to bat better but if he keeps going and only gets out once and I muck up a couple of times, I am going to have to hear all winter about who had the best average
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Surely you can slip a few bucks to an opposition bowler to mankad him if things get tight?
 
It happened, the reign of red ink is over. Playing against the top side who have been knocking up scores of 200, SOS team restricted them to just 91. SOS actually listened to me after his first over and came off three steps and bowled much better. Onto batting though and he did really well, all his opposition were 12 years and he is only 9 but in the end, after batting through 6 overs, he was caught at gully trying a front foot cut shot. I have been working with him to go onto his back foot but at the moment he just can't do it. Of course, once he goes back...well you get the drift, nothing good comes from front foot shots.

Of course, you should have heard the little bugger on the way home...it's a 50k trip and all he went on about was how he felt like a complete failure, like his dad when it came to batting...and then he really amped up the sledging the little effin C. He was really lucky that the radio started playing Comfortably Numb because I switched that right up and had 6 minutes 21 seconds of peace from his commentary.

To my match though and it was second V third at the home of cricket and when I batted...you know when you think "this is going well, could be in for a decent score...and then you get out...yep, that was me. I am not the quickest scorer in the world but I was 11 off 7 when against better judgment I played a front foot shot...and nicked it to first slip who did take a decent catch. The side batted well with most making contributions and we ended up with 193 off our 35 overs.

Onto the bowling though and I swear, whatever they are doing to the balls this year, can we buy 5 years supply...the summer of swing continues. I remarked today that I had the ball swinging so much it threw its keys into the bowl on the way through and today was no different. I bowled a guy who I have played against for 15 years with no success, today I took his off stump out of the ground with a ball that swung from leg to land on middle and go through. Ended up with 3-14 which has taken me to 15 wickets at less than 6.

I am well aware this has to end soon, the ball will stop swinging and then I will cough up a bucket load of runs but until then...
 
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spenze said:
It happened, the reign of red ink is over. Playing against the top side who have been knocking up scores of 200, SOS team restricted them to just 91. SOS actually listened to me after his first over and came off three steps and bowled much better. Onto batting though and he did really well, all his opposition were 12 years and he is only 9 but in the end, after batting through 6 overs, he was caught at gully trying a front foot cut shot. I have been working with him to go onto his back foot but at the moment he just can't do it. Of course, once he goes back...well you get the drift, nothing good comes from front foot shots.

Of course, you should have heard the little bugger on the way home...it's a 50k trip and all he went on about was how he felt like a complete failure, like his dad when it came to batting...and then he really amped up the sledging the little effin C. He was really lucky that the radio started playing Comfortably Numb because I switched that right up and had 6 minutes 21 seconds of peace from his commentary.

To my match though and it was second V third at the home of cricket and when I batted...you know when you think "this is going well, could be in for a decent score...and then you get out...yep, that was me. I am not the quickest scorer in the world but I was 11 off 7 when against better judgment I played a front foot shot...and nicked it to first slip who did take a decent catch. The side batted well with most making contributions and we ended up with 193 off our 35 overs.

Onto the bowling though and I swear, whatever they are doing to the balls this year, can we buy 5 years supply...the summer of swing continues. I remarked today that I had the ball swinging so much it threw its keys into the bowl on the way through and today was no different. I bowled a guy who I have played against for 15 years with no success, today I took his off stump out of the ground with a ball that swung from leg to land on middle and go through. Ended up with 3-14 which has taken me to 15 wickets at less than 6.

I am well aware this has to end soon, the ball will stop swinging and then I will cough up a bucket load of runs but until then...
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This is the only cricket that interests me.
 

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For your lad:

JASON GILLESPIE: I was pretty decent at cricket as a youngster, but when I started having growth spurts as a teenager I had the usual growing pains, and there were a few question marks about whether I was going to be a cricketer. By the time I was 17, I always seemed to have a niggle of some sort and I didn’t know how to handle it. I remember a club training session where I was getting taunted a bit (in a nice kind of way!) and something in my mind just snapped. I was playing lower grades at the time, but told everyone there that I was going to play ‘A’ grade cricket, and play for South Australia and play for Australia. I’ll never forget it. I measured out this ridiculous run-up and ran in as fast as I could, and I remember going home after training, getting changed, going out for a run and doing push ups and sit ups when I got home in front of the telly, and I made the decision that I was going to go all out and be a cricketer. Maybe it was just the spark I needed; a bit of ribbing from teammates got me going. From then on it was just full speed ahead.
 
Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
For your lad:

JASON GILLESPIE: I was pretty decent at cricket as a youngster, but when I started having growth spurts as a teenager I had the usual growing pains, and there were a few question marks about whether I was going to be a cricketer. By the time I was 17, I always seemed to have a niggle of some sort and I didn’t know how to handle it. I remember a club training session where I was getting taunted a bit (in a nice kind of way!) and something in my mind just snapped. I was playing lower grades at the time, but told everyone there that I was going to play ‘A’ grade cricket, and play for South Australia and play for Australia. I’ll never forget it. I measured out this ridiculous run-up and ran in as fast as I could, and I remember going home after training, getting changed, going out for a run and doing push ups and sit ups when I got home in front of the telly, and I made the decision that I was going to go all out and be a cricketer. Maybe it was just the spark I needed; a bit of ribbing from teammates got me going. From then on it was just full speed ahead.
Click to expand...

forget SOS, spenze just ran through a wall to get to his running shoes.
 
So SOS has completed his first regular season with just one dismissal and he absolutely gave it to the old man as he walked back to pack his kit bag. Pretty sure they will get finals even though they lost their last game by five runs so he will experience the thrill of the rare air in early March.

The highlight of the night to me was his mother, whom has no sporting background but more a specific higher level Biology background, cheering when some poor ten year old kid dropped a skied ball from SOS. I get it, a mother loves her son and wants to see him succeed, I faced that with my mum* but I had to tell her off, it is under 12s, you are not meant to cheer someone failing, no matter how much it benefits your son.

*Back when I was young, I was pretty handy at football but a coach felt that I wanted to win and not just enjoy the game. Of course, I wanted to enjoy it and I would enjoy it more when I won. He was good mates with a guy called Barry Robran who he brought down to have a chat with me. Obviously, I was frickin star struck...a triple magarey medallist came to talk to me, I read all the books of SANFL when I first came to Australia and knew all the stats, I still know Trevor Greenwood was the 78 medalist.

Anyways, he comes and chats with me, be a little less intense, losing isn't the end (typical Northie) and you know, I hung on every word. They asked for a parent to attend...that was always going to be my mum. Mum represented her country at the Olympics, amazing athlete, and still competes, the only thing keeping her alive and away from dementia is competitive bowls.

So Barry talks to my mum and tells her that you know, it doesn't matter whether he wins or loses its about the game and my mother says in front of me, Barry Robran and my coach "so why do they have a scoreboard?" I was horrified at the time but you know what, 100% right. My coach then said " but Mrs S, you realise that Barry...blah blah blah...he represented his state" to which my mother, with her back up because they were attacking her son said "Represented your state huh?...represent your country at the Olympics and then talk to me"

So I get it when SOS sledges me, it's in the bloodline
 
Sadly for SOS, his season is over. There needed to be an unbelievable set of results to knock them out of finals and it actually happened. He doesn't seem so fussed about it, maybe he was just worried about his double figured average which he didn't want to sully on the back of a finals game.

He's already talking up the end of season presentation night, where he feels he'll clean up, he won't but its nice to see him with that much confidence. I'm sure they all get trophy but I may need to sit close to him when player of the year gets called for the under 12s, probably best that I hold onto him before he calls the whole presentation night a Nepotic scam.

Last game of the season before we play finals and it was a one dayer against Glencoe. I like playing at the ground because the outfield is lightning fast. We won the toss and were sent in, today our side had 5 juniors in it which is good for me, they can field, I know I can't anymore.

I went out to bat and I noticed after 3 overs that my SG King Cobra bat that is nearly 2 seasons old has 2 big F off cracks on it, definitely not ones I would like to see on a bat and really is the last time I buy a bat that isn't made by someone independent. I mean, it's a nice bat and will probably be able to be nursed through another season...but it won't because I may have succumbed to getting another bat, three was never going to be enough and the one coming is a L&W Signature. I do think though, a bat that has been prepared properly, has been looked after well and sanded back and re oiled 2 times during the season, should last longer than nearly 2 seasons.

Anyways, I had one of those days where I kept hitting it to the field and every ball that was short to be pulled or cut was mishit but I wasn't getting out. In the end I scored 51 off 73 balls which surprised me, I wasn't taking short singles and I struggled to split the field, so 2 half centuries in the season and an average of 30 ( doubled SOS) was OK. The team all contributed and ended up with 189 off 35.

Sadly, it was not enough, there were a lot of dropped catches, a lot. I am not blaming anyone because just because I didn't would not of meant I would have had the opportunity presented itself. I am looking at it this was, the last two games we have played with crap luck, maybe it turns around in the finals or maybe we are just effin cursed. So we lost by 4 runs in the end and don't carry form into the finals but hey, I had a season where we won every game, played the 4th team we had outrighted twice and got pantsed in the semi so it'd be nice to see us "flip the script" as SOS says.
 
Semi final tomorrow and we are facing an uphill battle. Usually, most players are available for finals but not my team. Maybe a couple of more outs from SOS getting a gig.

Big challenge, could be over quickly though, which does mean we get to drink beer earlier
 
spenze said:
Semi final tomorrow and we are facing an uphill battle. Usually, most players are available for finals but not my team. Maybe a couple of more outs from SOS getting a gig.

Big challenge, could be over quickly though, which does mean we get to drink beer earlier
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Music festivals?
Trips to Bali?
Football preseason?
Weddings?

All punishable by death imho

Here is the list of acceptable excuses for missing a final:






.
 
So, day 1 of the final, nice and sunny and they win the toss and bat. I'd criticise our captain for losing the toss but I was never good at it when I was captain so it is what it is.

They batted strongly in the first 20 losing one wicket and the game was slowly falling out of our reach with dropped catches and balls landing just out of reach. I came on for a second spell ( and I am really feeling that now) because I had taken the guy batting 2 times for zip runs. He turned my first ball for a single and later in the over when facing me again, absolutely creamed a ball straight back, was going to hit the umpire when I stuck my hand out.

Usually that just means another dislocated finger but today it stuck. Most of the boys had no idea until I started yelling " fug yeah" holding the ball in my hand. Just saying, 3 times at bat for 1 run, dismissed 3 times, screw that brain dead hick. Took another wicket to dismiss the guy who had made 60 but then had their best bat dropped twice early (not especially difficult) on his way to 119.

Ended up knocking them off for 253 but had ten overs to face. Worst part was, I had to open, me who recognised after bowling 12 overs that my time is coming up quick in cricket. I just struggled the last 15 overs running anywhere, like really struggled, like realising my own time was coming struggling...still, I'll front up next year.

Sadly, I did not last the ten overs, apparently hitting a ball that was missing leg does not exclude you from being out LBW according to the deaf, blind twat who was umpiring the final. Worse still is it hit my toe that given it's pain, puffiness and bruising has given me the idea it might be broke, so if we do pull this one out of the fire...I mean I'll still play, just everyone will have to hear me complain.

Or it is the end of the season.

Maybe another couple of years til SOS and me play a game
 
So that is it, season done. After bowling 12 overs I am kinda in the camp that thinks all games should be one dayers, that way I only bowl seven. I am in a lot of pain today, a lot the toe I got hit on is just a lovely shade of black pudding, where even the white bits are black.

Pleased to see the weather is 37 for next Saturday, we would have lost the toss and bowled that day for sure.
 
spenze said:
So that is it, season done. After bowling 12 overs I am kinda in the camp that thinks all games should be one dayers, that way I only bowl seven. I am in a lot of pain today, a lot the toe I got hit on is just a lovely shade of black pudding, where even the white bits are black.

Pleased to see the weather is 37 for next Saturday, we would have lost the toss and bowled that day for sure.
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Beer and BBQ fest.
 
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