Cricketers thread

[spenze]

Anyone else spend their summers playing competitive cricket?

Doesn't matter if it is school level, any grade level or if you are an absolute **** and play state level, talk about it here and post results. Talk up your game even if you only bowled 1 over for 36 runs.

For me, I am a relatively old man living the dream in a country setting playing cricket, I even get to write about it on our national broadcaster and let me tell you, I am a legend in my own lunchtime; every story I tell has my bowling another 10k quicker than the last. I would be disappointed if nobody was the same at self promotion of their own skills.

Anyways, for the first time in 5 years I am not captain so I no longer am bowling into the breeze and god damned if bowling with the wind isn't just ace.

Today we played a team that last year flogged us al over the park for 230 form their 40 overs in a one day match. Usually that'd be a winning total but the fat writer came out with his Laver and Wood bat and scored an 80 ball 130 to take the game and man of the match honours. After today I get the idea these same poor bastards may just pencil my name in for MOTM just to save time, 8 overs, 5 maidens, 3 wickets for 4 runs and then a snazzy 40 runs to win the game.

Think there may be a few extra long necks being drunk tonight

 

[VSTone]

happily retired i'm glad to say...although i did venture down to the local nets with the lads earlier in the season...was building into a nice rhythm and pulled a calf muscle...
happy times...

the closest i get now is battrick or on the couch watching the strikers.

 

[spenze]

Last Saturday, the captain bowled me into the wind, I tried to point out that the wind was coming the other way and our opening bowler was taking all the shine off the ball but no matter, I was stuck trying to make the best of a bad situation. I ended up with 3-18 off 10 overs and then got to see the opening bowler come back on and clean up the tail, taking 4 wickets and lead the bowling trophy.

He is a dead set campaigner, when the good batsmen are in it is all " this is to hard, give the ball to Jumbo" and when Jumbo tears a hole through the top order and the tail is exposed it, is all" gimme the ball, I want to make my figures look good against a bunch of guys who can't bat".

Granted, it is pretty sweet that you can get them 6 down and an over later our opening bowler has taken the last 4 wickets but still, what a soft campaigner he is

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

No cricket tomorrow

44 degrees... screw that.

 

[spenze]

No cricket tomorrow

44 degrees... screw that.

We have the rule that no matter the forecast you have to turn up to the ground and wait. If the temp is above 38, then you can't be on the oval but as soon as it dips under 38, you have to cart your arse back onto the field. You have to wait until 4pm before the game can be called off, that little rule is the "Jumbo rule" which was brought in 2 years back because a certain person who was captaining his team got to the ground for the start of a 2 day match, saw the other captain and said "too hot, lets have a one dayer next week and go get a counter meal and some pints".

Other captain thought this was a great idea and so did the parents of the teenagers playing, so off to the pub we went, lots of pints and snitz were consumed, stories were told, wives rung up to come get us because we'd drunk 6 pints and were too pissed to drive home after being in the pub for a couple of hours, walked outside and it was really quite chilly. Cold change had come through maybe 10 minutes after first, frosty pint was ordered and only one game of cricket across any grade was called off.

Had to apologise to the governing committee in a formal hearing that Wednesday and had two strikes added to my record for the season ( three and it a game sitting in the crowd...where you can drink beers so I am not sure that is the best punishment for me)

 

[spenze]

Rest of the game cancelled due to heat policy...woot. Heat policy seems to be a bit vague then as they make it up as they go but as I sit here in my house with the 16 foot ceiling and no air conditioning and the house temperature at a barmy 19 degree, I'll just have to accept it

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Rest of the game cancelled due to heat policy...woot. Heat policy seems to be a bit vague then as they make it up as they go but as I sit here in my house with the 16 foot ceiling and no air conditioning and the house temperature at a barmy 19 degree, I'll just have to accept it

The heat policy cancellation is based on outside air temperature.

They may have well cancelled the Windies tour too.

Will any of their tests last longer than 3 days?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

It's been a while since there has been a streaker at the cricket..

 

[spenze]

Season starts again after the summer break and for some unknown reason that even I can't quite explain, I have a new cricket bat. My best explanation is my Laver and Wood bat was a bit heavy at 2 pound 14 so I have bought myself an Impala bat off their website and now have a 2 pound 9 bat. Makes me wonder about bat makers though " yeah sure this one is 2 pound 8". It isn't the first or probably last time the bat is heavier than they reckon, I am starting to think it is a guesstimate of sorts that they give out " well we'd like to think it is 2 pound 8".

So, once again the fantastic process of knocking a bat in has begun. Must admit I am getting pretty damn good at it these days but still just so tedious, almost as compelling as asking a woman "how was your day" and just sitting back. An hour and a half this evening has the edges rolled and a fair bit of the toe compacted. Tomorrow is through a rolling machine and then another 90 minutes all on the toe of the bat ( bottom 4 or so inches of the bat, not the actual toe of the bat) followed by an hour or two Tuesday rolling a stump across the edges and back to the toe and I'll get it into the nets on Tuesday night after I put some extratec on it.

At least at that point I'll have a bit more of an idea of whether it is ready or not and if it needs more work ( obviously if it breaks in half, it probably needed more work). I'm actually glad that I have it down pat now because I remember the first time I did it and all the different advice you could get for the knocking in process. Don't get it pressed in a rolling machine, do get it done, spend 12 hours knocking in, spend 2 hours knocking in and my absolute favourite " go out, score a century and the bat is knocked in", possibly easier said than done. It is amazing the amount of differing advice, not just on the net but from cricketers as well.

I know guys who have never knocked a bat in once and the knocking in process was two sessions against an old ball before match day, bat worked well and never an issue. I personally give bugger all time to the middle of the bat itself and concentrate on toe and edges and after a pressing machine think that somewhere between 90 minutes and 5 hours will have a bat ready. The 90 minute call is on 3rd and 4th grade willow, it is more sturdy if generating somewhat less of a ping of the middle.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

More advice... put extratec on it, no knocking in and just use it

 

[spenze]

More advice... put extratec on it, no knocking in and just use it

One of the A graders bought himself a new bat this season, fourth ball he faced and a massive crack appears. It was one of those, the bat is stuffed cracks. One of the 16 years olds just starting off in A grade cricket remarks to him that he obviously hadn't knocked it in enough. i casually put my arm around the kid and walked him away from having a broken bat stuck up his arse.

As to your advice, fair call, it does cover most sins (extratec) but I like to spend some time on the bottom four inches of the bat making it as strong as I can. Not sure why, I mean if the bat broke I do have 7 really nice bats to use as a substitute until my will breaks and I just go buy another one

 

[FR0GGY]

so if you don't break it in and it breaks, i guess you haven't wasted any time and effort?

 

[spenze]

so if you don't break it in and it breaks, i guess you haven't wasted any time and effort?

Knock it in, you break in a horse or a house.

To your point though, yes, you haven't wasted your time or effort but I would have wasted a few hundred bucks. Anyways, took it to the nets tonight and it looked fine, has a massive middle, dug out some yorkers and the bat came through. One more go in the nets on Thursday and I may as well use it in the match on Saturday.

On the flip side of this, I bought my mates son a new bat. My mate is a single dad with three kids and can't really afford good cricket gear...and he is my best mate so I buy his kids cricket gear. Last bat I bought him 18 months ago, I knocked in for him as I had one of those " you have too much annual leave, we don't care that you'll be at home because your wife can't get time off you have to take it" things.

This time though, he can learn the joy himself, besides at 13 all he would be doing is jacking off so it'll give him something else to do with his arm. After spending 2 hours a day for three days belting a bat with a mallet, I am totally ****ing over it...until next time when I see a bat that I like the look of

 

[Tex200]

Knock it in, you break in a horse or a house.

To your point though, yes, you haven't wasted your time or effort but I would have wasted a few hundred bucks. Anyways, took it to the nets tonight and it looked fine, has a massive middle, dug out some yorkers and the bat came through. One more go in the nets on Thursday and I may as well use it in the match on Saturday.

On the flip side of this, I bought my mates son a new bat. My mate is a single dad with three kids and can't really afford good cricket gear...and he is my best mate so I buy his kids cricket gear. Last bat I bought him 18 months ago, I knocked in for him as I had one of those " you have too much annual leave, we don't care that you'll be at home because your wife can't get time off you have to take it" things.

This time though, he can learn the joy himself, besides at 13 all he would be doing is jacking off so it'll give him something else to do with his arm. After spending 2 hours a day for three days belting a bat with a mallet, I am totally ******* over it...until next time when I see a bat that I like the look of

Retired now - although still just a phone call away from being dragged back to D grade cricket - a combo of the old and the young.

I had a GN Longbow a few years back - knocking it in was a pain in the arse but Geez - was worthwhile. Made me look a half decent player.

 

[spenze]

So, the new bat came up alright on it's first go and I was nearly 2/3s the way to playing it in old style by scoring a ton. 57 with 12 boundaries ( I don't really like running) wasn't a bad start but I do feel like I missed out on a ton, a point reiterated to me tonight when the good wife asked how I went and I said " scored 57" and she said " should have had your eye in by then, why didn't you go on and get triple figures?"

Granted, it is a bit rich coming from her, she who never played sport but it was a fair point. Sadly that makes it the last two matches I have gotten out leg glancing...absolutely giving me the shits

Unfortunately we only had 10 players this week so we finished up on 219 and have them 1/25 at stumps. Hopefully we run through them next week though we will be missing our opening bowler who has torn his heart string muscle, the soft campaigner. Still, that gives me the opportunity to pass him on the bowling trophy so suck shit ginger nuts...unless I don't take a wicket next week

 

[VSTone]

So, the new bat came up alright on it's first go and I was nearly 2/3s the way to playing it in old style by scoring a ton. 57 with 12 boundaries ( I don't really like running) wasn't a bad start but I do feel like I missed out on a ton, a point reiterated to me tonight when the good wife asked how I went and I said " scored 57" and she said " should have had your eye in by then, why didn't you go on and get triple figures?"

Granted, it is a bit rich coming from her, she who never played sport but it was a fair point. Sadly that makes it the last two matches I have gotten out leg glancing...absolutely giving me the shits

Unfortunately we only had 10 players this week so we finished up on 219 and have them 1/25 at stumps. Hopefully we run through them next week though we will be missing our opening bowler who has torn his heart string muscle, the soft campaigner. Still, that gives me the opportunity to pass him on the bowling trophy so suck shit ginger nuts...unless I don't take a wicket next week

sounds like you slump over your bat after you've got off to a good start, lift the head, keep your balance... ton coming next bat!

 

[spenze]

sounds like you slump over your bat after you've got off to a good start, lift the head, keep your balance... ton coming next bat!

Yeah, the overbalancing bit is spot on, it is trying to play the shot on the leg side with the bat to far away from the body, chasing the ball. I guess on the first one I at least had some small comfort in being really impressed by the catch that got me but yesterday, well you can't help but be annoyed when you haven't slogged and you've paced your innings well to get out to a little tickle on a topspinner

 

[VSTone]

Yeah, the overbalancing bit is spot on, it is trying to play the shot on the leg side with the bat to far away from the body, chasing the ball. I guess on the first one I at least had some small comfort in being really impressed by the catch that got me but yesterday, well you can't help but be annoyed when you haven't slogged and you've paced your innings well to get out to a little tickle on a topspinner

running in the edges eh?

 

[spenze]

running in the edges eh?

Paid for the whole bat, may as well use it all

 

[FR0GGY]

When's your book coming out jumbo?

 

[VSTone]

When's your book coming out jumbo?

"cracking one through the covers" would be a good title...

 

[FR0GGY]

"cracking one through the covers" would be a good title...

Hahaha

 

[spenze]

Ended up being a pretty easy win for the boys, taking the match by 86 runs. The best part of the match to me was seeing the development of one of our kids this season. He wasn't getting a go at his club so he came to us and dragged his very handy dad along with him. I'm not one to be able to coach players on how to bowl, there are others who understand the nuances better than I but I do know one thing, pitching the ball up is better than short of a length, until you get fast enough. Seriously, it has been as easy as working out how many steps in his run up, being consistent with arm position and pitching up and letting the ball do the work.

Kid swings the ball both ways, has no clue how he does it but if he can't pick it, how can the batsmen? He bowled 10 overs this match and whilst unlucky not to get a wicket, he bowled a string of maidens whilst a batsmen was smashing the ball. Now if I could just teach the other kid in the team to pitch up we'd get teams out a lot quicker, or they could show me how to get the obscene late swing they get.

Ended up with only 1 wicket out of the days play but I did take a catch, so I was really chuffed with that. I say this because when I was younger, I was a gun fielder but now if I am under a ball, it's 50/50 at best. Worse still, I put myself first slip, a position I hated fielding even when I could catch. Maybe it was instinct but a low diving catch to my right with two hands is going to be a pretty hard story to tell to others at the club; they've all seen my fielding go downhill.

 

[VSTone]

check the short pitch bowler for a lazy front arm... which generally leads to over balancing forward and hence short pitch deliveries...
try getting him to really lift it in the delivery stride... there will be a happy medium there somewhere.... if he's swinging it, don't want to muck with his grip on the ball.... some times it's just reinforcing the good balls...

on the late swing... do they have long fingers?... could be getting some backspin on ball release.

 

[spenze]

check the short pitch bowler for a lazy front arm... which generally leads to over balancing forward and hence short pitch deliveries...
try getting him to really lift it in the delivery stride... there will be a happy medium there somewhere.... if he's swinging it, don't want to muck with his grip on the ball.... some times it's just reinforcing the good balls...

on the late swing... do they have long fingers?... could be getting some backspin on ball release.

I'll keep that in mind when he is next at training. I think they get better swing due to the fact they bowl more front on than me and probably because they are more talented. I guess from my point of view it is a little frustrating with the kid bowling short because he can swing it both ways in the same delivery, yet 5 will be into the ribs/hip each over. The wicket he took was a beautiful sucker ball that as soon as the batsmen committed to drive the ball through covers just kept moving away and he nibbled it. Of course the ball was nothing on the catch, I may have been the most surprised on the field when I took it as cleanly as I did.