someblokecalleddave's Blog

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Yeah bit by bit and if I look at the year by year improvement it's massive. Yeah I'm not hopeful about a game at all. It's now gone 10 at night and still no call. The thing is my wife gets really miffed at the amount of time I put into practicing and playing cricket. On a Sunday I'm out of the house at 12.00 and then wont be back till nearly 9pm. If I don't know whether I'm playing till the actual Sunday morning and this becomes a regular thing and some Sundays I don't play she'll then make the point that the Sunday that I don't get a match is totally wasted. She'll say that if I knew I wasn't playing by Friday then we could plan to do something else, whereas if I don't know till mid morning Sunday that's too late to plan anything of substance and she has got a point. I'll have to see how it pans out.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Another Saturday night and I'm sitting here again without the prospect of a game. I've sent a text to my captain twice today and as yet still not had a response which kind of tells me I am the very last option on his list it seems. The delay in responding to my text suggests to me that he's waiting for responses from other people who he clearly would play in preference to me which is understandable but it's just such a stark contrast to last year and I'm having trouble accepting it. Or maybe his phone is out of battery power?

Thing is what do I do if this carries on week after week?

Just as I'm writing I've just had the reply text and I'm not playing again. Hmmm...
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Man, I didn't realise you were here as well. Personally I was never concerned about non selection early on in the season because I was never prepared so I even saw it as a bonus, but you have been training over winter , which I never did.

Do you go to the games even if you are not playing or isn't that the done thing over your way?
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

It's definitely the done thing. All the clubs round here have at the very centre of their ethos and survival the premise that 'The members of the club are what makes the club and are integral to it's existence'. They're all basically the sum of their membership and all advocate that they're a friendly club and are looking for people to be active in their social calender. Thing is I'm in a difficult position in that I came to the game late in life and therefore being Dave Thompson has never meant not being around from midday Sunday till 11pm at night because of cricket - Surfing maybe, but cricket no. If there's a swell running my wife knows to expect to wake up at 4am because I'm getting out of bed and then wouldn't expect to see me again till it's dark, because that's what I do and she knew that's what I do before she married me, but she didn't factor in cricket as well so cricket gives her the right ache. So whereas most of the blokes at the club have done it all their lives, their wives know they're marrying a cricket nut and expect not to see them every sat and sun afternoon all summer and therefor it's an integral part of their lives.

Additionally I live miles from the club and have to drive there and back so staying behind after a match for a few beers isn't viable either, I usually have one and then slope off.

Also there's a cultural thing as well, they're all into football and invariably the talk turns to football a lot of the time and that's where I make my exit as I'm not interested in football. There's an age difference thing as well and all sorts, basically other than the match there's very little I have in common with them and I'm generally a miserable git anyway!

If I'd come to the game earlier when I was single, I think I'd buy into the whole culture thing lock stock and barrel and be there at the weekends for both matches and it would possibly be my life like it is with most of the others, but I didn't and I'll always be on the outside for many years. Maybe in the future when my kids have left home and my responsibilities shift, it might be possible then, but at the moment it's difficult.

So maybe I just don't fit in - they're all nice blokes, but maybe you have to be in the inner circle and be fully committed to gain a place every week?
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

The thing is if I'm no longer required or if they've got it in their plans that I'm only to play x amounts of games I'd rather know. In the short term I've emailed another team tonight that play on our local field as I've been told they struggle to get 11 together most weeks and the bloke that spoke to me about it said to just turn up and I might get a game. So I'll probably do that - I'll be a cricket mercenary!

The frustrating thing is so many things have happened to my potential game over the winter I'm expecting exponential improvement in my bowling, I'm so much more aware of what I'm able to do and what I should be doing this year and so far I haven't got a look in! I need to be playing in order to get better and improve, even my batting has improved, so I need to play. So I'll play anyone and for any team just as long as I'm getting experience - so hopefully I might get a game tomorrow still with this other team?

Their website opening page reads -

Founded in 1954 we currently play friendly sunday cricket from 1pm at Langdon Rec in sunny Basildon, anyone intrested in playing or would like a fixture or just watch and drink some wine with our supporters please come down or contact us.

So I'll be there with my bat at 12.00 tomorrow!
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Sounds like its not what you know, but who you know at that club maybe? A bit of a clique operating perhaps. What about selection policy or criteria? A lot of leggies seem to be bits of lone wolves in the club context and dont quite fit in. It might be coincidence or something to do with the craft ?
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

someblokecalleddave said:
It's definitely the done thing. All the clubs round here have at the very centre of their ethos and survival the premise that 'The members of the club are what makes the club and are integral to it's existence'. They're all basically the sum of their membership and all advocate that they're a friendly club and are looking for people to be active in their social calender.
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someblokecalleddave said:
Also there's a cultural thing as well....
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My parents experienced similar things when I played junior football(aussie rules) for a year.

I was ten so I didn't notice it; but the club had a culture of drinking. It was a social occasion: the members(or the parents of the children) would all gather and have a few drinks. In some ways the club seemed to be more about getting together and drinking, than playing football. My parents just didn't fit in at all, as my Dad drinks occasionally and my Mum doesn't drink at all.

I'd would ask why you aren't getting selected; it should allow for an amicable parting, but otherwise I think it would just be an exercise for your curiosity. Whether it is a clique operating or simply because they don't consider you to be good enough to be in the eleven the result is going to be the same: you will have to go somewhere else to get a game.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

macca;346926 said:
Sounds like its not what you know, but who you know at that club maybe? A bit of a clique operating perhaps. What about selection policy or criteria? A lot of leggies seem to be bits of lone wolves in the club context and dont quite fit in. It might be coincidence or something to do with the craft ?
Click to expand...

That's an interesting point, as the other Leggie feels he's in the same situation, but as far as I know he is getting games. But there was a bit of verbal apparently between him and one of the other blokes triggered by comments on my blog, so I have to be careful what I say, because my blog does link to this thread and they could be reading the thread as well as my blog. I think it would be good just to know where I stand, if someone could say - Look you're not going to get a game till June or something that would be better. It's a bit tricky, I'd be loathed to leave the team as they've looked after me for the last 2 years and given me overs and I like the blokes on the team.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

I have the same problems and more.
1) When I used to play tennis at a club, there was the game. It would be fiercly competitive at first. I used to go for relaxation and health, but some of the guys were too fiercely competitive, and used to sulk or show they were unhappy when I made a mistake in doubles. It put me off and did not go anymore. Don't get me wrong I like winning, but I used to go to play to forget some of the pressures of 70+ hours of work. To unwind and destress not to get more wound up. After the game, they would go for a few beers, but me being a bit reserved would go back home. What is the use consuming 200 calories and then drinking 300? Besides at work in hospital I have lots of hours to interact, so after work I prefer being in peace.

2) Having never played cricket in my life, I decided last year to contact the only real club in my country. The captain (who is a leggie), was nice and showed me the basics of how to hold the bat , the stance and some other basics.He gave me some easy throw downs, and I started hitting the ball, though I seemed to prefer the leg side. I simply could not get myself to cover drive, it would always end on the leg side. It may have to do with the fact that my bottom hand rather than upper hand dominates the bat swing. Then a leggie who was all over the place came in and i started sweeping and even reverse sweeping, and that went well. Eventually a 60 year old offspinner started bowling and I swear it was only the air I hit. For some reason whtever length he bowled I got on the back foot. He definitely beat me in the air repeatedly. I was really impressed by his flight.

3) The next time I went to nets again, one of the sides had one player missing, and they asked me to join in. He told me to go to mid on. I had a vague idea and went. It was a 20/20 game. In about the 10th over, one of the batsman hit the ball really high up and, sh£$% it was coming to me. Guess what, i dropped it and felt really ashamed and was dying for the game to end. To be fair on them they encouraged me, and congratulated me when I made a couple of stops at midwicket. An boy did those hands hurt for a couple of days. I had tried to catch like Collingwood's video, but results were not great.

4) To the social aspect. i am rather introverted rather than an extrovert, so picking a long discussion is not my forte, and when you are waiting to bat there is a massive amount of time for chit chat.I did not know anyone there, many being british or australian expatriates. My mother language is not english so that was another hurdle. They played the game with passion but as Dave and EOW said I think they consider it more as a social occassion, to get away from the wife, and that is the last thing I would go for. Besides my wife was in a bad mood telling me I am either at work or playing cricket or jogging/cycling in the little spare time I have.

5) The financial aspect. To play in the club you have to be a member, to aplly you have to be nominated and seconded by a club member. Besides you have to cough up about 300 sterling per year and obviously you are not guaranteed to play, as some of the players are national side players, and those that are not seem to have played since they were young.Another problem seemed there were no beginners, that made feel more ill at ease. They do have an Academy every Saturday which though is targeted for young children, an at any rate at the time they practice I have work.

So all this rambling is to say I understand Dave's frustrations, especially in his case as he practices for such a long periods, and lets face it Dave you are a very competitive person. I think I would ask the captain what are the chances of playing, and what you should improve in your play. If they criticise you constructively, to help you improve that is ok. Still, if you are raring to have a game, I would advice you to look around, or even ask your club to form a third eleven to get a game.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Yeah I know exactly how you feel there and a lot of the things you've pointed out I fully concur with. The one I have a lot of empathy with is the social thing and the underlying misogyny. I'm probably perceived as being a grumpy old git.

On a more positive front you'll see in the wrist spin thread there's been some news on the selection front and it's all a lot clearer now.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

That sound very similar to modified 8's which they start kids off with here. At first It seems to encourage defensive batting but it doesn't work out like that and actually rewards sound batting technique and accurate bowling, which at that stage is sometimes just getting the ball on the wicket.

Most kids get out once or twice each week to start with but after a while they tend to get out less and less. Your youngest is being thrown in at the deep-end a bit, but kids that start that young become old-hands by the time they are 10 or so and have a big headstart on kids that take it up a bit later.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Scoring kids cricket can help your own concentration. You have to pay attention and put up with distractions and inquiries whilst having to keep score and you have to relax in between otherwise by the end of it you are more Knackered than anyone.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Yeah the other scorer had that problem as he was familiar to all the kids and it was their home ground so they were all milling around him causing him all sorts of problems.

I'll look up 'Modified 8's' is that what it's called?

Yeah I reckon in the long run because Joe has started so early he'll come on in leaps and bounds in the near future. Aside from that he just seems to be a lot more interested in sport than his older brother.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

I think there is a scorers guide to modified super 8,s somewhere, there are several general scorers guides online, one booklet is put out by Victorian cricket and is downloadable.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Those bowling figures are really good for their first game, only one wide from their 4 overs between them.

Sometimes lots of dot balls next to their names means they were bowling rubish, but often a few 4's indicates at least they were getting it up there in the spot and that at least makes a better game of it.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Poor old Joe was bowling to a very confident kid who had no worries about coming out to the pitch of ball, but he did get it past him once, but the wicket keeper fumbled it and the kid was able to ground his bat in time. The good thing with Joe is that he's got no concept of figures and how bad it might be perceived that he's being hit for 4. All he's focussed on is getting wickets, so if he gets hit for 4 I don't think he's that bothered which may be a good thing otherwise that would put pressure on him. He loves his bowling and loves taking wickets.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Break through?

I'm always wary of these false dawns, and this could well be another one, but tonight I did seem to crack the Leg Break with the big flick over 22 yards. I spent an hour of solid bowling initially using the two techniques that I bowl my leg breaks with and then I noticed that there was something relaxed about the way I was bowling and I've noticed that our best Wrist Spinners at Grays and Chadwell CC - Neil Samwell (Chinaman) and Ross Fullbrook (Leg Spinner) have a relaxed delivery that loops and drops. So feeling like I was bowling well I decided to try and get the ball down the 22 yards with the big flick and I did and it turned big.

Over the following half an hour I kept at and was having about 30% success rate with it where it was landing on a good line and length and turning big. The rest of the time it was massively wayward or coming out as a Wrong Un or a Top spinner which is promising as it suggests that there only has to be a slight deviation in the wrist position and it'll go the other way?

I noticed too that it seems to help if I throw the ball up in the same manner a few times as I stand there contemplating what I'm about to do and then go into the delivery having just flicked it in that manner whilst standing. I've also noticed that the grip is very different from my other deliveries. With this delivery at this stage the 2 up fingers do virtually nothing, they're relaxed and hardly touch the ball. The thumb is key because it because it holds the ball in the hand up against the third finger and plays a small part in initially rotating the ball into the 3rd finger so that the finger and wrist flick the ball out of the hand in a very effective and relaxed action that puts masses of revs on the ball. The ball coming off the finger is flicked so well that it makes a click sound not unlike the Flippers click.

When it comes out right it's a flighty ball that dips and then spins off the wicket exceptionally well. One of the things I've noticed is that as you release the ball my hand assumes the same aspect of Peter Philpotts hand in some of the images in his book page 19, 63, e.g. the thumb ends up tucked into the closed hand.

I'm not claiming I've cracked it because when I have these days when it seems as though I have finally sussed the big turning dipping leg break it always turns out that I can't repeat the same the following day. If I am able to tomorrow I might be able to to say that I have made a big leap forward and then all I'll have to do is get the consistency with my line and length.

Wrist Spin Bowling: Break through?
 
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Gutted, woke up and it didn't look too promising grey and windy and the pavements were damp from overnight rain. As the morning went on it went downhill, the sky looking more and more as though at any point it would rain. I checked the BBC weather and the prediction for 12.00hrs was that we'd have clear blue skies. At 11.00 it started to rain and it continued to do so. I went into town at 12.00 with Ben and Joe and while I was there received a text from Matt and confirmed the match was off, but then 5 minutes later as I left the shop I was confronted with sunshine and bright blue skies and then behind the shop the grey skies and rain that we'd just been subjected too. I rang Matt and said that here we had blue skies and sunshine now and he said that the team were coming dwon from Cambridgeshire and that they'd called at 11.00 and said they weren't chancing it.

On the way back to the house from the shops I called by The Rec noticing as we were driving along the pavement was quickly drying up. The Rec was empty, the chains round the pitch had been taken down in anticipation of a match but there wasn't a soul there so I wasn't going to get a match there either.

After lunch I went over the Rec with Joe and Ben and threw some balls but soon realised that I have done something to one of the muscles under my forearm. I think this is the result of trying to bowl the Top-Spinning Flipper which requires you to turn your hand 180 degrees so that the bowling action looks like a Karate chop and at the point of release you click the ball towards your face with the Flipper action so that it comes out of the hand with Top-Spin but your forward motion and your arm coming over propel the ball forwards. This is an incredibly difficult ball to bowl and one that Clarrie Grimmett worked on for 12 years trying to perfect.

Terry Jenner said today in an email to my mate Macca .....

I recieved a reply from Terry Jenner and this is what he said

"Dear Macca, I can only say that trying to use the flicking of the fingers whilst delivering the ball overarm seems to lend itself to either side spin release which creates a googly or a backspin release which produces the flipper. Clarrie was a genius but it would have been almost impossible to flick the fingers and create overspin, the way I understand the release of the cricket ball.I often told the kids a Grimmett story re the "flicker" and the "flipper"During the story I would show the flicking finger googly and the flicking finger flipper " severe backspin"I could only demo the googly over a short pitch and had to bowl with a very low arm. Over 22 yards I was hopeless with both.Sorry that is the best i can offer. Regards Terry Jenner.

Which kind of goes some way to explain how difficult. Surprisingly Jenner he admits that he's not particularly good with bowling the Flipper too. I spent about 10 minutes trying to bowl this ball over about 18 yards and was able to produce the top spin and the off-break effect, but as I was bowling it could feel the stress it was putting my arm under and stopped after the ten minutes realising it would take a lot more work getting the line and length right. It now seems I'm suffering. But I would also say in the last week or so I've made major advances with my leg break. Not only have I been able to bowl the ball with increasing accuracy using the big flick with the leg break but I've also seen the potential of the cocked wrist to unfurled hand approach. It seems that this technique uses a slow flick in the unfurling of the cocked wrist and sets the ball spinning correctly with the seam at right angles to the direction of flight quite nicely. Using this technique today I was able to bowl surprisingly good leg breaks with very little effort.

So impressed was I that I took 4 balls over to the wickets at the Rec which for me are notoriously difficult to get the ball to spin on and bowled 4 nice leg breaks! Now whether the wetness assists that or not I don't know, but there is deinitely something in this technique. But with this change of technique and the big flick technique I'm obviously using different muscles so the pain that I'm sufferimg could be due to this as much as the Top-Spinning Flipper. It ended up that the pain was bad enough to stop me from bowling and I now intend to give my arm a rest for a few days.

Other things I'm working on are my rotation


Looking at video footage I shot today this is the positioning of my feet as I go through the rotation as I bowl. B is the foot on which I pivot through the rotation. A starts at this point and comes out and around B and ends up at C. Terry our coach in the nets was saying that I rotate too far round and that the foot position at C shouldn't cross the line (Arrow) and should be pointing down towards the stumps. One of the blokes on the Forums at Big Cricket was saying that this is not the case. I've created this graphic so that he can have a look and comment on my roation/pivot as well.

He suggested to look at footage of Warne bowling but the camera always zooms in at the point that Warne Bowls and you can't see where his foot ends up. But looking at this clip of Beau Casson YouTube - David Freedman legspin coaching video you'll see that his rotation is more or less 180 degrees which is the issue that Terry had with my rotation as I was going further than that e.g across the line.

For the images and more - Wrist Spin Bowling: Match called off
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

From my own Blog..........

It's all going to pieces at the moment when it all looked so promising! It seems that with the Big Flick and the potential at last for me to bowl a decent leg break comes over-use of muscles that I've not used before. On Thursday I detected a soreness in the under-side of my forearm and put it down to trying the Top-Spinning Flipper which uses an exceptionally awkward bowling action with the hand. As you bowl it you can feel that you're using muscles not normally used and I decided that I'd stop there and not pursue it again for some time, maybe after the end of this season.

I then carried on with my new big flick leg break which then also felt as though it was stressing my muscles, but I thought that was understandable and thought it would gradually build muscles.... No pain - no gain as they say? Sunday I practiced and then had to stop becuase the arm was hurting to the point where I realised my body was suggesting I should stop. I've since not bowled and it seems to have got better over the last couple of day so I thought I'd see if I could bowl a few easy balls. So I went over the field and bowled 30 - 36 Flippers and Top-Spinners and stopped because the soreness returned. So it looks like I'm out of action for a while. Then just as I expected Matt rang tonight asking if I wanted to play this Sunday. Unfortunately I'm going to Thorpe Park this Sunday with the family and said I couldn't play and suggested that I may be up for a game on Saturday and then corrected myself mentioning the arm situation. So no game for me this weekend again.

Additionally last night at Basildon and Pitsea with Joe and Ben I was working with a bloke who was putting some of the more adept batsmen through their paces with a bowling machine and I was wicket keeping. We had a chat and he said to go over on Wednesday night as they have nets which I'm more than willing to take him up on, but again with this new injury I can't follow that up either. So I'm stuffed.

I've now got to resist bowling at all costs till not this Friday but the following and then come up with a strategy to ease back into it and not re-injure myself. So I've asked for some advice on the big cricket forum.... http://www.bigcricket.com/forum/t67407/#post349305 hopefully Liz Ward will be able to diagnose it and offer some advice?



Ben & Joe upated.

Ben and Joe similarly had a game this Sunday scheduled at home and because of the Thorpe Park trip they can't make the match which worried me a bit as it shows a lack of committment and someone could easily step into their shoes and make a valuable contribution in the match and they might be kissing their season a long goodbye?

That was further reinforced on Monday night when they went to their practice and all the boys were divided up into 2 distinct groups - "New Boys" and "Last years boys" but I noticed that one of the New Boys was also in with the "Last years boys" and yet Ben and Joe were left with the kids that would have trouble throwing a ball at a barn door and I mean throwing not bowling. Initially I was slightly miffed but then watched the last year boys and the 1 single new boy who had gone up with them and it soon became clear that all these boys including the New Boy were far more skilled than Joe and Ben at batting and I was roped in with wicket keeping facing the bowling machine with no gloves and soon realised that this was far too advanced for Ben and Joe at the minute. Ben and Joe for some reason decline my offers of a chance to practice and as I've said before I have to be careful of not over-killing them with cricket. So as a consequence they get very little in the way of practice especially with the bat. In fact they both see themselves as bowlers primarily. Whether this is laziness or not I'm not sure, but I reckon it probably is as they rarely work on their bowling with me.

So this week Ben and Joe ended up with the newbies, but in the long run I think it was for the better as it builds their confidence and it's fun. It turned out that they both enjoyed it with Ben hitting 3 sixes and Joe hitting a couple of 4's and both of them taking wickets on a pitch with a very short boundary. But I think the key is that they had fun and I don't think they'd have had fun with the Bowling machine set as it was.

With regards their bowling we get their 1/2 hour early and one of the Key kids in the team Jodie who is an aspiring opener and the wicket keeper gets there early too looking to bat for 1/2 an hour. So Joe, Ben and a couple of others bowl the full 20 yards using real balls and do okay. So they get a good workout then and there over and above all the other kids.

In context see.......

Wrist Spin Bowling: Forearm injury and more.
 
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