Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)

[chippyben]

My figures for the season were 24overs 8/114 I also got 1 wicket for the rep team but got hit for 4 6's but the wicket was their best batsman. Got 302 runs with the bat at an average of 30. We won our districts T20 comp with me as captain which was a huge highlight. Came 2nd on the tablein saturday comp but lost on the weekend to miss out on the grand final. Also got the trophy for the best performed in representive matches so all in all a great season, just a shame we missed out on the grand final.
Leg spin was ok and a great learning experience this year

 

[TonyM]

Ben, good to see you back and great numbers for your first real season as a leggie. My obvious question is, aside from the numbers, how did you feel you bowled?

From afar, 24 overs doesn't seem that many so was it a case of you or your captain not really having enough faith, I know you suffered a bit early season so was that the cause?

Final question for now as I know you struggle with longer posts, what is your key element to work on during the off season?

 

[macca]

I think you were captain chippyben? I suppose you had a few washouts this season?

All in all you must have a pretty good reputation as an allrounder down there now. It would be worth going along to the grand final anyway and gathering intelligence for next season.

 

[big kev]

View attachment 134

@ macca and @ dave how can I get the ball to spin square i want the ball to spin as shown in the picture,currently me seam is 45 degree towards slips. How can achieve this type of seam position ??

I suggest you experiment, because that way you will not need to focus too much on the technical side of things, because that will eventually bog you down. Also, even if someone describes it very well, it might not necessarily mean that you will be able to bowl it. But, if you are just looking for a simple explanation, as you release it, rotate your fingers over the ball anticlockwise, while keeping the seam vertical to the ground

 

[someblokecalleddave]

I suggest you experiment, because that way you will not need to focus too much on the technical side of things, because that will eventually bog you down. Also, even if someone describes it very well, it might not necessarily mean that you will be able to bowl it. But, if you are just looking for a simple explanation, as you release it, rotate your fingers over the ball anticlockwise, while keeping the seam vertical to the ground

Yeah you're right about getting bogged down in technical stuff.

 

[chippyben]

Ben, good to see you back and great numbers for your first real season as a leggie. My obvious question is, aside from the numbers, how did you feel you bowled?

From afar, 24 overs doesn't seem that many so was it a case of you or your captain not really having enough faith, I know you suffered a bit early season so was that the cause?

Final question for now as I know you struggle with longer posts, what is your key element to work on during the off season?

Bowled weel at the start of the year, rubbish through the middle and good again at the end. Lost confidence in my action through the middle of the season, Plus started bowling too flat and was easy to play.

 

[chippyben]

Ben, good to see you back and great numbers for your first real season as a leggie. My obvious question is, aside from the numbers, how did you feel you bowled?

From afar, 24 overs doesn't seem that many so was it a case of you or your captain not really having enough faith, I know you suffered a bit early season so was that the cause?

Final question for now as I know you struggle with longer posts, what is your key element to work on during the off season?

It is a short season and the top bowlers only got 50 overs. I bowled another 20 of pace. I was captain for some games and the captain is a legspinner himself so I got more overs than expected really

 

[chippyben]

We bowled in tandem a few times and got the last 5 wickets for 30 runs in the semi final including me taking the wicket of the best batsman in the comp. A real scalp

 

[chippyben]

Need to work on getting a consistant action, where I fell down was when I wasnt confident in what I was doing so just more practice I guess. The big step I made was accepting that you may go for a few runs and when it happens its not as bad as you think. The nerves have certainly gone now too. Its easy to say dont worry about getting hit and relax but it only comes through experience and so this season has been a big help in that aspect

 

[chippyben]

The other thing is to do the opposite of your instinct when things are going wrong. Instaed of speeding up and bowling flatter I need to slow down and get my shape back in the deliveries as that is waht beats the batsman. Looking back only 1 of the 8 wickets was from a bad ball. 1 Bowled & 7 catches.
When I got the guy out in the semi final we had a chat after the match at the pub and he said he had played against a lot of leggies and fancied hitting me. He had just pulled a short ball for 4 and I got him on the next ball with a well flighted ball that he came forward to but didnt get to the pitch of it and edged. Anyway he said he didnt think Id have the courage to throw one up next ball so it tricked him. I think that courage only comes through experience in matches too

 

[chippyben]

I think you were captain chippyben? I suppose you had a few washouts this season?

All in all you must have a pretty good reputation as an allrounder down there now. It would be worth going along to the grand final anyway and gathering intelligence for next season.

Vice captain but captained a few when the captain was away. I captained the t20. Went to the grand final The team that beat us who had come 3rd to make the grand final won it. They were 1/31 after 20 overs but managed to make it to 147 in the next 20 and bowled the top team out for 110. Amazing really, they only had 2 good batsman and won the comp.
Congrats to Jimmy and his team. Bit odd opening with him without telling him in the grand final!!

 

[someblokecalleddave]

The other thing is to do the opposite of your instinct when things are going wrong. Instaed of speeding up and bowling flatter I need to slow down and get my shape back in the deliveries as that is waht beats the batsman. Looking back only 1 of the 8 wickets was from a bad ball. 1 Bowled & 7 catches.
When I got the guy out in the semi final we had a chat after the match at the pub and he said he had played against a lot of leggies and fancied hitting me. He had just pulled a short ball for 4 and I got him on the next ball with a well flighted ball that he came forward to but didnt get to the pitch of it and edged. Anyway he said he didnt think Id have the courage to throw one up next ball so it tricked him. I think that courage only comes through experience in matches too

Yeah that takes some balls, your hearts racing and your gutted that they've just smacked you for 4, to the float one in, just seems like the opposite of what you should do, something for me to try and remember. I know in the past I tense up in those situations and the answer has been to bowl faster and flatter.

 

[micoach]

Being able to put the last ball out of your mind if it was tonked is an essential skill. Some people are naturally better than others, but there are methods you can employ. Ian Pont talks about mentally "throwing away the bad muffin"; literally imagining your negative thought as a muffin that has gone off and throwing it in the bin rather than continuing to eat it!

 

[chippyben]

Yeah that takes some balls, your hearts racing and your gutted that they've just smacked you for 4, to the float one in, just seems like the opposite of what you should do, something for me to try and remember. I know in the past I tense up in those situations and the answer has been to bowl faster and flatter.

Hey Dave, I was back down Sydney visiting the Mr's rely's at xmas and to escape for a while I went to the mearest park to have a bowl. Check it out on google earth. Birchgrove park, Birchgrove. It would have to have one of the best view of any nets in the world.

 

[TonyM]

The other thing is to do the opposite of your instinct when things are going wrong. Instaed of speeding up and bowling flatter I need to slow down and get my shape back in the deliveries as that is waht beats the batsman. Looking back only 1 of the 8 wickets was from a bad ball. 1 Bowled & 7 catches.
When I got the guy out in the semi final we had a chat after the match at the pub and he said he had played against a lot of leggies and fancied hitting me. He had just pulled a short ball for 4 and I got him on the next ball with a well flighted ball that he came forward to but didnt get to the pitch of it and edged. Anyway he said he didnt think Id have the courage to throw one up next ball so it tricked him. I think that courage only comes through experience in matches too

Thats the bit I was looking for Ben. I accept what you posted about getting more consistency in your action, etc but its having an action that can stand up to game pressure that matters. Given your history, you were always going to be prone to the quicker, flatter route under pressure, but its great that you have already seen the reward for trusting yourself and the spin more not less when it matters. Well done again on the season and lets hope theres no need for 'another 20 overs of pace' next year

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Hey Dave, I was back down Sydney visiting the Mr's rely's at xmas and to escape for a while I went to the mearest park to have a bowl. Check it out on google earth. Birchgrove park, Birchgrove. It would have to have one of the best view of any nets in the world.

Yeah I went round the perimeter road, but I don't think it does it any justice, saw where the nets were in relation to the harbour and the pitch - yeah that looks like it has the potential to be pretty spectacular, can you see the bridge from there or is it round the corner behind the trees? Australia's my last remaining ambitions, noticed a couple of months back even if your entire population of photography teachers walked out of work en-masse, I couldn't get a job there now just on the basis of my age, so living there's pretty much off my list now, unless one of my sons decided that was an option for them and they had the required skills. Holiday there's my only hope.. maybe in 20 years or so if I've not croaked, just hope I can get the arm over at 72, old Grum bowling into his 80's is my benchmark, so maybe join you in a couple of decades?

I reckon a decent photo would help appreciate it more. Aesthetically and culturally England's probably always going to have the edge over most places just because of the history and roots of the game - it's that whole Village Green, picket fence, church in the background, Oaks, Elms, swallows and swifts and the sound of leather on willow cliche's, the fact that England around the end of May and through early June is just spectacularly rich and green and beautiful.

 

[macca]

Congrats to Jimmy and his team. Bit odd opening with him without telling him in the grand final!!

I am not so sure the coach didn't tell him of the possibility at their last training session but Jimmy didn't mention it to me. I let him run his own race. I dont coach him or even talk to him much when a match is on. He is a far better bowler than i ever was anyway so i let him do what he does. Some parents/coaches are drilling their kids with all this stuff before and during the game and it can take all the fun out of it.

My concern at the moment chippyben is now they have won the premiership somewhat unexpectedly we have to see if they qualify for div 1 and will they want to go up, some parents aren't that keen on promotion at this stage.

Also our players results are 2 games short and all those stats go to work out which team goes up as well as where they finished in the comp. One of the games missing has jimmys best ever bowling stats, 3/5 off 5 overs with 2 rep players clean bowled. That means on the bowling averages published he is at 4/113 off 39.5 overs where he really took 7/118 off 44.5 overs, one innings makes a huge difference and i can have it corrected by contacting the association but it is a hassle.

It means if those 2 games stats dont get entered from our scrorebook they probably wont go up. Their is a small fine for not keeping up the stats and the officials might pick up on the missing games stats anyway. The website has all the stats frozen and disabled at the moment but they will be finalised soon and then i can work out the promotion chances.

Also some players and their parents of the top players in div 1 heading for relegation to div3 will bail out of that team and try and get in a team on the way up, like our team. They approach the new club and say pick us and you will have the player championship points for promotion.

 

[chippyben]

Yeah I went round the perimeter road, but I don't think it does it any justice, saw where the nets were in relation to the harbour and the pitch - yeah that looks like it has the potential to be pretty spectacular, can you see the bridge from there or is it round the corner behind the trees? Australia's my last remaining ambitions, noticed a couple of months back even if your entire population of photography teachers walked out of work en-masse, I couldn't get a job there now just on the basis of my age, so living there's pretty much off my list now, unless one of my sons decided that was an option for them and they had the required skills. Holiday there's my only hope.. maybe in 20 years or so if I've not croaked, just hope I can get the arm over at 72, old Grum bowling into his 80's is my benchmark, so maybe join you in a couple of decades?

I reckon a decent photo would help appreciate it more. Aesthetically and culturally England's probably always going to have the edge over most places just because of the history and roots of the game - it's that whole Village Green, picket fence, church in the background, Oaks, Elms, swallows and swifts and the sound of leather on willow cliche's, the fact that England around the end of May and through early June is just spectacularly rich and green and beautiful.

If you go into the sidebar and enable photo's it does it more justice. True though there is nothing like English village
cricket. I would say the best ground I have played on here is still not as good as the worst ground I played on over there.
This season was particualry bad for our grounds. We had a LOT of rain and so most grounds looked nice, green and lush but
we are dependant on the local councils for mowing and they never mow them short. This results in good shots played on the
ground getting no reward at all.

 

[chippyben]

Macca
Sounds like a complicated system and a bit unfair. Surely all results have to be taken into account and a lapse in admin wouldnt take it away from you. Your right not to over coach on game day. one simple message for the game is enough give it some air or something like that. Training is the time for coaching.
I found captaining this year one simple message to the team really focussed them, like no short balls.

 

[macca]

Macca
Sounds like a complicated system and a bit unfair. Surely all results have to be taken into account and a lapse in admin wouldnt take it away from you. Your right not to over coach on game day. one simple message for the game is enough give it some air or something like that. Training is the time for coaching.
I found captaining this year one simple message to the team really focussed them, like no short balls.

Yeah it is a bit complicated. You can be promoted from either minor or major premier depending on your what they call championship points earnt from runs, wickets, catches, run outs , etc, from individual players. For instance a clean bowled earns 10 points. The whole system is stacked in favour of batsmen and fieldsman over bowlers. Batsmen gets 10 points for 10 runs which is supposed to equal bowling someone.

I just hope the stats do get corrected, it is obvious to anyone who takes a good look at the results. I could even go back over previous seasons and see what happens in similar circumstances.