Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

[shrek]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Brilliant session last evening, easily the best I've bowled so far. Without the batsman in the frame, just used chalk to draw on the concrete pitch a rough patch of the good length area between off stump and 10inches outside leg stump. Decided that I was only going to bowl leg breaks and put away temptation to try anything else and in the middle of the session, I was able to land 5out of every six balls in that patch with the last one dropping perhaps 6 inches on either side of the patch.
More than that, I loved the feeling of exactly knowing my bowling action really well and by the end of the session, I knew by the time I entered the delivery stride where the ball was going to pitch. Started off with intention of pitching it between leg stump and six inches outside off, but soon realized that amount of turn I was getting on the concrete, the only way I wont be wided is if I start much wider of leg stump. In general I was starting about 6-8 inches outside leg and spinning enough to miss off both on spin and bounce.

Must've bowled about 18-20 overs in all, mostly leg breaks, 4 top spinners, and 3 googlies. I didn't want to lose the memory of leg break the other variations can be learnt slowly after I get this down

Wish I had ended the session just as well, but perhaps I was tired or perhaps the break with bat in my hand disturbed things around, but the last 2-3 overs, I could only land about 3 every 6 on the right length. But, I can't really complain. Here's hoping my form continues through the week and into the weekend matches

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Thanks for that sadspinner. I'll check it out.

You found so much Grimmett footage at that British Pathe site to keep me going. There is a very important clip from 1930 on that site. He takes 3 of the greatest English batsmen in history within 4 balls. This was the day he said he would debut his new "mystery ball"

Post up the link then Macca!!

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

match off again today. boo to the weather

 

[macca]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Brilliant session last evening, easily the best I've bowled so far. Without the batsman in the frame, just used chalk to draw on the concrete pitch a rough patch of the good length area between off stump and 10inches outside leg stump. Decided that I was only going to bowl leg breaks and put away temptation to try anything else and in the middle of the session, I was able to land 5out of every six balls in that patch with the last one dropping perhaps 6 inches on either side of the patch.
More than that, I loved the feeling of exactly knowing my bowling action really well and by the end of the session, I knew by the time I entered the delivery stride where the ball was going to pitch. Started off with intention of pitching it between leg stump and six inches outside off, but soon realized that amount of turn I was getting on the concrete, the only way I wont be wided is if I start much wider of leg stump. In general I was starting about 6-8 inches outside leg and spinning enough to miss off both on spin and bounce.

Must've bowled about 18-20 overs in all, mostly leg breaks, 4 top spinners, and 3 googlies. I didn't want to lose the memory of leg break the other variations can be learnt slowly after I get this down

Wish I had ended the session just as well, but perhaps I was tired or perhaps the break with bat in my hand disturbed things around, but the last 2-3 overs, I could only land about 3 every 6 on the right length. But, I can't really complain. Here's hoping my form continues through the week and into the weekend matches

Good stuff Shrek. You must be in good form. If you can carry it into the next game you should be rewarded.

 

[macca]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Post up the link then Macca!!

FIRST TEST - British Pathe I couldn't believe it when i found this clip. Especially the black armbands on the English players, That is in the newspaper reports. I will post those too. There is better footage of grimmett at this site but this is the day in 1930 when he announced he would debut his new mystery ball.

He gave a demonstration to the press before the game . Mailey who was working for a newspaper by then, saw this session and declared grimmett had found a new way to spin a cricket ball. Also a week before the game he met Bosquanet at Oxford and the inventor of the googly and the inventor of the flipper had a private conversation that went into the early hours of the morning after dinner.

You dont see much in the clip but if you search what the newspapers said about that mornings play it was a sensational grimmett performance with a new " mystery ball". Frank Wooley declared that the ball that grimmett dismissed him with was "a new one on me". This was 10 years before he first tried the backspinning flipper, these were either overspinners or offbreaks using the flipper finger click.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Good news on my camp. Managed to get down nets today and pursuaded the captains to move me down into the 3rds. Should mean I get a chance with ball this weekend

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Good news on my camp. Managed to get down nets today and pursuaded the captains to move me down into the 3rds. Should mean I get a chance with ball this weekend

probably the first time ive heard of someone begging for a demotion!! but probably a good idea if youre not getting a bowl in the 2nd's. its hard to impress when you dont get a chance, and from my brief experience of league cricket, captains seem very reluctant to break their mould, they just stick with what has worked in the past and wont try anything new.

if you bowl well for the 3rd's then youd like to hope theres then a chance to progress back into the 2nd's and get some overs! if youre good in the field then they will already be keen to promote you anyway. which is why im putting a lot of effort into my fielding of late to make my selection easier. im going to start working on my batting as well and try to make myself more of an all rounder. at club level most of the best batsmen are also excellent all-round cricketers (including being able to bowl well), probably because they played a lot at youth level and got proper coaching. so you cant really get by simply by being able to bowl well. because there are half a dozen other decent bowlers that can also bat and field.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I've got some good news as well, whilst practicing in the paddock tonight an Indian bloke walked passed noticing that that I was bowling and I could tell he was gagging to join in or at least say something, so I spoke to him and within 3 minutes I was padded up and facing some bowling at last Wrist Spin Bowling: The Paddock comes good it turns out this bloke Dhaneesh lives on the estate during the week and goes back to his family in Birmingham at the weekend so Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday he's got absolutely nothing to do and is well up to get in the paddock - put the net up and have a knock about!

If you look at my blog or follow it you'll be aware that I've been creating my own wicket and this week it took a massive turn for the better and tonight after Dhaneesh went I got the mower out lowered the blades to their lowest setting and cut the grass. The end result is that my own private wicket is beautifully flat at the moment and ready to go! So I've got the prospects of some proper practice at last with the bat and bowling against an opponent - I can't wait!

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

i played T20 again tonight. i pleaded with the captain for some overs because ive not been getting my share lately, and sure enough i got some today.

its probably the best ive bowled in this form of the game. again the figures were a little less flattering than the bowling itself, although i did bowl some pretty rank balls as well.

3-0-22-2 were my end figures. i found my line and length straight away, my first over was 6 good deliveries. first ball was at a leftie and he defended. 2nd ball he nudged a single. then i had a righty on strike and he defended the first one. next one he leading edged up in the air to silly mid-off.

new batsman in, first ball he snuck 2 runs off his pads. next ball i clean bowled him with one that turned a bit less. the pitch was really soft and damp so the ball was sticking off the wicket, and it stayed fairly low on him, but not really uneven bounce. he wasnt even close to it, he played for turn, which i got plenty of most of the time.

i wanted to push on from that, 3 runs for 2 wickets after 1 over was an excellent start. probably my best ever. next over though i think i tried too hard at times. i went for 12 runs off it, including a wide, 1 run off a no-ball (back foot outside the line coming around to a leftie, not sure how i managed that), and 1 boundary that was just finely tucked off the pads when i strayed a little leg side. however, of the 2 dot balls in the over, BOTH of them were missed stumpings by the stand-in wicket keeper! the first one was easy, i couldnt believe he didnt take the bails off. the 2nd bounced on him and turned quite a bit, but a proper keeper would have had it easy. so i really should have had 4 wickets that point. i tried a flipper but it got stuck and almost bounced 3 times. the batsman only got a single though.

my last over i reeled it back in a little, no extras. i tried another flipper and it wasnt good and got absolutely spanked down the ground for 4. the fielder should have stopped it really but he was sloppy and it went to the rope. it ended up going for 7 runs, which wasnt bad. overall they hit 145, so 7.25 per over, and i went at 7.33. but i got 2 wickets at a time when we hadnt taken any for a while. aside from the 2 openers (both pretty fast pace bowlers by the standards of this competition) who went for 20 runs between them off of 7 overs, nobody else was anywhere near my economy, so the figures werent bad at all. plus i got 2 wickets (and should have had 4).

our batting collapsed a bit chasing 146. i was in with about 7 overs left, with 50 runs or so still required! i actually batted fairly well, i felt comfortable. apart from 3 swings and misses in one over when i tried a bit too hard to find the rope, i felt like i could have got double figures. in the end i got caught on 9, smashing a ball very hard and flat through mid-wicket, straight at a fielder who somehow managed to hold it. next ball he dropped a far easier one off the next batsman in!! it wasnt a magnificent innings, but i rotated the strike to the other batsman who was hitting lots of boundaries. so i contributed well. one of my better performances, just a shame i didnt get more wickets.

in this tournament i now have 8 wickets in 5 innings, at an average of 12.25 and a strike rate of 9.75. i think im now joint leading wicket taker for the team (ive bowled less overs than the other 2 that i think are level), and my average and strike rate might be better. not bad for a rookie leg spinner in a T20 league with tiny boundaries! the other 2 guys are both weekend league seamers, so not shabby.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I've got some good news as well, whilst practicing in the paddock tonight an Indian bloke walked passed noticing that that I was bowling and I could tell he was gagging to join in or at least say something, so I spoke to him and within 3 minutes I was padded up and facing some bowling at last Wrist Spin Bowling: The Paddock comes good it turns out this bloke Dhaneesh lives on the estate during the week and goes back to his family in Birmingham at the weekend so Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday he's got absolutely nothing to do and is well up to get in the paddock - put the net up and have a knock about!

If you look at my blog or follow it you'll be aware that I've been creating my own wicket and this week it took a massive turn for the better and tonight after Dhaneesh went I got the mower out lowered the blades to their lowest setting and cut the grass. The end result is that my own private wicket is beautifully flat at the moment and ready to go! So I've got the prospects of some proper practice at last with the bat and bowling against an opponent - I can't wait!

starting to take shape now. when i bowled on it the other week it was fairly uneven for bounce, sometimes the ball would do what you expected, but other times it would go in every direction. looks like its coming along though. i reckon by next summer it should be of the same standard as the pitches i play midweek T20 on!

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

i played T20 again tonight. i pleaded with the captain for some overs because ive not been getting my share lately, and sure enough i got some today.

its probably the best ive bowled in this form of the game. again the figures were a little less flattering than the bowling itself, although i did bowl some pretty rank balls as well.

3-0-22-2 were my end figures. i found my line and length straight away, my first over was 6 good deliveries. first ball was at a leftie and he defended. 2nd ball he nudged a single. then i had a righty on strike and he defended the first one. next one he leading edged up in the air to silly mid-off.

new batsman in, first ball he snuck 2 runs off his pads. next ball i clean bowled him with one that turned a bit less. the pitch was really soft and damp so the ball was sticking off the wicket, and it stayed fairly low on him, but not really uneven bounce. he wasnt even close to it, he played for turn, which i got plenty of most of the time.

i wanted to push on from that, 3 runs for 2 wickets after 1 over was an excellent start. probably my best ever. next over though i think i tried too hard at times. i went for 12 runs off it, including a wide, 1 run off a no-ball (back foot outside the line coming around to a leftie, not sure how i managed that), and 1 boundary that was just finely tucked off the pads when i strayed a little leg side. however, of the 2 dot balls in the over, BOTH of them were missed stumpings by the stand-in wicket keeper! the first one was easy, i couldnt believe he didnt take the bails off. the 2nd bounced on him and turned quite a bit, but a proper keeper would have had it easy. so i really should have had 4 wickets that point. i tried a flipper but it got stuck and almost bounced 3 times. the batsman only got a single though.

my last over i reeled it back in a little, no extras. i tried another flipper and it wasnt good and got absolutely spanked down the ground for 4. the fielder should have stopped it really but he was sloppy and it went to the rope. it ended up going for 7 runs, which wasnt bad. overall they hit 145, so 7.25 per over, and i went at 7.33. but i got 2 wickets at a time when we hadnt taken any for a while. aside from the 2 openers (both pretty fast pace bowlers by the standards of this competition) who went for 20 runs between them off of 7 overs, nobody else was anywhere near my economy, so the figures werent bad at all. plus i got 2 wickets (and should have had 4).

our batting collapsed a bit chasing 146. i was in with about 7 overs left, with 50 runs or so still required! i actually batted fairly well, i felt comfortable. apart from 3 swings and misses in one over when i tried a bit too hard to find the rope, i felt like i could have got double figures. in the end i got caught on 9, smashing a ball very hard and flat through mid-wicket, straight at a fielder who somehow managed to hold it. next ball he dropped a far easier one off the next batsman in!! it wasnt a magnificent innings, but i rotated the strike to the other batsman who was hitting lots of boundaries. so i contributed well. one of my better performances, just a shame i didnt get more wickets.

in this tournament i now have 8 wickets in 5 innings, at an average of 12.25 and a strike rate of 9.75. i think im now joint leading wicket taker for the team (ive bowled less overs than the other 2 that i think are level), and my average and strike rate might be better. not bad for a rookie leg spinner in a T20 league with tiny boundaries! the other 2 guys are both weekend league seamers, so not shabby.

Strike rate of 9.75 is pretty amazing especially if you were able to maintain that, the only thing is they're also going to be looking at your average, there seems to be a tendency to scrutinize the average far more than the strike rate.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Strike rate of 9.75 is pretty amazing especially if you were able to maintain that, the only thing is they're also going to be looking at your average, there seems to be a tendency to scrutinize the average far more than the strike rate.

12.25 is a pretty tidy average though! my economy isnt great, but i get plenty of wickets. so the fact that i dont get many overs, but always get at least 1 wicket and normally 2, means that my figures still look really good even if i go for runs.

to be honest, the team i play for doesnt pay any attention to the stats. the only thing they keep track of is how many 6's theyve hit batting. if they looked at the stats i reckon id get more overs!! no-one ever seems to even remember my wickets, even though one of them the other week was an absolute corker bowled through the gate.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

12.25 is a pretty tidy average though! my economy isnt great, but i get plenty of wickets. so the fact that i dont get many overs, but always get at least 1 wicket and normally 2, means that my figures still look really good even if i go for runs.

to be honest, the team i play for doesnt pay any attention to the stats. the only thing they keep track of is how many 6's theyve hit batting. if they looked at the stats i reckon id get more overs!! no-one ever seems to even remember my wickets, even though one of them the other week was an absolute corker bowled through the gate.

The Spinner at our club who holds the record for most wickets had an average last year of just over 3! runs an over, his total career over several years is less than 4.5 if not smaller! His strike rate was in excess of 20 though. These are approximations but round about those figures - his bowling is pretty amazing although he did have a tendency to bring himself on when the middle order was on its way out or he could see that the batsmen further up the bowling order had a weakness he could exploit.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

How did everyones saturday go?
Played a "home " match for the 3rds away at the other teams home ground today.
We got smashed for 250 or so, mostly by their opening bats man (1st team player who was "filling in" ) although I caught him on 86 at point (good catch! However I had dropped a skier before from him, that went high and I was having ot back peddle and just oculdn't get set underneath it, and just got a hand to it )
Didn't bowl.
Batted at 5. Got out 1 off 3 balls to a left arm pacer. Havn't played any left armers for nearly a year and just plyaed a defensive only for it to swing away and clip off stump.
We lost , altho last wicket (2 colt players) went for a 50 partnership ( saving us from being all out for 60)

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

How did everyones saturday go?
Played a "home " match for the 3rds away at the other teams home ground today.
We got smashed for 250 or so, mostly by their opening bats man (1st team player who was "filling in" ) although I caught him on 86 at point (good catch! However I had dropped a skier before from him, that went high and I was having ot back peddle and just oculdn't get set underneath it, and just got a hand to it )
Didn't bowl.
Batted at 5. Got out 1 off 3 balls to a left arm pacer. Havn't played any left armers for nearly a year and just plyaed a defensive only for it to swing away and clip off stump.
We lost , altho last wicket (2 colt players) went for a 50 partnership ( saving us from being all out for 60)

Sounds like the kind of games I've been getting except our colts get ducks! My game's tomorrow, not expecting anything, just going to see how it goes, bowling bad at the minute so not that optimistic.

 

[gundalf7]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

finally wasn't on a losing side, lol. batted 11 had to stay in with the no 6 bat with 15 to win and was told just not to give my wicket away ended up blocking 4 overs or so of balls by myself and with the scores level managed to get myself out for a duck still somehow by middling a forward defensive that carried 20 yds or so( middle of the bat is too good).so it ended in a tie. no 6 bat got dopped with 3 to win as well.

bowling wise really wasn't happy with the captain today bowled all the seamers ahead of me and when 8 wickets down when the change bowlers were bowled through brought back the opening bowlers instead of me because he thought they would run through the team even though i'm sure a leggie is the best bowler to clean up the tail. sure enough the next 5 overs of the opening bowlers went for 70 odd and a easyish 170 was turned into 240. The one slogger was on 97 when i finally got thrown the ball having added another 50 in his last 5 overs and 1st ball had him nice leggie first ball nice turn and he knicked it straight up in the air to short cover and then they declared. so 1 ball 0 maidens 1 wicket for the day wasn't bad.

another game and playing the club i practiced with through the winter as welland know a lot of the guys well so should be good fun.

 

[shrek]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

How did everyones saturday go?
Played a "home " match for the 3rds away at the other teams home ground today.
We got smashed for 250 or so, mostly by their opening bats man (1st team player who was "filling in" ) although I caught him on 86 at point (good catch! However I had dropped a skier before from him, that went high and I was having ot back peddle and just oculdn't get set underneath it, and just got a hand to it )
Didn't bowl.
Batted at 5. Got out 1 off 3 balls to a left arm pacer. Havn't played any left armers for nearly a year and just plyaed a defensive only for it to swing away and clip off stump.
We lost , altho last wicket (2 colt players) went for a 50 partnership ( saving us from being all out for 60)

Didnt get a bowl *again*. We batted first and I bat one drop taking the team from 9-1 to 115/3 before I got out trying to force the pace off an off-spinner - caught at mid-off trying to hit against the wind - made a decent 41 and we ended up on a total of 207 off 38.3 overs. We were 155/4 at 30 overs and I would've expected us to reach at least 235 but we messed up.

Opponents started off well, but I caught an opener at point diving forward with score of 11, and we got a couple of more wickets out cheap and at a point they were 50 odd runs for 4 wickets. But the pacers were going for way too many and our skipper brought in the two off spinners who kept things really tight for a while. But lack of wickets hurt us and we would've lost the game if not for the rain and thunderstorms. We won by the rain rules of the tournament. When he brought on two off spinners would have been the ideal time for me to get a bowl, but I guess there's no confidence in my bowling yet. Just have to keep my head down and work more at it.

Playing another team tomorrow at ohio.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

finally wasn't on a losing side, lol. batted 11 had to stay in with the no 6 bat with 15 to win and was told just not to give my wicket away ended up blocking 4 overs or so of balls by myself and with the scores level managed to get myself out for a duck still somehow by middling a forward defensive that carried 20 yds or so( middle of the bat is too good).so it ended in a tie. no 6 bat got dopped with 3 to win as well.

bowling wise really wasn't happy with the captain today bowled all the seamers ahead of me and when 8 wickets down when the change bowlers were bowled through brought back the opening bowlers instead of me because he thought they would run through the team even though i'm sure a leggie is the best bowler to clean up the tail. sure enough the next 5 overs of the opening bowlers went for 70 odd and a easyish 170 was turned into 240. The one slogger was on 97 when i finally got thrown the ball having added another 50 in his last 5 overs and 1st ball had him nice leggie first ball nice turn and he knicked it straight up in the air to short cover and then they declared. so 1 ball 0 maidens 1 wicket for the day wasn't bad.

another game and playing the club i practiced with through the winter as welland know a lot of the guys well so should be good fun.

Leggies are good bowlers to bowl at anyon,e but you have to have a plan. I prefer to face batsmen higher up the order because they will be planning to stay around a bit

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Didnt get a bowl *again*. We batted first and I bat one drop taking the team from 9-1 to 115/3 before I got out trying to force the pace off an off-spinner - caught at mid-off trying to hit against the wind - made a decent 41 and we ended up on a total of 207 off 38.3 overs. We were 155/4 at 30 overs and I would've expected us to reach at least 235 but we messed up.

Opponents started off well, but I caught an opener at point diving forward with score of 11, and we got a couple of more wickets out cheap and at a point they were 50 odd runs for 4 wickets. But the pacers were going for way too many and our skipper brought in the two off spinners who kept things really tight for a while. But lack of wickets hurt us and we would've lost the game if not for the rain and thunderstorms. We won by the rain rules of the tournament. When he brought on two off spinners would have been the ideal time for me to get a bowl, but I guess there's no confidence in my bowling yet. Just have to keep my head down and work more at it.

Playing another team tomorrow at ohio.

Thats the same as me really. I really struggle to bowl in nets, just clipping the roof of the net etc (its quite a low set of nets) And then i'm fine if i get down there on a non net day and practise for 2-3 hours.
Just got to work on it and hopefully be rewarded.
2 games in a weekend is always fun!

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

ive got a game this afternoon. weather forecast has been awesome all week right upto last night, then it gets to Sunday and it looks like it could rain at any moment and the forecast has changed to a high chance of rain. no wonder the met office dont make long term predictions anymore, they cant even forecast the weather 6 hours ahead! hopefully the weather will hold out, because theres a fairly good chance il get to have a bowl. i got 2 wickets in my first over midweek, so im high in confidence and looking for a five-fer!!