Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Your Cricket => Topic started by: uknsaunders on February 06, 2015, 09:56:10 AM
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If you are old like me then you can remember 20-30 years ago. Now many things at club level have changed and I was thinking the rate of 100's is one of them. I think it happens less now than 20 years ago, indeed I've not seen a 100 at my club in 2 years of being a member. They seem to be getting rarer at other clubs I have played at as well. Bats hit further and we play on dryer, better decks but other things are conspiring against scoring 100's, here's my arguement:-
1. Death of Sunday Cricket - 2 bites at the cherry in a weekend, many players through lifestyle or club choice now play 18 games on a Saturday a season.
2. Sunday cricket going from timed to overs - yes all Sunday cricket was a timed affair. Teams would be sensible and get through 16-18 overs an hour and if you declared 2 hrs 40 mins into the innings (on average) then you got roughly 45-55 overs of batting. 2pm start, tea by 4.45 happy days, back out by 5.20 for the oppo and another 20-25 overs, before 20 overs from 6.30 (in a nutshell). Most like minded clubs were sensible and it provided a great training ground for youth. Then along came wandering teams in particular and slowed down the over rate to 12/13 overs an hour. Start times moved 30 minutes earlier and eventually we started playing 40 overs an innings because some less honest teams bowled 36 overs in 3 hours. As with my point below, less overs = less chance to score a ton.
3. League cricket over allocation - TVL is still the shining light with 100 over games, split 52/48. Bat top 3 on a good deck and you have plenty of time to build an innings. However, the last 2 leagues I have played in are 45 overs a side. By the time you have seen off the new ball, you probably have to score at 3 an over by yourself in the last 25 overs. See many guys get good 70s or 80s only to run out of time. In England it's losing that 7 overs (compared to the TVL) that kill you - 7 overs against tired bowlers & fielders, old ball and in the best batting conditions of the game. You would hope to score 25/30 runs by yourself in that period alone.
4. Modern techniques and t20 - provides a breeding ground for aggressive batsman and poor shot selection. The guys who use to nudge a 100 by accumulation seem to have gone out of the club game. Bowl 2 or 3 maidens and somebody will have a slog.
Thoughts?
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yep, agreed that 100s are getting rarer. I think we had about 5 last season across 4 saturday teams and 2 sunday teams. I think that it's defintiely due to the factors you mention above but I've noticed that the pitches we play on are getting worse and the weather over the past few seasons hasn't helped them either.
I think the desire to score hundreds is still there, but whether the technique and conditions are present is a different matter. In a way i like the fact that 100s are harder to get - it makes them all the more special, as they should be. It seems that, in international cricket at least, 100s are par for the course. It's only special when you see a double or triple. I'd hate to see club cricket go a similar way.
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too many people in a rush trying to hit 100 by accelerating their run rate exponentially.
it doesn't work like that, its peaks and troughs and until you have scored 100 you don't realise how "easy" it is.
take your time, just bat 50 overs and you will score 100 to 175.
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0 hundreds at our club last year. Although 6 in the 90 and a fair few 80s
9 hundreds in 2013
3 in 2012.
Last year was very very wet and pitches were bogs
2013 was one of the driest years I've played. And pitches were hard bouncey roads.
2012 was a very very wet season again.
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The amount of times you see people score a very accomplished 50 then start slogging as soon as they raise their bat. Id love to know the stats of people who get out 50-65. Yes your eye is in at that point, but it is physically impossible to blast every ball. Sometimes you have to respect a good ball, if you're on nought or 180.
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A few hundreds are scored each season at our club. I don't count Sundays as we and the opposition give everyone a bowl so any decent batsman should score a ton. However, I have noticed a lack of younger players making big scores in league cricket. we play 45 overs in our league so there is enough time for a number 4 or 5 batsman to score a ton (in our club at least) But I wonder if some youngsters lack the confidence, technique, concentration or experience to go from 70 - 100.
The state of some wickets/grounds may have something to do with it. there is generally a lack of early season runs when pitches are slow the outfield slower so hitting a 4 is nigh on impossible.
It would finally say that generally the quality of the bowling is better than the batting in our league. We have few orthodox batsmen in our club and the same is true for other clubs in the division.
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Its very interesting to see people "give up" after getting 100.
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To be fair it can be very tiring, especially if it s a hot day and you are over 40
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Growing up, I always deemed 100's to be rare, and playing village cricket for my dad's team I only ever remember seeing one (and that was on a postage stamp ground). Even when I graduated to playing league cricket at a much higher standard, 100's seemed to be reserved for the pro's, and then only maybe scoring 1 or 2 a season.
I've seen a lot more centuries scored in the latter half of my cricket career. Still always special, but I don't consider them as rare now.
I guess thats jsut my personal experience. Would be interested to plug into play-cricket (which is maybe 10 years old now?) and run some proper analysis on it... (well, interesting if you earn your living as a data ninja)
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I'd say they're getting rarer, but almost certainly due to point 4.
Kids play 18-20 over weekday cricket, then get into men's teams batting lowish in the order. Even the talented kids who open/top 3 in our teams only seem to be able to consistently score 20s every week, but then get out doing something daft. I find this so frustrating as a player who really struggles to get to 20, but does well once set.
Also, I think far fewer people get the more formal coaching needed to get a proper technique (outside of private schools, or top end clubs), so end up going with what seems to work, which short term probably means hitting 4s.
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Also, I think far fewer people get the more formal coaching needed to get a proper technique (outside of private schools, or top end clubs), so end up going with what seems to work, which short term probably means hitting 4s.
I would agree that most kids are poorly coached when they are still young enough to take on the advice given.
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What are people's opinions on the Junior weekday game structure? Up to u11 it is all about mass participation, kids bat and bowl in pairs and getting out as a batsman is hardly punished (minus 5 runs and carry on). Then as we move forward, u13 to u17 levels we have batsmen retiring at 25no and 50no. I appreciate this stops teams with a few strong players dominating but does it teach kids to bat for a long time and develop? The 25 rule is silly... its only a few boundaries and many will simply try and do it in as few balls as possible. Many coaches will even promote this to simply win games which is wrong.
I dunno, personally id make u11s 50no and unlimited after u13. But you do risk scaring some kids off when they aren't getting a bat down the order. Its tricky
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2. Sunday cricket going from timed to overs - yes all Sunday cricket was a timed affair. Teams would be sensible and get through 16-18 overs an hour and if you declared 2 hrs 40 mins into the innings (on average) then you got roughly 45-55 overs of batting. 2pm start, tea by 4.45 happy days, back out by 5.20 for the oppo and another 20-25 overs, before 20 overs from 6.30 (in a nutshell). Most like minded clubs were sensible and it provided a great training ground for youth. Then along came wandering teams in particular and slowed down the over rate to 12/13 overs an hour. Start times moved 30 minutes earlier and eventually we started playing 40 overs an innings because some less honest teams bowled 36 overs in 3 hours. As with my point below, less overs = less chance to score a ton.
i love this point about Sunday cricket - i scored my 1st 100 as a young colt playing in a timed game playing for the Sunday side off the last ball of the game - and now at our club (not that club 20 years ago) Sundays is 40 overs a side, 9 per bowler, have a swing from ball one!
and i think this has got into people's games on a Saturday like people have said no one has any patience anyone to build an innings, they simply don't realise how much time they have.
the other massive factor in our league is quite simply the weather has been crap which then in turn influences the pitches - you get stuck in after losing the toss on something that vaguely resembles a wicket but is more like the colour of the outfield and you spend the 1st 10 overs against the new ball trying to survive.
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I scored my first hundred in a Sunday timed game. Took 2 hours 15 minutes for my first 50 runs and 45 minutes for my second 50!. My second ton game in a TVL game when I nudged along for 30-40 odd in nearly 35 overs (came in at 3 in the 5th over) and then added another 70-80 in the last 12. Both times I had the luxury of playing myself in and building an innings, followed by a spurt of positive batting as the bowlers tired. Several times since I have fallen just short in 45 or 40 over games, a half dozen times in the 90's and being not out. I'm not the greatest batsman but you do wonder how easy it will be for somebody to construct their first hundred if they are a reasonable club batsman. I've been lucky to play as much cricket as I have but the next generation might only be batting 10-15 times a season.
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I am not sure I have seen a drop off in hundreds.
What I do do, however, is where I am batting with a young player, who is in and you can tell can get to a hundred, I try to help him there, create the partnership and help keep his focus. Sometimes that means talking about the evening plans and taking the kids mind of batting.
40 overs on a Sunday is plenty to score a hundred and it is just a mindset thing, in club cricket if one of your team makes a hundred the probability of your team winning is massively increased.
Batsmen need to stop thinking about smashing it from ball one, in afternoon games - there is always more time than you think.
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Batsmen need to stop thinking about smashing it from ball one, in afternoon games - there is always more time than you think.
Totally agree and I think it's an experience thing. If you can chase 90 off 15 by thinking about it as maybe 4-5 an over off 10 and then 8+ for only the last 5, it does become more manageable. I try and hang in and take the game to the end if possible. Number of reasons, bowlers tire and under pressure bowl bad balls, field drops deeper and sometimes it only takes a little intent from the batsman for the wheels to come off the fielding side.
That said, it's still more difficult to hit a ton in 40 overs compared to 45-50 overs. Even worse if you haven't picked up a bat for a couple of weeks, an issue for middle order batsman playing 1 day a weekend and perhaps missing games due to weather. Point I'm making is the opportunity to score a 100 is less than it was 20 years ago.
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0 hundreds at our club last year. Although 6 in the 90 and a fair few 80s
9 hundreds in 2013
3 in 2012.
Last year was very very wet and pitches were bogs
2013 was one of the driest years I've played. And pitches were hard bouncey roads.
2012 was a very very wet season again.
This is the problem in sheffield / Derbyshire. very few covered wickets and they have been so wet as an opener you are just surviving for 20 overs.the ball regularly took large divots from the pitches . Only decent track ive played on in two seasons and we bowled out the opposition for 103 batting first. Raced to 57*. batting first id have had a good chance. .. always this season!
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We only had 2 tons last season at my club (our deck is crap mind), one in our seconds and one in a warmup friendly. Couple of 90s, one in the league and one by myself in t20 (got out in the 14th over to a grubber, was fuming). Although in fairness, think there would be a lot more if we didn't enforce retirement at 50 on Sundays, partly because that means you can't get one on a Sunday and partly because it removes the opportunity for players to get used to batting long away from league games. Imo 40/45 overs is plenty of time to get a ton though - given that you're aiming to score well over 200 as a team in that time, one player who bats the majority of the innings should at least be close.
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Its very interesting to see people "give up" after getting 100.
This is nuts - once I get to 100, I try to keep going - I really hate getting out...!
I also totally abhor the must retire at x score, batsmen must learn to bat time and Sunday is the best time to do that. I have only retired once in my career and that was in the 19th over of a preseason friendly when I had made 100...
remember in 40 overs there are 240 balls - an average hundred will take about 100-120 balls - especially on a Sunday, you just need to learn to manipulate the strike a little...!
As for a chase - I like to set myself 12 off each two over sets and try to hit a big over somewhere with about 15 off it...
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2. Sunday cricket going from timed to overs - yes all Sunday cricket was a timed affair. Teams would be sensible and get through 16-18 overs an hour and if you declared 2 hrs 40 mins into the innings (on average) then you got roughly 45-55 overs of batting. 2pm start, tea by 4.45 happy days, back out by 5.20 for the oppo and another 20-25 overs, before 20 overs from 6.30 (in a nutshell). Most like minded clubs were sensible and it provided a great training ground for youth. Then along came wandering teams in particular and slowed down the over rate to 12/13 overs an hour. Start times moved 30 minutes earlier and eventually we started playing 40 overs an innings because some less honest teams bowled 36 overs in 3 hours. As with my point below, less overs = less chance to score a ton.
4. Modern techniques and t20 - provides a breeding ground for aggressive batsman and poor shot selection. The guys who use to nudge a 100 by accumulation seem to have gone out of the club game. Bowl 2 or 3 maidens and somebody will have a slog.
Thoughts?
I couldn't agree more Nick; as a veteran of over 35 years playing, I have seen a decline in the number of 100's scored. in my experience, Sunday games are now either 40 over affairs (which on the face of it should present ample opportunity at the top of the order), or are timed; but with many sides struggling to bowl what you would call a 'fair' number of overs in the time allocated.
Batting techniques have changed to me beyond all recognition (old fart comment!); it seems as if anyone under the age of 30 these days simply launches off from ball one. It can undoubtedly provide entertaining cricket (or a very short game!), but what I do personally see more and more is that it leads to increasing numbers of quick-fire 20's/30's/40's etc., with few people attempting to build an innings with a view of getting a large score.
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Timed overs the good old days I loved the extra option of the draw of in particular the last 20 overs it allowed the slow bowler the chance to hone his skills i used to bat at 7 on Sundays so I could could learn how to play spin on on occiasions with nine fielders around the bat
Also the captains needed to use there cricket brains more.
IMO this form of cricket also gave more oppotunity to score 100 regardless of batting first or second.
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If your not scoring Loadsa tons, then it's time for a new bat!!!
I got 4 last season, but played a lot more cricket than previous seasons
Must admit tho, there is a decline in decent openers batting through and scoring 100 plus these days
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I couldn't agree more Nick; as a veteran of over 35 years playing, I have seen a decline in the number of 100's scored. in my experience, Sunday games are now either 40 over affairs (which on the face of it should present ample opportunity at the top of the order), or are timed; but with many sides struggling to bowl what you would call a 'fair' number of overs in the time allocated.
Batting techniques have changed to me beyond all recognition (old fart comment!); it seems as if anyone under the age of 30 these days simply launches off from ball one. It can undoubtedly provide entertaining cricket (or a very short game!), but what I do personally see more and more is that it leads to increasing numbers of quick-fire 20's/30's/40's etc., with few people attempting to build an innings with a view of getting a large score.
Good to read your still playing 2015 Will be my 46th season.
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If your not scoring Loadsa tons, then it's time for a new bat!!!
I got 4 last season, but played a lot more cricket than previous seasons
Must admit tho, there is a decline in decent openers batting through and scoring 100 plus these days
Just to confirm, was that 4 tons or 4 new bats last season?? ;)
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Good to read your still playing 2015 Will be my 46th season.
Outstanding work; I can only muster a paltry 39! Love the game more than ever; ironic as I'm slower and 'lardier' than ever, but more importantly, scoring more runs than ever! Have a good season Sir!
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The number of 100's at my club has shot up massively.. I literally mean from 1 a season to 10 a season over the last 2 years. The number of 50's is also stupidly high, I mean, it's literally got to the point where if you aren't scoring a 50 then you have failed.
However, if I only include Saturday and national cup cricket then as a club we only scored 2 100's and none last year. If I include midweek tour games, sunday league, sunday friendly and T20 (cup and league) then it goes up to the amounts from before. The reason, sunday cricket is dying and dying badly. Teams rarely put out any decent bowling (a because bowlers can't be bothered to bowl both days and b) they want to bat..), so by the time they come on the batsmen have their eye in and can keep scoring quickly (unless the bowler really is a few classes above).
40 overs is enough to score 100 but only really if you biff, the oppos bowl copious amounts of crap or can't stop a ball 1M from them. If you are playing against similar standard then I'd argue that 100's should be rare. Sundays at our club are becoming a joke because we have no decent bowlers playing and literally most of our first team batsmen, and older batsmen, who are plenty good enough to stay in and score at 50-60 SR but aren't capable of going faster (unless the bowling is that bad etc).. meaning we either score 300+ or barely scrape 220-3.
personally, I hate 40/45 over cricket as only the top 3 really get to bat properly.. the rest have to attack. Even that though with decks as they are and bowling standards dropping is becoming different, as teams just pack their sides fully of middle order stroke makers adn look to smash 300+ a game then just defend it. Hardly tactical genius but it's the cricket we have. some love it.
just my 2p's
at buzz, personaly on sundays once I get 100 I get out. Never retire but I might just miss the ball and let it hit the wicket to give others a go. Did it this year and when the statistician checked the scorebook later (their scorer did it)... found that he'd got it wrong and I had 99 :( ooopppps my aim is 4 a year, only got 3 this year but got out intentionally twice to find out the scorers had messed up. 98 was the other one so should really have had 5. oh well. As I said, 100's for our club seem to be the norm rather than anything special, but down to weak sunday teams more than anything, not superior skill.
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The mindset of batting has changed IMO.
As a spinner I have always taken wickets but I find the number of batsmen willing to take me on has increased massively over the last 5 years.
The best batsmen I have faced, work the spinners around and never give you a chance. Only rarely hitting over the top.
I love bowling at the 18-24 range of batsmen because I know they would rather, on the whole, bat like Gayle or AB than Boycott.
The Wylie old foxes are still the ones who grind out scores with few chances - I have seen very few batsmen at any level who won't 'give' you a chance or two along the way, even pros.
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The mindset of batting has changed IMO.
As a spinner I have always taken wickets but I find the number of batsmen willing to take me on has increased massively over the last 5 years.
The best batsmen I have faced, work the spinners around and never give you a chance. Only rarely hitting over the top.
I love bowling at the 18-24 range of batsmen because I know they would rather, on the whole, bat like Gayle or AB than Boycott.
The Wylie old foxes are still the ones who grind out scores with few chances - I have seen very few batsmen at any level who won't 'give' you a chance or two along the way, even pros.
Agree that the good batsmen rarely go over the top but when I speak to a few of the guys all they want to do all the time is smash it over the infield. Unfortunately, the wickets are so good that they get awya with it on the whole. Just look at the scores batting sides are getting and the SR's
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Phil what you say about young batsmen is almost too true.
Last season we had a young left arm spinner take 4-fer in a league game, their number 9 comes in, who is about my age, and hits him for 6 first ball. From slip I just say "nice start, best keep your strike rate at that"
He grins and says "challenge accepted with these small boundaries" and plays big heave ho to give a skied catch next ball.
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Agree that the good batsmen rarely go over the top but when I speak to a few of the guys all they want to do all the time is smash it over the infield. Unfortunately, the wickets are so good that they get awya with it on the whole. Just look at the scores batting sides are getting and the SR's
True. That's one of the reasons I left the Surrey Champ years ago. As a bowler, why would you just want to play on a batting road all the time?! Neither good for your ability or self-esteem when it is so heavily weighted in the batsmen's favour - though I wouldn't advocate going back to uncovered wickets either!
'Flat track bullies' are becoming more and more common. Not that this is a bad thing but it seem all about the quick 30 than a big hundred these days. I'm only 31 but have been playing mens since I was 11. The chance has been dramatic.
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Phil what you say about young batsmen is almost too true.
Last season we had a young left arm spinner take 4-fer in a league game, their number 9 comes in, who is about my age, and hits him for 6 first ball. From slip I just say "nice start, best keep your strike rate at that"
He grins and says "challenge accepted with these small boundaries" and plays big heave ho to give a skied catch next ball.
Worse thing is Cam, you don't even need to be a good spinner. In our league last year, 8 of the top ten bowlers were spinners - people are so willing to take you on.
On a flat track, OK. You are less likely to be done by the spin, but on a track with a bit of turn, you are just putting a bullseye on your wicket!
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True. That's one of the reasons I left the Surrey Champ years ago. As a bowler, why would you just want to play on a batting road all the time?! Neither good for your ability or self-esteem when it is so heavily weighted in the batsmen's favour - though I wouldn't advocate going back to uncovered wickets either!
'Flat track bullies' are becoming more and more common. Not that this is a bad thing but it seem all about the quick 30 than a big hundred these days. I'm only 31 but have been playing mens since I was 11. The chance has been dramatic.
I have another topic up my sleeve to do with flat track bullies! Without wrecking that topic, I think pitches now allow batsman to hit over the top.
Not sure why you moved to the TVL if you wanted wickets you could bowl on. TVL decks have converted many a fast bowler to spinner/batsman over the years!
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1. I am a spinner/batsman
2. My home club is in Div.2 of the TVCL
3. It is close to my house - now I'm in my 30s, I'm lazy like that!
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Worse thing is Cam, you don't even need to be a good spinner. In our league last year, 8 of the top ten bowlers were spinners - people are so willing to take you on.
On a flat track, OK. You are less likely to be done by the spin, but on a track with a bit of turn, you are just putting a bullseye on your wicket!
As a spinner myself I took years working on control (since my early teens when I started playing), then once I had that developed change of pace and variations that mean I can now come on an back myself to keep the runs down and take wickets due to building pressure.
I wish I hadn't bothered now, I'd get just as many wickets, if not more, by putting the field back and tossing a load of loopy half trackers down!
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It isn't just spinners to be fair, I took waaaaay too many catches off our seamers at mid-off last season. The odd difficult one but must have had close to 10 batsmen just planking a half volley in my direction while trying to go over the top. Wouldn't have seen that a few years ago.
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Just to confirm, was that 4 tons or 4 new bats last season?? ;)
2 bats and 4 tons
Should really have scored a lot more tho
Think I need more cricket bats?
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don't know that they are rarer - some years are better than others due to prevailing conditions, but amongst established players I don't see a difference. What I do notice is that youngsters take longer to get to the habit of scoring them now - our very good (second in the county) Under 17s of a year ago have one ton - that in a Sunday game - between them, whereas I made nine myself by the same age!