Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Your Cricket => Topic started by: six and out on July 19, 2017, 12:22:23 PM
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What does Cricket mean to you??
I realise this is quite an open question but what i am talking about is the current cricket you are playing.
The reason i ask is because this weekend i have a game that will probably decide who wins the league - it is 1st vs 2nd (we are 2nd) - winner probably takes all as we are so far ahead of 3rd and pretty much the best sides in the league and i don't see either side dropping points for the rest of the season.
However, i find myself not really being that bothered whether we win or lose, as long as it is a good game, i do my best, have fun etc.... if we lose so be it.
Am i doing my younger club mates a dis-service who i know this means a great deal?
Is it just me getting old?
Have i just played too much cricket that the level i play now it isn't about the winning for me - but should it be?
I am interested what is it like for others??
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Hmm...good question.at the moment it's a chore probably because of a few reasons
Not fit enough(other thread!!)
No longer good enough at the level(div 1 2nds)
The game (league) is less social and,most of the time,I'm a friendly bloke
But when it comes to Saturday I give it all Ive got to win the game if the field or with the bat
Ive played with and against some very good players in the past and pretty much seen it all
But as far as competing yes still have the drive mentally to win for me and my team mates
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I play for the enjoyment.
Sure we play to win, but it's really not worth getting upset about if your personal form is terrible or the oppo is chucking. We play because we love the game, not because we want to open for England.
Be disappointed by your duck, but come back next week promising to make at least 1 run.
I pay my tenner match subs for the tea and the banter. If I score double figures I'll take that as a bonus.
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I like this question.
Ive played for over 30 years, 3 clubs, 1 school. I enjoy playing in a team, I enjoy how simple the objective is and how hard it is to be successful. I enjoy training, buying kit and before,during and after a game talking a lot of 'sounds like kit'. I enjoy the fellowship and fun of playing cricket.
Playing cricket means fun and excitment.
Watching it is not really the same.
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I love my cricket especially the banter and meeting the lads one or twice a week.
League cricket on a sat for me is more important than Sunday league cricket which I don't often play these days. For me at the moment it's helping the club get to the league we deserve to be in having had to start in the bottom leagues due to moving regions last year.
Had a miserable year in 2015 but since joining my current club feel I have really settled into Suffolk, partner and daughter are involved with the wives and Girlfriends and daughter is enjoying her cricket in the jnr section and her batting is really coming on.
All in loving cricket at the moment and that rubs off on my batting which so far this year has been really good
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I've played cricket for a long time. I've scored hundreds and I've taken 5+ wicket hauls but when I think about it those aren't the things I remember. When I look back over the years I've played cricket I think about the blokes that I've played cricket with, laughing so hard there were tears in my eyes. I remember winning close games and the enjoyment of beating an opposition that you didn't really like. I remember the league championship wins; hitting the winning runs and singing songs in the clubhouse. I remember batting with my older brother who was my cricketing hero and hitting partnerships over 200 together or when we opened the batting once (a rarity) and knocking off 168 for 0 from 32 overs against minor counties bowlers. My brother moved away and part of my cricket died because I would never get to bat or even play cricket with him again. It makes me emotional just thinking about it and typing it on a computer screen. That is what cricket means to me.
This year has been horrible. We are a very, very poor side. I'm able to hold my own in the team and can still average 40+ but in truth we only have 2/3 players that are good enough for that standard. We have only won one game all year. I'm injured at the moment and perhaps could be playing if I really pushed myself but I don't want to. I've stopped enjoying it. The players that I used to play with have given up or move away. I've played for the same club for pretty much 30 years and I live 500 yards from the ground.
Cricket has changed over the years but it's not the personal glory that sticks in my mind it's the laughs, banter, brotherhood and just the fact that cricket is a bloody amazing, frustrating and truly wonderful sport :)
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What does Cricket mean to you??
I realise this is quite an open question but what i am talking about is the current cricket you are playing.
The reason i ask is because this weekend i have a game that will probably decide who wins the league - it is 1st vs 2nd (we are 2nd) - winner probably takes all as we are so far ahead of 3rd and pretty much the best sides in the league and i don't see either side dropping points for the rest of the season.
However, i find myself not really being that bothered whether we win or lose, as long as it is a good game, i do my best, have fun etc.... if we lose so be it.
Am i doing my younger club mates a dis-service who i know this means a great deal?
Is it just me getting old?
Have i just played too much cricket that the level i play now it isn't about the winning for me - but should it be?
I am interested what is it like for others??
I am in the same situation as this week will decide if we are first or second also been around a long time do I always want to win yes.
We are also in the Saturday cup quarter finals so to win a league and cup double after 50 plus seasons would be nice but cricket for me is being on the field being involved and doing the best I can.
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Great Question....
Love for the sport, first and foremost.
But I've played for 1 team for my whole senior career despite many many chances to move on.
It's about winning with a close group of friends, we win together & Lose together.
We've got a big game coming up at the weekend, we where cheated at their place(No umpires) and its how everyone comes together to support each other which I love. It's been my first year of being skipper and I'm growing to love it.
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It is a good question.
TBH I can completely understand your position and I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
I would say that my preference is to be competitive... I think if as a team you are being competitive then generally speaking win loose or draw most people will get the best out of the game.
We have had people in the past only bothered about winning - almost at all costs, and although I can see how alluring success is and why playing at the highest level can be important to those that have the ability to me that will always come down to being competitive. If you have the ability then you will raise up the league, if you don't then you won't... but being competitive alows the failures and success to have a balance which I think is the best position for a club to be in.
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Friends, family, fun, laughter and a nice cold beer.
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Just makes me happy being on the field and doing good. You get to hang out with the boys away from busy lives. I do get upset if we lose but not as much as I used to.
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I play for the enjoyment.
Sure we play to win, but it's really not worth getting upset about if your personal form is terrible or the oppo is chucking. We play because we love the game, not because we want to open for England.
Be disappointed by your duck, but come back next week promising to make at least 1 run.
I pay my tenner match subs for the tea and the banter. If I score double figures I'll take that as a bonus.
Great post.This.....is the karma position I need to get into.still work to do :-)
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Im competitive, love challenging myself , so i pride myself on performance. If i play like crap , its certainly not due to lack of effort. If you go hard , playing wise , that is all that is in your control . Sure , you hope you win , but all you can do is try to maximise what you can control /influence (your performance) and hope all the other pieces fall into place for a win .
Btw , when i mean compete , i mean competing with yourself ..... i find it enjoyable trying to better myself in this way .
I also love the grounds , different pitches, traveling to venues with mates , seeing young guys improve (especially if you've been able to help in some small way) .
I love the memories and how certain things trigger a 'flashback' of sorts to childhood happiness. Certain smells ( like fresh cut grass , linseed oil , the plastic/rubber smell of new equipment ) make me feel like an excitable kid again ..... that's something that's a simple pleasure , but always easy to experience.
I love sitting around with teammates having a laugh . Its kinda cool when a bunch of blokes who could easily be moping around , lamenting their dismissal , or being too nervous in anticipation of their upcoming innings , seem to provide each other with countless funny and interesting moments .
I love the anticipation the night before a game . It's like being a teenager about to go on a date .
I also love managing systems , so collecting , maintaining my cricket gear is endless fun too.
I love seeing new gear come onto the market , and 'perving' on bats .
I love seeing quality facilities.
I could go on . And on . And on .
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I've played cricket for a long time. I've scored hundreds and I've taken 5+ wicket hauls but when I think about it those aren't the things I remember. When I look back over the years I've played cricket I think about the blokes that I've played cricket with, laughing so hard there were tears in my eyes. I remember winning close games and the enjoyment of beating an opposition that you didn't really like. I remember the league championship wins; hitting the winning runs and singing songs in the clubhouse. I remember batting with my older brother who was my cricketing hero and hitting partnerships over 200 together or when we opened the batting once (a rarity) and knocking off 168 for 0 from 32 overs against minor counties bowlers. My brother moved away and part of my cricket died because I would never get to bat or even play cricket with him again. It makes me emotional just thinking about it and typing it on a computer screen. That is what cricket means to me.
This year has been horrible. We are a very, very poor side. I'm able to hold my own in the team and can still average 40+ but in truth we only have 2/3 players that are good enough for that standard. We have only won one game all year. I'm injured at the moment and perhaps could be playing if I really pushed myself but I don't want to. I've stopped enjoying it. The players that I used to play with have given up or move away. I've played for the same club for pretty much 30 years and I live 500 yards from the ground.
Cricket has changed over the years but it's not the personal glory that sticks in my mind it's the laughs, banter, brotherhood and just the fact that cricket is a bloody amazing, frustrating and truly wonderful sport :)
Excellent forthright post
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Used to love cricket, I guess I still do but I just don't want to play anymore. I'm just not very good and even did some statistical analysis of my last 6 years and playing for different teams at different levels I've always been rubbish. The most annoying thing is my 5 year old son is just getting into cricket and has been at allstars, I've. It played for a month and haven't missed it one bit, sad times
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Im competitive, love challenging myself , so i pride myself on performance. If i play like crap , its certainly not due to lack of effort. If you go hard , playing wise , that is all that is in your control . Sure , you hope you win , but all you can do is try to maximise what you can control /influence (your performance) and hope all the other pieces fall into place for a win .
Btw , when i mean compete , i mean competing with yourself ..... i find it enjoyable trying to better myself in this way .
I also love the grounds , different pitches, traveling to venues with mates , seeing young guys improve (especially if you've been able to help in some small way) .
I love the memories and how certain things trigger a 'flashback' of sorts to childhood happiness. Certain smells ( like fresh cut grass , linseed oil , the plastic/rubber smell of new equipment ) make me feel like an excitable kid again ..... that's something that's a simple pleasure , but always easy to experience.
I love sitting around with teammates having a laugh . Its kinda cool when a bunch of blokes who could easily be moping around , lamenting their dismissal , or being too nervous in anticipation of their upcoming innings , seem to provide each other with countless funny and interesting moments .
I love the anticipation the night before a game . It's like being a teenager about to go on a date .
I also love managing systems , so collecting , maintaining my cricket gear is endless fun too.
I love seeing new gear come onto the market , and 'perving' on bats .
I love seeing quality facilities.
I could go on . And on . And on .
If I could type faster and write all I wanted to, would repeat almost everything you said.
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Used to love cricket, I guess I still do but I just don't want to play anymore. I'm just not very good and even did some statistical analysis of my last 6 years and playing for different teams at different levels I've always been rubbish. The most annoying thing is my 5 year old son is just getting into cricket and has been at allstars, I've. It played for a month and haven't missed it one bit, sad times
Unless you have stopped enjoying it
Being not very good shouldn't cause you to stop as for statistics do they matter..
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I live and breath it, I think about it all the time.
I'm rubbish, but I still go to bed at night dreaming of the 5 Fers I might take and the 50's I might smash.
I'm 46 years old, and apart from sports cars and boobies, 3XI cricket is still the most exciting part of my week.
#when summer Saturdays come. 😁
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I live and breath it, I think about it all the time.
I'm rubbish, but I still go to bed at night dreaming of the 5 Fers I might take and the 50's I might smash.
I'm 46 years old, and apart from sports cars and boobies, 3XI cricket is still the most exciting part of my week.
#when summer Saturdays come. 😁
This is me too. Except the sports cars and boobies. I love cricket. Totally obsessed if you asked everyone who knows me to say one word about me they would say cricket. I captain 2s, I coach the kids, I read about the game constantly. I used to write the newspaper reports and a blog. At the moment I'm on this website watching sky cricket messaging the selection committee to get a team for Saturday while also looking at league website. When I go to bed be reading all out cricket magazine. Im also not very good either but the hope keeps me going!
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I live and breath it, I think about it all the time.
I'm rubbish, but I still go to bed at night dreaming of the 5 Fers I might take and the 50's I might smash.
I'm 46 years old, and apart from sports cars and boobies, 3XI cricket is still the most exciting part of my week.
#when summer Saturdays come. 😁
Mmmmmmmmm boobies........ i mean cricket . Yeah , cricket , that's what i meant . :D
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What does cricket mean to me?
An escape?
When I was very young, I grew up in a small cotton town full of weaving sheds, factories etc
Imagine every northern cliche and you get the idea.
The first club I played at was a mill club
The ground and clubhouse were like a world apart from playing on cobbled backstreets and schoolyards
Its over 40 yrs since I first played there and I can still remember it like it was yesterday
The ground had a full time groundsman who took huge pride in the club
I played there until the cotton industry died and the club turned to weeds
I probably could have gone to better clubs, played a better standard etc etc, but I loved every minute playing for that club
Even met my sons mother there
Since then I've played all over the uk, and met some amazing people and played at some stunning grounds
I'm sure other sports could have given me the same experiences but I doubt it
The unique grounds,(howarth west end, Lynton lynmouth,bude etc etc) stunning scenery, and the opportunity to play the best game in the world with like minded souls.
Priceless
Only hope my kids get the chance to experience what I've been lucky enough to experience
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Day away from the wife for me
Its changed over the years
When I was younger I played a high level (brum prem) so the enjoyment came from winning and training hard
Now lot older and slower my enjoyment comes from coaching and mentoring, I still play every week but see my main role as mentoring young lads and helping them get better which gives me more joy than scoring runs myself.
Plus schooling them on after match etiquette of trying to out last the oppo in their bar.
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Unless you have stopped enjoying it
Being not very good shouldn't cause you to stop as for statistics do they matter..
If scoring runs is what you enjoy then yes. Turning up and not contributing isnt enjoyable for me. The stats was kind of a side project of something i was doing at work as i was doing some stats analysis for a team im working with and i though it would be interesting to show my previous seasons. Maybe i think im better than i am. I average 6 this year and get to bat 7 at the highest, thats not enjoyable for me. I'm close to giving up for good which is a real shame. I thought i would miss it but im not playing this saturday and that makes it 5 weeks without a game, before i was itching to play after a week break
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If scoring runs is what you enjoy then yes. Turning up and not contributing isnt enjoyable for me. The stats was kind of a side project of something i was doing at work as i was doing some stats analysis for a team im working with and i though it would be interesting to show my previous seasons. Maybe i think im better than i am. I average 6 this year and get to bat 7 at the highest, thats not enjoyable for me. I'm close to giving up for good which is a real shame. I thought i would miss it but im not playing this saturday and that makes it 5 weeks without a game, before i was itching to play after a week break
I think we have all been there turned up and contributed nothing and your right iain it's not enjoyable ive been a match winner once with the bat this season and failed the rest of it. but I tell myself there's always next week and maybe I will score some runs.
I do think though if you miss a week you are itching to play but if you have a prolong break and do other things on match day you can become lost to the game
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I think we have all been there turned up and contributed nothing and your right iain it's not enjoyable ive been a match winner once with the bat this season and failed the rest of it. but I tell myself there's always next week and maybe I will score some runs.
I do think though if you miss a week you are itching to play but if you have a prolong break and do other things on match day you can become lost to the game
I agree, the not missing it has really surprised me. I think the worst bit for me is i dont want to drift away from playing just as my son takes an interest in the game. He is at that age where he copies everything i do or am interested in and if he sees me lose interest i worry he will to.
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cricket is life!
play Tuesday/Thursday Sat/Sunday every week.
Other things in my life take a back seat when its cricket season!
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I agree, the not missing it has really surprised me. I think the worst bit for me is i dont want to drift away from playing just as my son takes an interest in the game. He is at that age where he copies everything i do or am interested in and if he sees me lose interest i worry he will to.
Maybe the way foreward is not to play again this summer and a fresh start in 2017 sometimes a change of club helps.
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Is it the personal performance that is dampening the enjoyment? I think it was Einstein who said doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of madness... which is a long winded way of saying, have you filmed yourself in the nets and do you know your strengths and weaknesses?
The other aspect I love of cricket is it is so technical and there is always something to learn or improve on (also the most frustrating thing too! :) )
I spent a lot of money on coaching this winter, i even lost about a stone. I videod myself over the winter and i looked decent (for my level anyway). I just havent transferred a single thing out to the middle. I now feel im in a complete mixed up state where i really have no idea what i am doing. Im trying to do about 8 things at once
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Maybe the way foreward is not to play again this summer and a fresh start in 2017 sometimes a change of club helps.
Maybe, we'll see i guess
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I'm coming in to all of this fresh after a long time away from cricket so had a million ideas of how things should be or things to try so I get where you are coming from. I used the coaching as a way to get new ideas and different perspectives and I guess at some point you have to stop taking advice and know yourself what works for you. You know what your problem is which is a good first step! So, simplify and give yourself simple check points maybe?
I know what my problem is yes, i'm not very good! Even with a clear mind im still crap
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I know what my problem is yes, i'm not very good! Even with a clear mind im still crap
Having never seen you play I can't comment on ability but I can tell you this - if you say you are rubbish at something you will be.
Positive thinking works wonders...but so does negative thinking, only in the wrong way!
When I play (and its only been once this year due to hurting my knee) I always think I am going to attack the bowler and score runs when he runs in. If its a good ball I play safe and the next ball I start over again.
Going back to me - I got a 50 no so the average is looking pretty good what with that being my only innings. And it looks like it will stay that way as I can't see me paying again this season!
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Having never seen you play I can't comment on ability but I can tell you this - if you say you are rubbish at something you will be.
Positive thinking works wonders...but so does negative thinking, only in the wrong way!
When I play (and its only been once this year due to hurting my knee) I always think I am going to attack the bowler and score runs when he runs in. If its a good ball I play safe and the next ball I start over again.
Going back to me - I got a 50 no so the average is looking pretty good what with that being my only innings. And it looks like it will stay that way as I can't see me paying again this season!
Alot of people has said the same about mindset and negativity. I get it but im being realistic, i have averaged something like 10 across the last 4 seasons. Different leagues but not much in the standard, not much difference in the pitches. Averages of 10 for someone who plays as a batsman only is pretty crap in my eyes!
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played adult cricket for over 20 years mostly 1sts first for the club I grew up with my dad and brother but don't think the 3 of us played in the same team together played many years with my brother after lots of good years the team broke up due to uni, moving away, giving up etc and relegation after relegation happened. I decided to move to a club in a higher division after many years of been nagged at now I travel to home games past my old club and 4 other grounds. Every Friday night and sat morning comes the same words will it rain tonight or has it started raining yet but once I am amongst team mates all is fine but if the game is called off as under the guise of wanting the game called off I'm completely lost all day
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Having played in a very good standard for nearly 25 years including various trips overseas to play for different clubs, i am now effectively playing in village cricket. I play in a pretty talented team and get very frustrated sometimes with there lack of ambition to not only do well but play well. Some people are happy if they do there little bit ( get somes runs, take a couple of wickets etc) me personally if we won each game i would take a duck every week.
As old father time rolls on you find yourself having to play a different way than you did 10/15 years ago. Not going in and smashing it from ball one, but now having to go in a build an innings and wait for the bad ball
Now days when you play you hear the oppo giving out chat, and all that goes through your head is I WISH IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO, but its not and then your neck back in a keep waiting for the bad ball and nurdling 1 off the good one rather than smashing them for 4/6.
I have always said i would play till i didn't enjoy it. But now as you come towards the end ( iam sure there some more left in the tank somewhere) you realise it's the banter and teamspirt you will miss.
On the other hand keep playing it keeps you out the pub longer....
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I spent a lot of money on coaching this winter, i even lost about a stone. I videod myself over the winter and i looked decent (for my level anyway). I just havent transferred a single thing out to the middle. I now feel im in a complete mixed up state where i really have no idea what i am doing. Im trying to do about 8 things at once
Just my two cents.... keep up the coaching and vid analysis , but then forget about it on match day and just bat .
As an example , I'm 39 , old habits die hard . I have been using vid analysis, by myself , tightening up my technique over the off season . This week i started the first of a 20 session batting coaching stint . I want to improve my leg side game ( i tend to play a bit inside out ala n.hussain , instead of on driving /driving through mid wicket ) . It was my first session and the drills hurt my dodgy knee , i felt inept....basically , it made me look (No Swearing Please), and was very humbling . Tonight was first preseason trial .I didn't think about any of the coaching id recieved earlier in the week ... just told myself to bat how ive been practicing all offseason . I drove ( smashed the cover off it actually ) a straightish on drive that just felt sooo good . It's not the end goal , but its a step .
Just trying to say these things are possible , irrespective of age and how we feel . You don't know when they'll happen , but when they do it could well change how you're feeling about your game and the game in general.
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Cricket is life for me and a good opportunity to try out bats..
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I asked a mate this at training tonight and he said 'i like hitting things with sticks'. :D
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I spent a lot of money on coaching this winter, i even lost about a stone. I videod myself over the winter and i looked decent (for my level anyway). I just havent transferred a single thing out to the middle. I now feel im in a complete mixed up state where i really have no idea what i am doing. Im trying to do about 8 things at once
If I get really stuck in a rut of form and remember to think straight, I just pick the two shots I feel most confident about and tell myself I'm only playing those! Helps to forget about technical bother and mindset blah blah and just focus on whether the ball is one you can hit or not. If it's there for one of your two shots, bang it away; if it isn't then block/leave. Runs will come.
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Ha @DorsetDan ! The two I really bank on are clipping through the leg side/hitting down the ground (which I think of as the same shot) and the pull, although I try to avoid going looking for the pull so will often look to dab singles into the off side instead to keep myself from overhitting on the offside. Sadly the smashing it out of the ground shot hasn't had much of an airing so far this season!
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Thanks for the advice chaps, i am and always be crap. The only shots i can successfully handle are jagerbombs and tequila right now!
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Good advice from Edge @DorsetDan try to stick to a few shots you are comfortable with even if it is the massive forward block :)
There's quite a few of us not not done so well this year so I wouldn't fret too much, in 2015 I couldn't hit a cows (No Swearing Please) with a banjo and I've got 18000 runs for my club...not quite as impressive as it sounds I've played a lot of games!
Your answer probably lies in more practice as it does for most of us. In the short term I would be one thing(this is what I'm going to do from here on in)
Really really watch the ball from the bowlers hand onto the bat. However you get out and whatever score you do or don't get don't let it be because you have not made an extra effort.
So at the end of the match make sure you walk away knowing that.
It's not rocket science game changing wisdom, it's very simple.
Good luck, one helluva lot of us all in the same boat, it's crowded :)
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What does cricket mean to me? I think I can relate to every post in this thread in some way or other; from the feeling of not playing with my best mate anymore to the slow transition from a win at all costs mentality into something a little more collegiate.
The basic fact is, cricket is on my mind all day every day through the summer. From the dissection of the weekend at work on Monday, to nets in midweek, to the anticipation of the team selection on Thursday, and the nervous energy that's running through me today (Friday). I can't wait to get out there tomorrow and do a job for my team. They need me, I need them.
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So I've been picked today because I've paid my subs 😂 Will see how it goes, wish me luck
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So I've been picked today because I've paid my subs 😂 Will see how it goes, wish me luck
Form is temporary. Subs are weekly. :D
Go well.
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So I've been picked today because I've paid my subs 😂 Will see how it goes, wish me luck
Yes good luck watch the ball play safe shots and don't throw your wicket away
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So got to te ground and our 1s were off. Young lad was called up to them had driven with his dad about 30 mins and didnt know. He usually plays 2's and can bat, bowl and field (neither of which are my strong point). Took one for the team and sacrificied me playing to give him a game
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A lot of heartache.
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A lot of heartache.
None at all, means I can sit down and watch with a beer from the balcony later on
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None at all, means I can sit down and watch with a beer from the balcony later on
That's another story.
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What Does Cricket Mean To Me.
Quite simply bar my kids and wife it means Life to me.
I grew up[ in a very poor area and the cricket ground was 540 meters from where I lived, My dad was a bully who bullied me who family and I found family life very tuff. I started going to my local club at 6 and spent my childhood there (I even missed school to throw a ball at a wall many many happy days.) It taught me life lessons brought about my a mentor a coach who was brilliant with me as a youngster he showed me team spirt honest and many of the basic life values as well as showing me the joys of cricket.
I have had a brilliant time playing I tried to make it as a professional but was not good enough I played for my county and have played for my country.
I have meet so many people from different backgrounds and cultures and learnt so much about life playing in England and Abroad.
I have learnt it doesn't matter how good or bad you are if you love cricket you love cricket and it is a game for all.
Overall cricket saved a lost and scared boy and turned me into the man I'm today one who an hold his head up high.
sorry for the emotional post but cricket did that and more and that's why I will give back to the game and try when I helped in the industry and will do when I coach and you never know play again.
So overall cricket can be so many different things to so many people to me it means everyday 12 hours a day I think about cricket I have at least one bat by my side even sometimes in work!!!