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[Blazer]

What does everyone do before a match ?. Do you arrive at the venue well in time or rock up the last minute ?. Do you do any drills at all especially batsmen ?. I find a lot of difference in pre-match drills between teams that are top of the league table and bottom of league . Last season I was watching the match between the league winners and our first team , The opposition came 2-3 hours before the match . The batsmen had throw downs and the bowlers were bowling against a single stump with cones placed around good length area. No one from our first team had arrived till then . The opposition finished their drills with a complete catch practise whereas our team started drills half an hour before the match. Needless to say that the result was obvious . Why is it that the 3rd and 2nd teams don't even do any drills ?.

[ProCricketer1982]

Generally 2nds and 3rds don't as they don't generally take it as seriously. THey just potentially want to turn up, play,go home (winning of course). Other clubs know the value of properly warming up and some just think it's pointless as the amateur level as the difference it gives a team is limited.

I personally love a proper warm up, I think it gets everything going, everything warm and gets the eye in (whether it be batting, bowling, ground fielding, catching, shy's at stumps etc etc). I personally try to have a net on the saturday and sunday mornings as well for at least an hour (as in me batting for an hour). Didn't get that too often this year due to the weather but I noticed when I did I scored a fair few runs int he game! When I didn't I noticed it took me a lot longer to 'get in' and against the overseas quicks they sometimes got me before anyway.

I personally will always push for proper warm ups but realistically not everyone even in a first team gives a crap and some just want to turn up and play. Others maybe can't get away that early to do all these extra things due to family/work etc. I also think it's good when teams stay for at least one drink after a game and mix between each other but then that's just me.

[joeljonno]

I agree.  The best teams most often have a decent pre-match set up.  There seems to be a notion that it's "a bit poncy" if you do. drills when you're only a second or third team.  It's like "oooh, look at them pretending to be professionals". It is generally just a few throw downs that get done.

However, last season our second team started having a proper net on the field about 2 hours before the start of the game and it showed.  We were a couple of rained off games away from getting promoted.

[ProCricketer1982]

proper pre season friendlies also seem down on the list of priorities for clubs (some have none, or just hte odd one). I personally can't see why clubs dont' try and get 5+ games (at least 3 for each of their teams 1st,2nds etc). It's the only way to really get everyone some match practice and get everyone going for the league campaigns. Means while other players are busy 'getting into it' your guys are eating away on the juicy crap balls these bowlers bowl!

[Bruce]

Me and a few of our men do a bit.
Throw downs, skyer catches etc

One year, opening game of the season, Portland CC rock up (before most of our players) it's an hour and 15 min journey on a good run.
Jogging the boundary, stretches, nets, shots at the stumps they brought with them.

Rolled them for less than 60.

[countycricketplayer]

Most of the time for us its just turn up and play but sometimes you do get the odd people turning up early to have a warm-up/net

[ProCricketer1982]

People are all different. Some bowlers for instance can just rock up and bowl ok. Some (like myself) probably take a few balls to get into it etc. I know I personally prefer to get 30 or 40 balls down the range before a game if I can just so if needed I can bowl and not worry about not having done so for a day or two etc.

[SOULMAN1012]

Turn up about 90 mins before start time we have a look at the pitch spend about 30 mins gentle warm up batters have 20 odd min net with bowlers. Then as a keeper I strap up all my fingers than if batting of keeping left pad first ten right, same with gloves and box in last. Don't ask me why just always done it like that and no one ever noticed till last season and now people try and steal my left pad or glove all the time lol

[Blazer]

I agree.  The best teams most often have a decent pre-match set up.  There seems to be a notion that it's "a bit poncy" if you do. drills when you're only a second or third team.  It's like "oooh, look at them pretending to be professionals". It is generally just a few throw downs that get done.

However, last season our second team started having a proper net on the field about 2 hours before the start of the game and it showed.  We were a couple of rained off games away from getting promoted.

True. This makes the gap in skills between first team and second team even further.

[MD2812]

Then as a keeper I strap up all my fingers than if batting of keeping left pad first ten right, same with gloves and box in last. Don't ask me why just always done it like that and no one ever noticed till last season and now people try and steal my left pad or glove all the time lol

What do you use to strap your fingers?

I left first everything. Sock, gloves, pads.

[potzy248]

We and every team in our 1st comp always warm up before the game. Every team turns up an hour before the games and warm up together with a game (football, Modified fielding games or touch rugby). Then we do some ground fielding and catches and then individual stuff (Throw downs, bowling in the middle on an old pitch, slip catches).

Before batting each individual in our team is different. Some get throw downs. I never get throw downs seems to work for me and them. What ever gets you going.

[DiscoStu]

Roll in
Help set up ground
Banter with team-mates
Warm up
Listen to 90's hip hop
Put whites on

[Vitas Cricket]

Home Game:

Arrive approx 1 hour before start time. We get until 45 minutes before game time as 'free time' so some of us arrive earlier and have a bit of banter/5 a side/whatever else we can think of. As a team we put the boundary rope out just before the 45 minutes to go, it takes no more than 5 minutes when we all do it.

45 minute signal/whistle/shout is given and we start a warm up as a team. light jog round the boundary, stretching, brief chat about the game, what we expect, how to go about our targets etc.

With 35 minutes to go, we move into a more cricket based warm up, usually a 5 a side style game with netball rules (ie cant move when you have possession of the ball) with a single stump for a goal, and a cricket ball. This works the heart a little faster and also is a bit of light throwing/catching practice.

With 25 minutes to go we're into a more specialised warmup. 3-4 batsmen take turns to bunt gentle throw-downs out to a group of fielders gathered behind a stump, they catch or stop the ball and return it to me (the keeper) stood behind a stump near the feeder. Everyone gets a go at each role. 

Just before the more specialised warmup i just described, the toss will happen. So with 20 minutes to go, we move into a proper specialised warmup. So if we are fielding, the slips/anyone else will have a bit of time on the katchet board, while i take the bowlers and a single stump out to a strip on the edge of the square, they will run in and bowl a few balls each at the stump and i'll throw it back to them after taking it (unless they hit the stumps) just to get them into their rhythm.
If we are batting then most of our top batters have their own thing, so they are left to go to the nets, or just have a few throw-downs, or whatever. 

If we are batting then the batsmen change and pad up before going into their specialised warmup. If we are fielding, we warmup until ten minutes to go, we then slap the whites on, quick huddle just over the boundary rope, then we get down to business.

Away game is much the same except we arrive 45 minutes beforehand, we do much of the same stuff, but we can do it in a condensed format as we don't have to worry about things like the boundary rope, stumps etc.

[toenails97]

We all have a little hit (throw downs)
Then we have one stump in the ground and the bowlers bowl at it and I take the balls (being a keeper), whilst everyone else is doing some catches, one handed pick ups etc.
Then I take a few off the katchet board

[uknsaunders]

Me and a few of our men do a bit.
Throw downs, skyer catches etc

One year, opening game of the season, Portland CC rock up (before most of our players) it's an hour and 15 min journey on a good run.
Jogging the boundary, stretches, nets, shots at the stumps they brought with them.

Rolled them for less than 60.

have a similar story. We turned up for a top of the table game and did a few drills. We won the game. Anyway this must of got the brains trust of the oppo thinking as next time we turned up they were busy doing fielding drills for an hour solid from what we were told. We had pretty much turned up 20 mins before the start, looked at the deck and got our kit on. Same result though.

While the moral of the story could be ability means more than drills, I do think it has it's place. If you are trying to overcome a small difference between teams then a pre-match session can't hurt. I know some of our batters use to like a 10-15 minute net before the match, I myself liked to have a couple of overs bowl at each end on a away ground (off the square of course). Some catching practise on a cold day helps to warm those hands.