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[Manormanic]

Have done this job for the past seven years - mostly its enjoyable enough, a few natters on the phone with the same old faces/voices and the inevitable scratch around for replacement fixtures when cup games or availabilities mean someone has to pull out.  Yesterday's game though has given me cause for thought as to whether its worth the hassle, having copped a load of stick from the opposition for mis-selling our team to use them for practice.

Our Sunday side is a difficult one to pitch - we usually have three or four reasonable seniors who play league cricket, a couple of lads who love to play but only for fun and some kids who don't get anywhere near league sides but who are using it to get experience.  The seniors are good enough to play at a medium level, maybe slightly better but the other players are resolutely weak - so I always advertise at medium weak.  Did so this week, explaining that we were probably slightly above with the bat but that we had little bowling, and agreed a game accordingly.

The game itself was okay - we batted, lost an early wicket, put on 120 for the second aided by some loose bowling and a very short leg side boundary (36 yards when I paced it out).  Then our number five came in and smashed a 50 ball 100, which caused a lot of bad feeling, as we totalled 270 off 40.  He is good for the standard, no doubt, but I personally thought it was a bit rich to complain at him playing when he was shelled on 11, should have been run out twice and repeatedly landed the ball between fielders and the boundary rope they were supposed to be on.

Opposition went on to make 175 in reply - having been 100-0 in 16 overs so well up with the chase when their order went a bit loopy.

Any thoughts?

[Rob580]

Sounds to me like they're moaning because they lost.

[Manormanic]

Sounds to me like they're moaning because they lost.

That may be true, undoubtedly so (though to be fair I got a fair amount of stick to the effect that I shouldn't be playing when I walked out to bat at 3-1 because they'd seen on  our website that I have a few thousand runs to my name).  Interested as to what others think about the wider issues!

[Ayrtek Cricket]

Every dog has its day and thats cricket for you, if he'd have been caught on 11 and you posted 175 as well then they wouldnt be complaining I suspect.

We had the same a couple of season ago where we accelerated quickly and someone scored 100 off 51 balls and they complained it had ruined the game. No blame was put on their opener who proceeded to keep banging it in short and got dispatched for 30 off an over as a result of it.

[TangoWhiskey]

We have the same every time we have to get a conference game. On our day with our best players, we could compete at medium or medium strong even, though it rarely works out that we have our strongest team out and minus three or so of them means we usually go in at medium or medium weak. Usually we get it about right but quite often there is always a big disparity between the two teams. At the end of the day, it's down to the fixture secretary to work out the strength of their team and match games accordingly, but when you are scratching around for a game on a friday night then sometimes it's worth just getting the game on.

[Manormanic]

Every dog has its day and thats cricket for you, if he'd have been caught on 11 and you posted 175 as well then they wouldnt be complaining I suspect.

There's a lot in that, for certain - what really surprised me was that they were so busy complaining that they didn't realise that the total was pretty gettable.  But given I'm so keen to "protect" our youngsters and have struck teams off our fixture list in recent years for taking the proverbials - one side last year made a serious pop at 400 in 40 overs when they saw how young our attack was and at one point, with the score already over 300 took a seven in the field as two panicked youngsters exchanged overthrows - I would hate to find I was guilty of the same, however inadvertantly!

[Seniorplayer]

Sounds to me that they only want to play teams that they can roll over. As already stated if they lose they moan. Teams reputations get known and friendly fixtures against them get dropped. With regard to the opposition implying you should not have played that's there problem not yours.

[Manormanic]

Sounds to me that they only want to play teams that they can roll over. As already stated if they lose they moan. Teams reputations get known and friendly fixtures against them get dropped. With regard to the opposition implying you should not have played that's there problem not yours.

In fairness, I think they perceived that it was not a competitive game rather than wanted to walk over us.

[Buzz]

Sounds like a normal game of Sunday cricket - I don't see what the problem is.

They got beaten - with better fielding they could have won.

you could have gifted them a few runs to "make a game of it" but frequently that is easier said than done - actually it only really works if you have got 2 really good bowlers who can close out the game after you have opened the door ajar slightly.

It shows that you are a decent bloke the fact that you have felt the need to post the question and ask.

Personally it sounds like a good day in the sun. If one of their openers had made a hundred they would have got close. Certainly not your fault.

[smilley792]

This reminds me off a friendly we used to have at a picturesque ground, for a day out with the families.
The ground is nearly 4 hour drive,


First few years we took a random side, 4/5 first teamers, couple of 2nds and some off the guys that had retired and just wanted the one game. First 3 years fairly even games.

Year 4 we rocked up, for them to say, "oh we meant to ring, we can't get a team out" cheers.
Luckily, we had a mini bus full of players for a night out after, so we played ourselfs and they put a tea on for us.

Following year, we rocked up, and there side was 2 third teamers, 7 u15s and 2 u13s. As they struggled for interest in the friendly apparently.
Off course despite a topsy turfy batting line up, I made 98* and another first teamer 108* despite us coming in at 5 and 7 with only 15 overs left(and they put us in to bat)
And then bowled them our for 80 odd.

Last year we visited, we sent only 2 first teamers, 3 retires and rest u17s/u15s as again they claimed they had little interest from seniors but promised us a game,
On arrival this had changed, they had a rearranged 3rd team game on there 2nd pitch, so lost there players, but to get us a game put out the feelers to local clubs under the context "we need good players for a friendly as they always bring a good team"
Basically we was playing against there leagues repside.
They then put us in to bat,
I made 18 of 50 before falling, my fellow first teamer 28 of 63. We then collapsed to 65 for 8, before they moaned they wanted a bat, so basically bowled grenades at 9/10/11 to try and make us get a score.

We still only stumbled passed 100, our club chairmen then agreed to let them bat there full 40 overs as they wanted a bat,
Many off our players left after they'd gone passed our score by over a hundred(replaced in the field by there team) as they had 3 players retire on a ton.
It was a farce.


Fair to say, We haven't tried to arrange that friendly since.

[richthekeeper]

i agree this kind of thing can be really frustrating. i turned up on a sunday last season with a team full of over 50s and under 16s, only to be told that the oppo's 1st team captain and a number of their 1sts (including an ex-pro) were playing. they racked up nearly 300 in 40 overs and we battled to 175-8.

however we learned a lot about our youngsters on the day, including a really spirited 25* from a 14yo, and the experience was useful if nothing else

[uknsaunders]

We played a game a few years ago where the overseas for the oppo played. Nothing wrong with that as he ground his way to 50 odd in 20 odd overs. Once securing his average he raced on to 100 in about 32 overs or something like that. We had already stuck on some joke bowling to give everybody a game and naturally assumed he would retire. He didn't take the hint and racked up 180 odd out of 320 in 40 overs. He kept hitting guys who basically couldn't bowl into the road and not once took a look at himself to question the situation, or his skipper. What was even worse was watching numbers 5-11 get 6-7 overs to bat and frantically having a swing to get any kind of batting practise. We went out to bat and Simmy smacked a few boundaries early on. By the 3rd over they had 4 men on the boundary! Simmy still got 50 in 6 overs and despite our best efforts we were all out for 220 in 30 overs. To be honest we pretty much slogged from ball one to get that far, something we wouldn't normally do. After the game, I asked them what they were thinking. They said they had seen our Saturday scores and assumed we scored 300+ every week (conveniently forgetting it was our Sunday team who never scored more than 160-170, or the match situation).

You need common sense to play friendly cricket. Playing overs cricket does mean many skippers have a common sense bypass - ie. "let's bat the overs even though we are 300-1 in 25 overs". Time cricket is better but it requires intelligent captains willing to get through overs quickly.

[Simmy]

We played a game a few years ago where the overseas for the oppo played. Nothing wrong with that as he ground his way to 50 odd in 20 odd overs. Once securing his average he raced on to 100 in about 32 overs or something like that. We had already stuck on some joke bowling to give everybody a game and naturally assumed he would retire. He didn't take the hint and racked up 180 odd out of 320 in 40 overs. He kept hitting guys who basically couldn't bowl into the road and not once took a look at himself to question the situation, or his skipper. What was even worse was watching numbers 5-11 get 6-7 overs to bat and frantically having a swing to get any kind of batting practise. We went out to bat and Simmy smacked a few boundaries early on. By the 3rd over they had 4 men on the boundary! Simmy still got 50 in 6 overs and despite our best efforts we were all out for 220 in 30 overs. To be honest we pretty much slogged from ball one to get that far, something we wouldn't normally do. After the game, I asked them what they were thinking. They said they had seen our Saturday scores and assumed we scored 300+ every week (conveniently forgetting it was our Sunday team who never scored more than 160-170, or the match situation).

You need common sense to play friendly cricket. Playing overs cricket does mean many skippers have a common sense bypass - ie. "let's bat the overs even though we are 300-1 in 25 overs". Time cricket is better but it requires intelligent captains willing to get through overs quickly.

remember that mate! what a idiot i was propa angry so thought id tea off lol

[ProCricketer1982]

We've had a few games that tbh have been pretty one sided as we do tend to have a strong Sunday side (even if the batting and bowling is mixed). However, in fairness most of the time the genuinely good ones either just don't bat or if they do they play 'properly' and don't tee off etc. Just milk ones and twos and pick up the odd boundary. There is no fun really in smashing people around tbh.

We had a game last Sunday who turned out with more u16's than I have fingers. Anyway, a couple of us just basically said we wouldn't bat etc. It at least made a game out of it which meant those kids enjoyed it and some of the lesser bats got an innings. Unfortunately one lad didn't get it and got a ton but you some people are desperate.

At the end of the day on a Sunday you want the side batting forts to score 250 all out off 45 overs, a dam good tea, then a chase that fails at 249 off 44.5 overs or wins at 251-9 off 44.5 overs. Everyone has fun then as the bowlers get wickets, bound to be some catches and most batsmen will have got a few runs.

Tbh, it's up to the capts to talk openly and honestly at the start and in a way 'fix' a good game.