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[uknsaunders]

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?

[imran75]

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.

[GarrettJ]

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.

[smilley792]

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.

[rich041187]

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.

[Gurujames]

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.

[GarrettJ]

Its very interesting to see people "give up" after getting 100.

[Gurujames]

To be fair it can be very tiring, especially if it s a hot day and you are over 40

[Johnny]

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)

[SLC]

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.

[Gurujames]

.

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.

[rich041187]

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

[six and out]

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.

[uknsaunders]

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.

[Buzz]

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.