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[Gingerbusiness]

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!

[uknsaunders]

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!

[Gingerbusiness]

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!

[WalkingWicket37]

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! 

[edge]

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.

[Northern monkey]

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?

[Manormanic]

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!