Thanks guys will look into the Bola junior although it looks like it’s a bit more expensive again. Anyone know of any second hand or a place that does finance on them?
BOLA Junior is a far superior offering as it is a proper twin wheeled machine just like it's senior counterpart, whereas all Paceman machines are single wheel, essentially they are adapted versions of a baseball throwing machine, a sport where the ball doesn't bounce between being delivered and being struck by the bat.
The balls are also a huge consideration. BOLA balls are consistently excellent quality. Paceman balls (and the generic versions sold by just about every cricket brand out there it seems) seem inconsistent in terms of weight, construction, hardness, 'feel' on the bat, sound, etc. I've had a few that have been unbalanced, ie weight biased to one side of the ball...
None of those things are good for providing a consistent series of deliveries to help a youngster practice. As a coach I found it incredibly frustrating to set up the machine for a certain shot, telling a child that they will get x balls in a row of pretty much the same delivery, only for the deliveries to vary quite a bit, to the point where a child starts to lose trust in you as a coach. As a result my experiment with saving some hassle in terms of transport was short lived and for any coaching sessions away from Vitas Cricket i resorted back to packing up our BOLA Pro and taking it with me.
When Paceman first came along I thought a very affordable machine was a great idea, ideal for young kids in the back garden. The more expensive machines had their time as a popular option but now the BOLA Junior is established as an option at an admittedly higher (but still more comparable than the BOLA Senior) price, I would advise going for a BOLA Junior every time.
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Topic: Self feeding bowling bowling machine- Paceman pro vs Paceman strike help! (Read 5768 times)