Print

[beaver5]

I posted last season about being demoted and dropped by my Saturday team, despite averaging 40. As a result I decided to just play for my Sunday team, Flyford Flavell, this season. So far it's gone really well for me and I'm just short of 500 runs for the season so far. However, It's not been so good for team results, as we've struggled to  many games.

We played Wednesday night against a similar team to us, Offenham, and we had a horror show! We really struggled to get the ball away and post any sort of decent total. I was as much to blame, as I struggled to 20 off too many before getting out. We limped to 81. Well the opposition didn't find any struggles and the opener retired on 26 at the end of the first over.  Their no.3 was just as brutal and the game was all over just inside 7 overs! 

Sunday was a completely different story. We played Bushley near Tewkesbury for the first time and what a lovely ground it is. Old school pavillion, and you had to cross the road to get to the pitch in a picturesque village. Scored my first hundred for 4 seasons. I chose to retire and we finished on 238-6. Two early wickets looked like it was going to be an easy win, but they had other ideas. The next 4 batsmen just teed off and it was raining 6's. We kept chipping away with the wickets, but they reached 200-5 off 27. But then 2 key wickets swung the match back in our favour. They fininshed 222 all out off 39 as their tail struggled to score. A great win against a very friendly opposition. It's games like this that remind you how great cricket can be.

[Neon Cricket]

I posted last season about being demoted and dropped by my Saturday team, despite averaging 40. As a result I decided to just play for my Sunday team, Flyford Flavell, this season. So far it's gone really well for me and I'm just short of 500 runs for the season so far. However, It's not been so good for team results, as we've struggled to  many games.

We played Wednesday night against a similar team to us, Offenham, and we had a horror show! We really struggled to get the ball away and post any sort of decent total. I was as much to blame, as I struggled to 20 off too many before getting out. We limped to 81. Well the opposition didn't find any struggles and the opener retired on 26 at the end of the first over.  Their no.3 was just as brutal and the game was all over just inside 7 overs! 

Sunday was a completely different story. We played Bushley near Tewkesbury for the first time and what a lovely ground it is. Old school pavillion, and you had to cross the road to get to the pitch in a picturesque village. Scored my first hundred for 4 seasons. I chose to retire and we finished on 238-6. Two early wickets looked like it was going to be an easy win, but they had other ideas. The next 4 batsmen just teed off and it was raining 6's. We kept chipping away with the wickets, but they reached 200-5 off 27. But then 2 key wickets swung the match back in our favour. They fininshed 222 all out off 39 as their tail struggled to score. A great win against a very friendly opposition. It's games like this that remind you how great cricket can be.

I assume you play with Rhys Goode mate? He was one of my closest mates growing up, small world! (I'm a Worcester boy, just in Wiltshire exile ha)

[beaver5]

I assume you play with Rhys Goode mate? He was one of my closest mates growing up, small world! (I'm a Worcester boy, just in Wiltshire exile ha)

Yes Goodie plays for us. Top bloke! Yes I'ts a small world. Benny Ware also plays for us on occasions, I think he knows you.

[Neon Cricket]

Yes Goodie plays for us. Top bloke! Yes I'ts a small world. Benny Ware also plays for us on occasions, I think he knows you.

Brilliant, yeah both great lads! Always miss the Kempsey CC glory days with those lot!

[DiscoStu]

I have been in horrible form with the bat for the last year or so. I've tried changing technique, upping my net practice, change of equipment etc. all to no avail. I'd decided to concentrate on my bowling (which has been improving) and batting down the order. Last weekend I decided to go back to my old technique and change my mindset to try and remove the mental baggage. My place in the team had never been in jeopardy as my bowling had picked up enough so I could afford to relax with my batting a bit more.
Anyway, the upshot is that I finally got some runs on Saturday. Not a huge amount but some. 30 odd not out in an unsuccessful chase. Fairly chanceless against a decent attack on a tricky pitch. Hopefully this is the start of me getting back to some form. I just have to remember to keep the mental baggage away.

[Wozaboxa]

Horrible game this weekend, put the Oppo into bat, we have been top of the league most of the season (3rd team). recently every team we seem to play brings in a few ringers to win, this weekends game no different, opening bowlers both county U18 players, our ethos is use the 3rd's as a gateway for our emerging U13-U16's players mixed with some seniors, because we've had a few heavy defeats recently you can see the confidence slowly ebbed away from the early season good form when it was a lot more even in terms of playing standards. I can honestly say this weekend I feel we were beat before we even bowled a ball, half the team couldn't be bothered, flat in the field, kids who have bowled well struggling and their opening bat carrying his bat all the way through certainly didn't help either. I let one of the young lads open and I dropped to five, I was in to bat in the 3rd over.

you get the gist of it, their keeper attempted a stumping every other ball, bad chirping in the field, our U13 bat at 4 got a bit of a headhunter and their vice captain shouted "keep peppering him, he's gonna sh*t his pants"

I'm all for winning, I want to see our youth get tested and dig deep but some teams (Usually one with a 1st in the prem) just take it too far, Saturday actually made me question whether I was going to jack in this season.

I appreciated this makes me sound like a sore loser, to a degree I am, but I'm there to enjoy it also and if a game is even and we lose I can take that no problem.

[ProCricketer1982]

Horrible game this weekend, put the Oppo into bat, we have been top of the league most of the season (3rd team). recently every team we seem to play brings in a few ringers to win, this weekends game no different, opening bowlers both county U18 players, our ethos is use the 3rd's as a gateway for our emerging U13-U16's players mixed with some seniors, because we've had a few heavy defeats recently you can see the confidence slowly ebbed away from the early season good form when it was a lot more even in terms of playing standards. I can honestly say this weekend I feel we were beat before we even bowled a ball, half the team couldn't be bothered, flat in the field, kids who have bowled well struggling and their opening bat carrying his bat all the way through certainly didn't help either. I let one of the young lads open and I dropped to five, I was in to bat in the 3rd over.

you get the gist of it, their keeper attempted a stumping every other ball, bad chirping in the field, our U13 bat at 4 got a bit of a headhunter and their vice captain shouted "keep peppering him, he's gonna sh*t his pants"

I'm all for winning, I want to see our youth get tested and dig deep but some teams (Usually one with a 1st in the prem) just take it too far, Saturday actually made me question whether I was going to jack in this season.

I appreciated this makes me sound like a sore loser, to a degree I am, but I'm there to enjoy it also and if a game is even and we lose I can take that no problem.

awaiting the 'it's a league game' 'man up' 'it's a battle' 'it's just being competitive' 'it's just banter'   comments incoming for you fella..

Sadly this is common and people really do seem to think amateur cricket is some form of licence to abuse people or treat it as it's a pro game. Try to just look past them in a game, smile and remember it's supposed to be fun. If they want to play like a pro them just laugh at the fact they are too crap to be a pro (like all of us) and have to pretend.

[AJ2014]

Wasn't available for the game last weekend, turned out to be a good thing.
Went to nets on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Got the opportunity to bowl like 3 hours in total, enjoyed all the bit.
Bowling to under 14, all three hard hitters!
Just avoided all the rain!

[mo_town]

awaiting the 'it's a league game' 'man up' 'it's a battle' 'it's just being competitive' 'it's just banter'   comments incoming for you fella..

Sadly this is common and people really do seem to think amateur cricket is some form of licence to abuse people or treat it as it's a pro game. Try to just look past them in a game, smile and remember it's supposed to be fun. If they want to play like a pro them just laugh at the fact they are too crap to be a pro (like all of us) and have to pretend.

There is nothing wrong in being competitive in my opinion. Each club team has a different focus/priority. I have seen that in big clubs, usually 3s and lower teams are just treated as feeder teams to blood youngsters and prepare them for the higher teams. There is no focus on winning. These teams are usually happy to get a few wins and stay in the same division. When one plays for such a team, situations like these are bound to happen. OF course, it does not mean that the competitive team has a license to sledge.

[Wozaboxa]

awaiting the 'it's a league game' 'man up' 'it's a battle' 'it's just being competitive' 'it's just banter'   comments incoming for you fella..

Sadly this is common and people really do seem to think amateur cricket is some form of licence to abuse people or treat it as it's a pro game. Try to just look past them in a game, smile and remember it's supposed to be fun. If they want to play like a pro them just laugh at the fact they are too crap to be a pro (like all of us) and have to pretend.

Oh yeah, I am fully prepared for that sort of stuff. I'm just not keen on the open season abuse of kids learning and trying to develop! like you say it's not going to stop blokes and some really do think they're playing for an IPL contract. f**king divs.

I want a competitive game, I'd love nothing more than for it to go to the wire every week, but if it isn't and you know you're probably going to win comfortably then wind it in a bit, especially if you're playing a team with 50% of the players under 15.

[ProCricketer1982]

There is nothing wrong in being competitive in my opinion. Each club team has a different focus/priority. I have seen that in big clubs, usually 3s and lower teams are just treated as feeder teams to blood youngsters and prepare them for the higher teams. There is no focus on winning. These teams are usually happy to get a few wins and stay in the same division. When one plays for such a team, situations like these are bound to happen. OF course, it does not mean that the competitive team has a license to sledge.

See.. who said anything about not being competitive Why is sledging/abuse.. sorry 'banter' a mark of competitiveness and yet keeping your gob shut and just playing cricket is seen as 'non competitive'.. or at least less?

makes me smile that people equate gobbing off with being competitive.

[ProCricketer1982]

Oh yeah, I am fully prepared for that sort of stuff. I'm just not keen on the open season abuse of kids learning and trying to develop! like you say it's not going to stop blokes and some really do think they're playing for an IPL contract. f**king divs.

I want a competitive game, I'd love nothing more than for it to go to the wire every week, but if it isn't and you know you're probably going to win comfortably then wind it in a bit, especially if you're playing a team with 50% of the players under 15.

Sadly people don't seem to be able to , or should it be willing to realise when it's a mismatch and win with .. you know... grace.. They still feel the need to abuse/sledge/shout and generally be unpleasant.. But then you know, apparently that's a sign you're competitive and making it unpleasant is the name of hte game..... in a hobby

[mo_town]

See.. who said anything about not being competitive Why is sledging/abuse.. sorry 'banter' a mark of competitiveness and yet keeping your gob shut and just playing cricket is seen as 'non competitive'.. or at least less?

makes me smile that people equate gobbing off with being competitive.

I am definitely against the abusive behavior some teams display...that is not acceptable at all. Aggression is fine but not verbally.

[six and out]

Horrible game this weekend, put the Oppo into bat, we have been top of the league most of the season (3rd team). recently every team we seem to play brings in a few ringers to win, this weekends game no different, opening bowlers both county U18 players, our ethos is use the 3rd's as a gateway for our emerging U13-U16's players mixed with some seniors, because we've had a few heavy defeats recently you can see the confidence slowly ebbed away from the early season good form when it was a lot more even in terms of playing standards. I can honestly say this weekend I feel we were beat before we even bowled a ball, half the team couldn't be bothered, flat in the field, kids who have bowled well struggling and their opening bat carrying his bat all the way through certainly didn't help either. I let one of the young lads open and I dropped to five, I was in to bat in the 3rd over.

you get the gist of it, their keeper attempted a stumping every other ball, bad chirping in the field, our U13 bat at 4 got a bit of a headhunter and their vice captain shouted "keep peppering him, he's gonna sh*t his pants"

I'm all for winning, I want to see our youth get tested and dig deep but some teams (Usually one with a 1st in the prem) just take it too far, Saturday actually made me question whether I was going to jack in this season.

I appreciated this makes me sound like a sore loser, to a degree I am, but I'm there to enjoy it also and if a game is even and we lose I can take that no problem.

Having a go at kids playing is pretty much the lowest of the low in my book, can say what you like to me, water off a ducks back, have heard it all before etc.... but to have a go at a kid trying to make his/her way in adult cricket is very wrong.

[qasim_aziz99]

We lost a low scoring game. We got 77 ao Chasing 108. Some atrocious catching we dropped 5 catches. Keeper practically rugby tackled Square leg who caught the ball but dropped once the keeper tackled him. Then we had 4 bad decision 2 runouts both in the crease, an lbw that only gully appealed for and me given out caught behind off my shoulder.  1 of the run outs the umpire gave the batter a send off batsman was not best pleased.