Topic: Your Season 2023 (Read 28761 times)

beaver5 · « **Reply #165 on:** August 21, 2023, 10:38:04 AM »

Really chuffed that I set my PB on saturday with 133 not out.

I'd been promoted to the 1st team as opener at the start of the season. I'd done ok with several 20's and 30's, but not managed to go on an convert any into a big score. So after a few low scores I'd been sent back to the 2's for the last few weeks; Worcs Div 8. One of those days where you just time nearly everything and even managed to hit some 6's, rather unlike me.

We batted first and I opened facing the first ball. There was some tennis ball like bounce in the wicket, so took some getting used to. They actualy bowled quite well, but their heads dropped later on as they filed to take many wickets. We cashed in and finished 332-2 off 45, with me also facing the last ball of our innings.

We took some early wickets, but their no.4 batted very well and regularly smashed boundaries. We dropped him 4 times and we started to get a bit worried, despite them still needing 12 an over. We picked up a few more wickets, and them ran him out for an excellent 159. They young tail didn't last much longer after that and we bowled them out for 266. A great win and personally really happy.

SOULMAN1012 · « **Reply #166 on:** August 26, 2023, 10:30:23 PM »

Found myself offering to play again this Sat as we always struggle around Harvest time of year. Played away against top of the league and was mentioned a little way back in this thread against a side that�s got a lad that�s played 14 games this season with 9 hundreds and averaging over 100 so was always going to be a challenge as he really is a top player.

Anyway we lost the toss and they batted and we started well. Said player played a huge drive as his first scoring shot that flew through 2nd maybe 3rd slip waste high but Div 5 we don�t have 2 or 3 slips lol just out of my reach with a full dive but this was his only false shot of the day, even his defensive shots came off the middle lol. He was aided by a left hander who had a lucky day playing and missing a lot and could have been caught 6-7 times but was always 5yrds over a fielder or to the side and they got to 156-0 off 30 before we got the leftie. The gun batter soon bought up his ton before falling for 137 after really stepping on the gas. Now we didn�t bowl well after the 30th over which may sound silly given the score but this lad is in a different level. Got lots of Prem hundreds. Personally bowled 11 overs 2 maidens 1 for 77.

Then the wheels came off with them finishing 337/4 and number 3 hitting 91 off 35 balls with a lovely sounding Vulcan bat @Vulcan Cricket

Our reply started poorly losing one of openers in the 2nd over for 0. Couple of decent partnerships and at drinks we were on par and actually a bit in front of the run rate. Our opener made 125 from 28 overs but when he was out the slim hope we had vanished and the plan went from trying to give it a go to ensure they didn�t get 20pts as we were 3rd before today and in with a chance of promotion. However we have a long tale with some good hitters but unlikely or unable to spend time at the crease and we will need up 237-7. Personally finished 33* which after the season iv had with the bat I was happy with and my 2nd highest score of the season.

Oppo were a top bunch of lads and game was played in a great spirit which was a totally contrast to the league game I played a few weeks ago. Think that�s our promotion hopes gone now but glad I�m starting to enjoy league cricket again. Still not sure I won�t be on the golf course for good next year but we will see.

rickjames · « **Reply #167 on:** September 03, 2023, 11:35:57 AM »

So, league ended with no games at all and just a handful more Sunday affairs.

Had a real motivational mindset to put myself in a good place for next year and not just considered an afterthought - have started running a bit more seriously, and getting myself ready to go to the gym once a small shoulder niggle is dealt with. Also looking at getting some coaching - see that the MCC have a winter group thing at Lords that may help with getting some (probably) simple errors fixed, but am not against doing a 1-1 thing instead if I can find it

The final one is whether to find a new club or to hang around where I am - thankfully have a little bit more time to decide but if anyone knows of anywhere in the North/East London area then by all means let me know

SOULMAN1012 · « **Reply #168 on:** September 09, 2023, 09:11:56 PM »

Last game of the season today and must have been one of the hottest games iv ever played in. Batted first and after a decent start by openers we limped to 45-4 losing both openers and 3 & 4 in the space of 8 balls. Came in at 6 and left the first ball with a general leave that nailed back a touch and flicked the pad que a massive appeal turned down as umpire believed wasn�t coming back enough to hit the stumps. Anyway que a torrent of abuse firstly aimed at me calling me a cheat etc etc well I can�t walk on a LBW mate and then turned to the umpire. Unfortunately just another reminder of why I no longer enjoy league cricket. Bowler by all accounts was a lad who started in the oppo 1st team who play in Div 1 and has bounced between that and our Div 5 so anyway hence all his little followers started and the next 10 overs where to be honest just nit enjoyable. Anyway this just made me absolutely sure I wasn�t getting out for love nor money and anyway was the last recognised batter capable of getting to double figures given the harvest time, start of football seaosn and being a single Sat side club with quite a small squad. Finished with 21 off 89 balls and saw us up to 125.

Oppo are third and in with chance of promotion and we got opener 4th ball and other opener after 9 overs with them at 39-2 at 10 I came in to bowl and bowled tidy, couple of fought half chances went down and then there No4 nicked off so loudly and obvious but was turned down. Then it clicked that the top 4 where also 4 of the 5 that bowled so will never know what there middle order was like. Anyway they won with 14 overs spare and fingers crossed they go up just so we don�t have to play them again next year.

Really have found the chat is so pointless, relentless and boardering on abusive when we have played the big clubs 2nd and 3rd teams whilst the sides like us that are single Sat sides of the smaller clubs are a much better experience.
So a disappointing season with the bat comes to an end. 7 games 145 runs at an avg of 24 with high score of 49, 2 ducks so can�t remember the last time I didn�t make a 50 in a season. 11 wickets at 17 was a decent return with the ball at an economy of under 3 an over im quite happy with

Vulcan Cricket · « **Reply #169 on:** September 09, 2023, 10:52:50 PM »

Don't there were proper 1s bowlers as there ones time sheet had a few of there normal twos in and looked a little weaker

Kez · « **Reply #170 on:** September 11, 2023, 09:14:45 AM »

Agree with Dean, bang average Halstead bowling attack however one of their opening bowlers really does rate himself! Thinks hes quick but would get found out very quickly if he played at a higher level.

JTtaylor145 · « **Reply #171 on:** September 11, 2023, 01:02:26 PM »

@SOULMAN1012 I was surprised to read that Chris as I've always found the Halstead 2XI a great bunch of lads. I then had a look at the scorecard for the match and couldn't see any of the blokes I knew and played against. Halstead 3XI must be a great set of lads now. Shame, it doesn't have to be like that.

CTS_Alex · « **Reply #172 on:** September 12, 2023, 02:57:56 PM »

Second last game of the season just gone.

I�ve been playing adult cricket for 14 years now and FINALLY I�ve hit my first century. For the past 5ish weeks I�ve been opening the batting. Last week I was run out on 9 and then watched No. 1 and 3 hit a 200 partnership. This week I hit 136* off 121 balls including 18 4s and 2 6�s leading our team to 232/6 off 40 overs.

We then bowled and had our opponents 110/9 off 40 overs and we were crowned champions of the league.

Staffs Div 5.

thegowerwaft · « **Reply #173 on:** September 12, 2023, 05:05:26 PM »

Quote from: CTS_Alex on September 12, 2023, 02:57:56 PM

Second last game of the season just gone.

I�ve been playing adult cricket for 14 years now and FINALLY I�ve hit my first century. For the past 5ish weeks I�ve been opening the batting. Last week I was run out on 9 and then watched No. 1 and 3 hit a 200 partnership. This week I hit 136* off 121 balls including 18 4s and 2 6�s leading our team to 232/6 off 40 overs.

We then bowled and had our opponents 110/9 off 40 overs and we were crowned champions of the league.

Staffs Div 5.

Fantastic effort! Well done. What a brilliant end to a season. Just time for one more?

SOULMAN1012 · « **Reply #174 on:** September 12, 2023, 05:27:56 PM »

Quote from: Kez on September 11, 2023, 09:14:45 AM

Agree with Dean, bang average Halstead bowling attack however one of their opening bowlers really does rate himself! Thinks hes quick but would get found out very quickly if he played at a higher level.

They bowled well tbh even the lad that I assume you�re talking about Read or Reed from memory bowled well. He bowled a god ball to get our beat batter out but his attitude and behaviour was awful. And they way the younger players of which I reckon where between 15-17 joined in just made it even more annoying and not enjoyable.
Even a few of their own players started getting bored of it.
They finished 3rd as overall I would say from what iv seen they are the 3rd best team although the top two have A) a lad that�s played most of his cricket in the Prem and finished as the highest run scorer in two counties cricket with an avg of 100 and the 2nd placed team had a paid pro.
I would say a bit more than bang average but no superstars either and if we had made another 50-75 runs would have been interesting but wouldn�t have been any more enjoyable

billyb · « **Reply #175 on:** September 15, 2023, 03:23:17 PM »

Summary of my season:
Felt and looked amazing on the baseball field - I have been really getting into batting and I've been teaching myself to be more aggressive (though I wish I could bat like it was a test match). I've been working on bowling really hard - learning how to bowl consistent offspin with the occasional huge leg-break thrown in. That means I've had to create my own action and everything, but I think it is decent - should probably start videoing myself so I can 'edit' it and make it better. A good thing is that I can turn it nicely both ways - just need to work on getting my fingers up the side of the ball so I can turn it more consistently with off-breaks (and use the alternative as a variation). So yeah, lots of hard work, but it has been good for my absolutely disastrous mental health - for a long time this year, I thought I was never going to hit a cricket ball again. I'm doing a little better now. And thanks to @The Cricket Boutique I have an awesome H4L kit.

The Bad Stuff
Can't find a club. The club with probably the best fit has not responded to emails or Instagram messages. Most of the other clubs are far, far less likely to accept someone like me. I gave a local guy 3 free bat covers the other day, and when he pulled up in his car he literally parked it as far away as he could so that his kids couldn't see me, and he acted like I was an alien from another planet. and I honestly look pretty good as a transwoman relatively early in her transition! In hindsight, shouldn't have given him the bat covers. The discrimination I have faced has been pretty obvious.

The trials of probably being the only trans cricketer in America, I guess. I literally just want to be treated like anybody else. I feel so much fear now about even trying to find a club and playing in a team. I'll rip the plaster off one day, but I don't think this year is the time anymore. I have had pretty much the worst year possible, spending so much time in hospital that you wouldn't believe it.

Anyway, I have plenty of distractions - pretending to be at grad student at Harvard and starting to enjoy Cambridge (the American one) and Boston a little more. and every time I time the pants off an on-drive, I get to pretend I'm Marnus Labuschagne - timing the ball is therapy in itself.

Keeping it honest because it is important.

Bungle · « **Reply #176 on:** September 15, 2023, 07:16:37 PM »

Quote from: billyb on September 15, 2023, 03:23:17 PM

Summary of my season:
Felt and looked amazing on the baseball field - I have been really getting into batting and I've been teaching myself to be more aggressive (though I wish I could bat like it was a test match). I've been working on bowling really hard - learning how to bowl consistent offspin with the occasional huge leg-break thrown in. That means I've had to create my own action and everything, but I think it is decent - should probably start videoing myself so I can 'edit' it and make it better. A good thing is that I can turn it nicely both ways - just need to work on getting my fingers up the side of the ball so I can turn it more consistently with off-breaks (and use the alternative as a variation). So yeah, lots of hard work, but it has been good for my absolutely disastrous mental health - for a long time this year, I thought I was never going to hit a cricket ball again. I'm doing a little better now. And thanks to @The Cricket Boutique I have an awesome H4L kit.

The Bad Stuff
Can't find a club. The club with probably the best fit has not responded to emails or Instagram messages. Most of the other clubs are far, far less likely to accept someone like me. I gave a local guy 3 free bat covers the other day, and when he pulled up in his car he literally parked it as far away as he could so that his kids couldn't see me, and he acted like I was an alien from another planet. and I honestly look pretty good as a transwoman relatively early in her transition! In hindsight, shouldn't have given him the bat covers. The discrimination I have faced has been pretty obvious.

The trials of probably being the only trans cricketer in America, I guess. I literally just want to be treated like anybody else. I feel so much fear now about even trying to find a club and playing in a team. I'll rip the plaster off one day, but I don't think this year is the time anymore. I have had pretty much the worst year possible, spending so much time in hospital that you wouldn't believe it.

Anyway, I have plenty of distractions - pretending to be at grad student at Harvard and starting to enjoy Cambridge (the American one) and Boston a little more. and every time I time the pants off an on-drive, I get to pretend I'm Marnus Labuschagne - timing the ball is therapy in itself.

Keeping it honest because it is important.

Thank you for sharing this. I am sorry to hear about what you go through, it must be tough. There has been a massive rise for equality in cricket in recent years, both internationally and at grassroots level. Some clubs are really good with things like this but there are many who are lacking behind, same thing could be said for people in general really.

I have little doubt you will find a club that you feel comfortable playing at, as I understand cricket in the US is on the rise! Personally having played for a few teams where it did not feel like I truly belong there, I would rather not play at all. I do hope that you have a better season next year.

mattcoll12491 · « **Reply #177 on:** September 17, 2023, 03:53:07 PM »

I joined a new club this year and it was my first season playing weekend cricket for about 5/6 years (I play a bit of midweek 8-a-side last year for work). Even though I only played around 7 games, I really enjoyed my time and it was probably the first season I have genuinely enjoyed in around 10 years. The club is incredibly social and is a breath of fresh air from the competitive league cricket I grew up playing.

My form on the pitch was a bit sketchy, I had a few 30s and 40s but could never kick on. I�ll hopefully play and train a bit more next year and my performances will improve slightly.

billyb · « **Reply #178 on:** September 17, 2023, 11:44:37 PM »

Quote from: Bungle on September 15, 2023, 07:16:37 PM

Thank you for sharing this. I am sorry to hear about what you go through, it must be tough. There has been a massive rise for equality in cricket in recent years, both internationally and at grassroots level. Some clubs are really good with things like this but there are many who are lacking behind, same thing could be said for people in general really.

I have little doubt you will find a club that you feel comfortable playing at, as I understand cricket in the US is on the rise! Personally having played for a few teams where it did not feel like I truly belong there, I would rather not play at all. I do hope that you have a better season next year.

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words and support! I hope I find a good cricket team at some point soon, but I'm okay with it being when we eventually relocate elsewhere in the US. Maybe things will be better one day. In good news, it sounds like there is a chance I could play for Harvard, which would be pretty cool! I would be more protected because it is a university, too. Fingers crossed!

marsbug · « **Reply #179 on:** September 18, 2023, 08:55:41 AM »

I enjoy reading how other people have got on, so thought I'd my add a bit for my season too. Overall, I think I did better than last season, and would put it down to just not thinking too much. I'll explain.

2022 was my first season back after not playing for 20 years. Because of that, and from joining a new club, I spent the winter before it watching a LOT of coaching videos about batting. I was trying to learn and remember all the things that top batters do (trigger movement, balance, head position, etc.) that I had never done, but without getting to practice them. 10-15 minutes in the nets once a week wasn't enough. The result was that I was just swamped with stuff to think about when I actually did get to bat in a game, and ended up not doing anything well. I don't get to play every week, so ended up with 8 innings, a total of only 88, average of 11 and a top score of 25. I was really disappointed.

For 2023 I just stopped watching the videos, and went back to playing my own game. It is a long way from perfect, but it served me pretty well before I stopped playing. I tried not to think about my own style, but just the game - what do we need to do to win? What is the bowler doing with it, and what should I do in response? How can I convince the junior at the other end to stop running threes?!

I've got to say that I felt a lot happier when batting as a result. Again, I only had 8 innings, but got a total of 290, average of 41, and a top score of 99 (walked on a caught behind when the umpire hadn't heard it). Much happier with my contribution to the team this season, especially as a rotator cuff impingement meant that I couldn't throw overarm for most of the season. It's also nice to do it with a bat I shaped myself, after at least (hopefully!) getting better at that process over the last few years.

I realise that some of the improvement could just come from an extra season playing again. But the freedom that I've felt from not worrying about all the things I couldn't improve (without a very long time in the nets) was good. It was way more fun too. I'm also grateful to have still been picked after doing so badly the season before! Now I just need to get my first ever 100 before the old bones finally give up.

Author Topic: Your Season 2023 (Read 28761 times)

beaver5

Re: Your Season 2023

SOULMAN1012

Re: Your Season 2023

rickjames

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SOULMAN1012

Re: Your Season 2023

Vulcan Cricket

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Kez

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JTtaylor145

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CTS_Alex

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thegowerwaft

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SOULMAN1012

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billyb

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Bungle

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mattcoll12491

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billyb

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marsbug

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