5th XI game against Rayleigh 5th XI

As it's the middle of the summer holiday here in the UK as with most clubs - getting your lowest team out becomes almost impossible and we had to scrap the 6th XI game and the majority of us got moved up to the 5th XI and so on throughout all the teams. Ry a 6th XI player got a chance in the 1st XI because of his ground fielding - he's one of the best. He's a rugby player, so plays hard and fast and doesn't care about diving and the consequences, he just gives total 100% full committment, he's not a IT/Office worker, so he's got glutes and a strong core - so is an actual athlete. The majority of us ended up in the 5th. For Basav, the captain in the days preceding the match it sounded a bit of a nightmare with the game potentially being short of players and all sorts of shenanigans with regards the selection process of the players. 

So Friday night I helped him out and went and collected the keys and balls from the club, so he didn't have to worry about that on Saturday. I assumed, as did some of the others we'd be on pitch 2, which is where the 5th usually play.

So once there, I could see that game was underway and Brian Waterman was over at pitch 3. I had the keys so assumed that we had access to the showers, toilets and changing rooms. I opened them up and then some youth came over saying his captain had issues with me opening the change rooms. So there was a bit of a discussion about that. I left it at 'I just assumed as we had the keys we shared access to the toilets and showers'. Then locked up and went over to pitch 3. Whether that added to Basav's woes or not, I don't know. Tony Keep took it upon himself to choose the strip we were to play on and put in the stump - fixing them way too wide. It was also the wrong strip.

We won the toss, all the team showed up and we were to bat first. The opposition were mostly small boys with 3 older blokes and some youths including the Wrist Spinner 'Kat' who I've played against  before. Looking at our team in comparison you'd have said we were the potential favourites, so I wasn't that fussed on batting first, but a part of me always wants to bowl first in case we have a batting collapse. This didn't look likely by my estimation, but how wrong I was!

They opened with  a bloke who was probably in his 40's and a younger player. His first over was a little wayward with some wides, but it was evident he had some pace, and then he tided up his bowling and bowled a spell that basically blasted us out of the game supported by some good bowling at the other end from the youth player. 

It was only Brian who negotiated the strike avoiding S.McDonagh as much as he could that went to high score at a decent strike-rate with 31 before being caught by S.McDonagh off Barkers bowling. The only other player to get a decent score was our young player Shriv who played with a much better attitude in this game and basically gave us a shot at a game.

I batted No.11 with Tony Keep and got a not out for 0, we finished with 117. With three adults in the game and a few in their later teens and early 20's this looked like a tall order.

A couple of confident looking younger players came out first, but Deepak saw off a couple of them with some good accurate bowling. Tony Keep bowled tightly with no wickets from the Estate end, but was leaking a few 4's here and there. Unusual for Tony not to take wickets, but it was a pressure game with little runs to play with.  It looked worse then when out marched S.McDonagh at No.3 - I'm thinking - 'Is he now going bat like he opened the bowling'? Fortunately he didn't. Deepak getting rid of him for 8 runs. That brought Elliott Davies and Oliver Milchard (I think) to the crease with more discussion in the middle between them and a sense of determination. Davies was looking to access runs through the legside as much as possible. Between them they stabilised the innings and took a degree of control and steadied the game...

We were starting to leak runs and at the end of the 18th over they were on 77 with only 40 runs required off of the remaining 22 overs, it was looking like a lost cause, but to make it worse we were dropping catches left-right and centre and fielding like a bunch of 12 year olds playing with a hard ball for the first time. People were getting frustrated and we had somehow gained at least 1 extra captain at this point over-riding Basav's captaincy it was a shambles. The game was getting away from us and they still had 6 wickets in-hand including the captain.

Basav brought himself on - under pressure, he'd already copped a ball in the face fielding and split his lip and now bowled poorly giving away more runs, bowling full beamers being pulled for 4 down to fine-leg. Then he bowled a 3rd full beamer and hit the batter 'Ollie' on the head (With helmet) and he went down like a sack of bricks. Early drinks break was called and after that Shriv was brought into the attack (Another fast bowler) and although he bowled well, he was let down in the field by really poor fielding and was expensive. By now, the ball was in a state where I could bowl and Basav bought me on, to be fair I didn't think I'd even get a bowl. It turned out to be a decent plan. 

Basav got Davies (Bowled) and I got Milchard off of an unusual bowled and caught, the ball was hit directly back at me low and hard and I realised if it went past me it was going to be a 4, so I stuck the side of my boot out angled upwards, so that the hard sole would take some of the impact and the ball deflected off the boot vertically up into the air about 12' and I took a catch - Caught and bowled! I did it really 'Cool and calmly' and everyone was like - "Whoa look what the old geezer did". Others were saying 'I've never seen anything like that in all my cricket days'. 

My foot was a little bruised by the end of the day!

That wasn't the last of the decent wickets though. A younger kid came out and showed no respect and hit me for 3 as I recall into a pocket with no fielder (May have been mis-fielded) and it may have been a cover-drive. So not having bowled Flippers this year, thought that the kid would have never seen a Flipper and would be expecting another leg-break and bowled him middle stump - almost knocked out of the ground!

Then the captain came out. I bowled at him outside of the off-stump and he wafted several play and misses, but I was looking to bowl very wide looking for catches from the keeper or Brian in slips. One went to Brian off the top edge but Brian dropped it. Brian's 75 and had a broken collar bone, so that's fair enough. The captain when I did get the line slightly wrong was hitting me down to Basav at fine-leg. Basav did a good job down there, pretty much stopping everything. So, I thought, this bloke can't hit the ball through the off-side, so he might fancy his chances on the leg-side, so if I fill up the leg-side and bowl around the wicket, there's a chance I might get him caught leg-side, or seeing that the off-side is now virtually empty, he might try some crazy shot and get caught behind or just miss and be bowled or stumped? I never bowl around the stumps to right-handers, so this was a radical move for me, but I felt it was called for. It worked, I bowled a couple where he played and missed and the 3rd ball went past the edge of the bat and went through his legs and hit the off-stump, he was fuming.

The fourth wicket was more straight-forward a dipping leg-break that the kid tried to put out of the park and mis-hit caught at covers by Shriv. At this point they were on 106 only needing another 12 to win. I had one over and 4 balls left with their leg-spinner Katherine Mayfield and the small kid Rixon. I probably over-thought it, Mayfield hit 2 off me and so too did Rixon and then bowled a wide in the last over. Waleed "bowling" from the Estate end was hit for 4 and that was the game. We were beaten by just 2 runs. 

Overall, given the fact that it was such an eventful game and the fact that they out-bowled us and left us in a difficult situation, the fact that it came down to the last little kid who brought the game home for them with a 2 and a 4, which were both good shots, it was a great game. I'd much rather be in games like that than ones where we bat, score 280 and bowl out the opposition for 100 or something. 

Take-aways... I don't think I could be a captain. I kind of fancied the idea, but seeing the appalling fielding executed by adults - people that are 30 years or younger than me that can barely run and bend down, that have no technique, agility or committment, I don't think I'd be able to keep my cool. So the idea of being the 6th XI captain next year for the moment post this game is on the shelf. I know also that Basav has had a nightmare of a week and I reckon that given all the crap you have to deal with I don't know if I could show up at the game and play as well as I could if I wasn't the captain. I know back in the 4th XI days, I hardly bowled at all and that was when you could bowl 14 plus overs if you wanted to. So for the moment that idea is shelved. 

In this match this is where I was hit. At one point when I did set my field, there was virtually no-one on the leg-side. Basav did put someone in at square leg, but they didn't get near a ball. Every leg-side ball was swept to fine leg and all but one was stopped by Basav.

All of the balls that went through the Gully/third man region where mis-fielded. 

I've blocked out of my mind how many catches were put down off of my bowling. But if we'd have taken our catches we'd have easily won, but that's always the case, but this was an atrocious display of fielding and catching and it cost us the game. 

Bowling around the wicket.

See the next blog post.

Among the Non Pro spin-bowlers, this is where this left me this week...

Net sessions and discussions with other players

What happened? (work in progress 5/8/25)

Played in a couple of games that went OK, but let down by some loose deliveries

See here for decent coverage of the Raleigh game - skip through to 1 hr 4 mins for the start of my spell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyzFea26MiE&t=3934s

This is the analysis of my bowling in the Raleigh game associated with the video above.

Raleigh cricket week 

This is the aprroximation of what happened in the game at the weekend 

How do I feel it went? Went OK especially the weekend game, as I came away from the Raleigh game with some ideas about how to improve and these were implemented in the game against the 5th XI and it worked.

What was good/Bad? Good - my stock delivery. Bad the execution of variations. The variations are what cost me all the runs.

Analysis; So, the main take-away that seems obvious is... Not to attempt to bowl the variations. My current strategy in almost all scenarios is to bowl at the stumps. Anything outside of leg, even if it's turning tends to be attacked. Whereas, the balls at the stumps and outside seem to be the most effective in terms of economy. But with regards taking wickets there's limitations. A lot of the teams we play against in the friendly games seem to have a definite policy of not giving LBW's unless they're ridiculously obvious, but I felt the LBW in the Raleigh game fell into that catergory - a full (Yorker) top-spinner on midddle and leg and the bloke didn't give it, it's rare that I get any LBW's. 

One of the most likely outcomes off my bowling is the edge to the wicket keeper or slips, I think in the 6th XI game 3 of these weren't taken, if not more? The conclusion I've previously drawn and been advised to do is develop a straight ball option... The Top-Spinner. I've been working on it on and off, but not mastered it, some days it works really well, other days, as in the Raleigh game where I was desperate to get more wickets and tried it way too many times, ending up costing me a lots of runs. 

The 6th XI game I reigned it in and used it twice as a slow loopy option and both times it was mis-timed by the batter being hit down the ground and plugging before the boundary at deepish mid on and off. In discussion today with one of the 1st XI players who was in the Raleigh game with me, said that I bowled consitently flattish. He then said that Yan, the clubs best bowler (Pro player) who bowls left-arm orthodox (See data below)

every now and then tosses one up loopy with the field set back and gets wickets that way and advised me to do the same very now and then and to be fair the two balls that were hit off the top-spinners in the 6th v 5th's game may have been caught if the fielders had been deep and would have probably have only gone for 1 rather than 2. So, that's something to try and implement. 

Looking again at the wagon wheel of where I was hit in the Raleigh game, all of those 4's were off of bad balls (The 6 was a good ball and he just got hold of it). The obvious conclusion therefore, other than don't try the variations in actual games is to put more time into practicing them and that's what I did last night in the nets...

I had 2 hours in which I only bowled 3 leg-breaks. Thankfully there were some decent batters and a 'Leftie'. The weird thing was the first person I bowled at was Koush and I expected (going on what had happened in the 2 games) to bowl crap Top-Spinners, but right from the off they were bang on the money causing Koush to defend them. One or two strayed slightly leg-side and these were flicked off to fine leg for a potential single. But overall they were coming out OK. 

Then I moved to the other nets as they had a 'Leftie'. Initially I got the line wrong (Coming around the wicket) bowling at the off-stump and the bloke was hitting them easily down his leg-side. So then I went wider as I did against Ted Currington and that was a different story. Eventually getting him twice, the same approach works with Sri Kumar when I bowl at him. 

Once Koush left the net 3 other big-hitting aggressive players followed him and using the Top-Spinner with the ocassional Flipper I easily would have had all their wickets for virtually no runs if that's how they approached their batting in the nets. Stumpings, caught mid on and mid off if they were up and point as well as bowled a couple of times. They were completely fummoxed coming out of the nets saying 'Well bowled mate'. Joe said they were 3rd XI middle order batters. By this time the ball was coming out differently - not a pure top-spinner, but a small leg-break with lots of over-spin. The question now is... Was that 2 hours of bowling Top-Spinners enough to execute the same ball in match conditions? I think what I need to do is get Sri and some others to have a practice on Thursday over at Holy Cross on the artifical wicket.

Conclusion;  Leave the Flipper, not practiced enough with that, keep working with the Top-Spinner.

Action Plan; As mentioned above try and get another practice session in again at some point against batters or go over to Mopsies with a bucket of balls, a target and stumps and practice without a batter. Although I think Sri is off this week, so I might ask him if he wants to join me? 

Interclub game 6th XI v 5th XI

 No proper game today, so an interclub was organised between a 5th XI side and a 6th XI side. Pmac said that he'd tried to pick balanced sides. There's some discontent among some of the 6th XI players as we get dropped frequently from games in order to allow new players to get a game and show their ability, but some of the players have been dropped 3-4 times (Twice myself). The issue is two-fold. The players that are being dropped are the players that want to play at every opportunity and would if given the chance play 45 or 50 overs. We could understand to some extent if others were being dropped, but when you ask around they're not, so it seems that 4-5 people are being targeted. There's an awful lot of people who moan about playing, like it's hassle for them or it's an ordeal and you'd think given their indifference or their unwillingness to play 45 - 50 overs if given the chance, they'd be the perfect candidates to be dropped?

Those that are being dropped have different gripes, some of which are around performance levels. One observation that many people make is that people who work in offices or on-line and spend the day sitting on their butts, hunched over a keyboard basically cannot run, even though they might be in their late 20's, 30's or 40's. 

Somewhat joking and I know it can't be implemented I've said it would be interesting as a part of the selection process to decide what team you play in if a series of physical attribute tests could be set either at the start of the season or every other week, for new recruits?

(1). Can you run round the pitch (Approx 450 metres) 4 circuits?  If you can't, then that pretty much indicates that you're a candidate for the 6th XI.

(2). Running between the stumps - How quickly can your run 3. Get your fastest 20 year old 1st XI player and get them to set the gold standard and then your slowest 6th XI player and then work out the expectation for each level. The slower you are, the more you're likely to be a 6th XI player.

(3). Throwing the ball - if you can't get it from the boundary to the middle - 6th XI candidate.

(4). Running and picking the ball up in one smooth action and throwing it...

(5). Throwing accuracy.

(6). Ground fileding - committment to dive to stop the ball and catch. 

Needless to say, these then need to be offset with your ability with the bat and ball and other peripheral aspects such as being able or willing to score and umpire. 

I've listed the people who I see as 'The competition' for places in the higher teams and I'd argue that being in the 6th XI the people I bowl to have no respect for their wicket, there's nothing to win and it doesn't matter that they get out and their approach to batting would be suicidal in a higher standard game because the fielding standards would be far better. So in response to seeing that no-one around me can field particularly well, they play crazy shots. But despite this and the fact that I've played a handful of higher level games, I've got some of the better figures... The lowest Economy rate...

In terms of Average it's only Tony that is better than me. My strike rate could be better, but that's thwarted (I would argue) because, so many of my potential wickets are dropped by keepers and fielders along with teams just not giving LBW's.

So back to this game - Us (6th XI) v the 5th XI headed by selector 'Pmac'. At the start of a friendly match there's often a discussion about how many overs to play with sides that don't fancy their chances trying to play 35 overs. What with playing against a higher standard team with players that don't get dropped (Other than Joe Hill) I thought they'd be well up for a 45 over game, they're obviously fitter and have more stamina than our team as they play at a higher level, but for some reason they weren't? Baffled. 

As we all got ready, 'The banter' was coming from the 5th XI. I can't remember the exact words from Pmac re the prospects of me bowling at him, but it was along the lines of he was going to be hitting me into the River Roach. I'm guessing because I play in the 6th XI he doesn't think I'm up to much, but I do seem to recall bowling at him in the nets and doing OK against him.

We got off to a decent start with Abi Abbas bowling with Joe Anjivelli, with Tony coming on after 4 overs and by the 11th over we were 3 for 29, so doing well.

Basav as he often does tried to get me on early before the ball was ready to be bowled with, I generally come on around the 20th over, he also wanted me at the wrong end as well. He brought himself on and the game continued in the same vein... not many runs being made, we were bowling well.

After a break at 20 overs I came on from the clubhouse end and found myself with the prospects of bowling to Pmac the captain, the bloke who was going to be hitting me into the River Roach.

The field was OK with a bit of space on the leg-side where I wasn't going to be bowling, but the off-side was a bit tight and there weren't that many fielders, but I did have a slip (Mitchell), the keeper was part-timer Prasad. 

The bloke at the other end was the Left-Hander Ted Currington fresh off of having scored a 50 or a 100? So he was obviously going to do the same I guess? Bowling at Left-Handers is always a bit of a task, I just don't bowl that line, so it's always a bit weird. Coupled with all of that there were only 10 blokes in the field (10 a side), so there were loads of gaps and there were a few 'Office workers' among us. But it started off well and went OK as you can see above...

With Pmac on strike I just bowled at the stumps and an outside of off line, the ball was turning and the balls that started on or about middle were missing the bat and the off-stumps by millimetres. Brain Waterman who was umpring commented "It doesn't much better than that". I experimented with a couple of slower balls to Pmac and he hit them both down the ground for 2's, not the promised 6's. Pmac edged at least 2 that weren't taken, maybe even 3? I eventually got him with what should have been a wide, but he went after it and nicked it through to Prasad and walked. 

Ted though was a different prospect... My first ball was over the wicket and that was hit with a late cut down to 3rd man with ease, so then I went around the wicket bowling it into him bowling wide outside of his off-stump. Again, so many play and misses and again the ball turning plenty - landing outside of off 5th or 6th stump line and only just missing leg stump or bouncing over leg-stump. One of his shots that I bowled down the leg-side went for 3 with Tony Keep chasing it down.

Given that there were only 10 in the field, I was happy with that, with only one ball accidentally bowled leg-side. Arvind replaced Pmac, but I only got to bowl a few balls at him and then was taken out of the attack. 

The bowling continued in a similar vein throughout with no-one really returning bad figures other than new bloke Ryan. 

Then it came to the batting. Ryan had asked 'What's their bowling like'? I replied -  "It's 5th XI and higher, so it's a lot better than ours". They've got the left arm pace of Ted Currington, Wayne Morgan - Essex player, Pmac, opener for 5th XI for many years and a good bowler and Arvind, who plays 3rd X up to 5th, another good bowler and that new bloke Chris Willoughby who's a far better spin bowler than me it seems and a 4th - 5th XI player, so basically we're screwed". I then tempered that with, "But we have Asad Abbas and he's a good batter".

Asad did a good job mirrord by Mitchell Robinson, a slow steady start building a partnership of a 104, 52 runs each keeping us always in front of the run rate from the outset and then retiring for Ali Abbas and Basav finishing the game off with us wining by 10 wickets. Very commendable.