August 30th, I had the opportunity play a league game in the 5th XI against Rayleigh Fairview on a ground I didn't know existed just outside of Rayleigh. Seemed like a decent team and I got to bowl early-ish. I had the option of bowling into a very brisk wind or bowling with it and chose to bowl with it. The captain wasn't Tony the usual bloke it was Pmac.
Pmac, was the captain of the 5th XI some years ago and I was pretty much secure in my place as a bowler in the team, but subsequently the following season and thereafter I was replaced and was relegated to the non-league 6th XI. This left me with a head space whereby I believed he had no faith in my bowling and fielding. It wasn't a big deal, but that sense was there.
This year the club has implemented a selection committee and Pmac is on the committee. So when I then find myself not selected, I'm looking around at the selection committee and can't but help come to the conclusion that Pmac must be instrumental in the decision to leave me out? So then when I do get in a league game he's the captain I'm already of the opinion that he has no faith in what I do. Subsequently, I'm then apprehensive about setting my own field and pretty much let him do it, which is OK, but it's not the way that I'd set it.
Shane Warne, his mentor Terry Jenner and the bowler Peter Phillpott who wrote the seminal book on wrist-spin bowling "The Art of Wrist Spin bowling" all say that it's of utmost importance that the Wrist-Spinner feels that they are valued in the team and integral. Warne went as far as saying "They have to feel loved"! Because with the complexities and difficulty of bowling it, a massive part of their success comes about through confidence and having the confidence of your captain and side.
Most of this stuff wasn't at the forefront of my mind and I was called on to bowl at about the 18th over. So, I started off with a fairly ropey over which included some full tosses, but it just went down hill and I couldn't think what it was that was going wrong, but I definitely sensed Pmac being increasingly P****d, but then he called across the pitch for someone else to get ready to bowl. I then tried harder and it just got worse. I went for 8.75. My final figures... 4-9-35-0. What I've not mentioned is the 4 overs that I bowled 2 catches that should have been taken that went to hand were dropped off of good deliveries. It wasn't enough and I was taken off, never to bowl again in the game.
Now cut to 4 hours later back at the club and I'm talking to Michael and Dan Gray about todays game and it turns out it's going to be Dan who's the captain and straight away the first thing he says is "Tomo, you're definitely bowling 8 tomorrow"! With total commitment and assuredness. If Michael had been the captain - again I get the sense that he too has faith in my bowling and I'd have got 8 overs. But another thing, there's something about Michael and the way he takes me out of the attack, which he does if I'm not doing well. It's done in a different way to Pmac. I think Pmac says a lot with his body language.
So, today...Horrible ground. No pavilion, I think it's being built? What with this being the hottest and driest summer ever, the outfield had dried and cracked and everywhere there were huge ankle breaking holes. The same holes when fielding make for dangerous situations where the balls bounce unevenly taking your teeth out or breaking cheek bones and the like.
We fielded first with Tony Keep and Ariz bowling. This is the kind of team I like playing in and the opposition was of a similar make up. The adults were Tony 70+ Me 65, Michael 48 and Sri I'm not sure, but I reckon he's possibly in his early 40's. The rest were all under 19's... Kirby, Elliott, Kanav, Keagan, Ariz, Tom Tonnison and Dan Gray.
Tony and Ariz bowled well. Keeping them at around 4.5 runs an over. Then Dan Gray threw me the ball and got me into the attack...
Tony 8-0-35-0
Ariz 4-0-20-2
I got into my work pretty well from the outset bowling Top-Spinners, but one floated up outside of the off-stump was deemed a wide. But right from the outset I went from yesterdays performance to bowling one of my better spells ever. For the most part if I stuck to the Top-Spinner I was getting the length, speed and flight right and the batters didn't seem to have any option other than to take a massive risk and come down the wicket or play with a straight bat and defend. In the third over one of their better bats (M.Hatcher) came down the wicket and smacked the ball back past me hard with a four, so the next ball was a ball on middle and leg- this time a small leg break, playing with a straight bat he defended, the ball dipped slightly shorter and turned, missing his bat, taking off the off-stump bail. I was a nice ball and the umpire acknowledge the same.
The next bloke played one ball for a dot and then was bowled with a Top-Spinner. Very top of middle. Carried on bowling pretty well, was hit for another 4 down the ground again. The next wicket was a bloke who got off to a decent start, who looked intent on having some impact, he may have been the one that hit for 4, so I decided I'd bring out the flipper. So the intention was a full one outside of off. It came out wrong, was ridiculously short, almost bouncing twice as it stayed so low and was on track to be given as a wide. The bloke swung his bat at it and under-edged it onto his stumps.
That brought out another big hitter allegedly, but his excuse was that he was injured. To be fair, injured or not he hit one legside for 4 in between Kanav and Elliott, but the next one wasn't directed so well and Elliott caught it as cool as you like one handed for a wicket maiden. I then had 10 balls to get a Five-fer, Kirby held back seemingly to give me the chance of a wicket, I wasn't aware that it was the last wicket. The bloke then played carefully for the remaining balls and saw me off.
Sri then finished his spell off with his variations taking 3 wickets...
Our Innings seemed to get off to a decent start and with 158 to chase it wasn't a concern. But then wickets started to fall with some good opposition fielding. Elliott Noble one of the better batters was bowled and caught off a ball that was hit hard - a very good catch. Dan the captain went cheap and he's hit 1700 runs this season. The scorer doing it digitally got Kiegan and Tom's name around the wrong way and as Kiegan built his innings of 40 steadily each four was met with cheers of "Keep going Tom" with Kiegan looking confused at the crease as to what was going on.
With Dan and Elliott gone, this left the game looking slightly tighter than it needed to be. Kanav went cheaply and so did Sri. Michael - Dan's Dad went out saying "It looks like its down to me to save the game!" He joined Ariz and they steadied the ship a little and then Ariz was lost too. I'd been put up the order from my usual No.11 and joined Michael with around 12 runs left for the win. At one end was a bloke bowling straight, he looked fine, but at the river end was an off-spinner. I don't know how I survived, but I had 3 balls that either missed and turned past the leg-stump or I inside edged to enable me to get off strike, similarly a few byes helped out as well. At the other end Michael steadily got the runs and I contributed with a 2 not out. So in the end it was a close call...
Adding the data to the
https://basildonandpitsea.play-cricket.com/website/results/6838130
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