Pre-season nets and games.

 Missed out on the first friendly game on the 18th. I think we got three teams out, one team pulled out at the last minute and the other two games we won.

The previous weekend 11th April I did my back. Lower back pain and glutes on the L/H side. Did it moving buckets of cobbles around wearing flip flops. I wasn't even aware of any specific lift that triggered it. But walking around shortly after I then realised I'd done something. Here we are 10 days later and only in the last 2-3 days or so it's starting to ease up. I tried running on Sunday - playing cricket with my family and was running around like a usual 65 year old, normally I'll give most 30 year olds a run for their money. I'd recorded my 2nd fastest 5K run the weekend before in Manchester at the Peel Park Run - coming in as the 2nd fastest in the 65-70 year old blokes range and coming 220th of 500 hundred who'd participated. 

Tonight 21st April we had the first outdoor nets and I was slightly apprehensive about going, being prepared to bail out if necessary and watch Joe my son bowl. The first few balls were a bit short and slow, but I eased into and as the net emptied and I got to bowl more frequently it started to come together. 

Then I started to do it properly - showing people my field settings with the intention of bowling to this field and going for minimum runs, but with the key intention of getting them out within 18 balls which is looking to improve on the previous years strike rate of 23.1

It went well, hardly anyone made runs and they were all easily dismissed with the exception of a bloke called "Pete" who would probably bat at no.10 or 11 because he lacks any technique which is a shame in a way as he has really good eye/ball co-ordination hitting virtually every ball, but he'd be caught quite easily or the ball would go to a player. But he looks like he might get lucky and thread the ball between the fielders and get a few 4's before you'd get him, but it wouldn't be easy. I find this the case with kids, who don't value their wickets - they just come in and sweep and try and hit every ball for 4 or 6 in the most unorthodox ways and the next thing you look up and you're going for 8 an over to a couple of tail-enders!!!

Talking to one of the blokes after, I said "How did you find that"? and he said "Your field just freaked me out, I have a leg-side shot that would have gone to the bloke at deep square leg for a single, there was one I managed to get into the mid-wicket area where I may have ran two, these were balls that were at the stumps and then you pitched one full outside of off and it wasn't threatening, so I went after it and it would have been caught at "4" on your field, I lasted 4 balls... the field just had me with no clear game plan". 

So 2 plus hours later of solid bowling I've come away and feel OK, my backs no worse and I'm optimistic about this coming Saturdays friendly game.