Flipper as my stock ball again?

 Season's going well, getting loads of games in different teams. Haven't been able to get all the matches posted because there's been so many. Had a good game recently as part of Rayleigh cricket clubs 'Cricket week' which is one of my favourite fixtures as I get to play with decent players. The Sunday and evening T20 teams are similar for the most part and in these games I do pretty well. As a result of all this I'm currently the 2nd highest wicket taker at the club, but as Joe (My son) pointed out, that's really just becuase you play more cricket than anyone else. True that I've played 3 x 40 over games Saturday, Sunday and Monday. In the Monday game I took 6 for 39, my best figures yet.

That was down to 5 of the six being caught, one by me and 4 in the field by players that can actually run and dive, not that anyone dived for any. I took a catch at mid wicket and did some good fielding at point. I could have had 8 but the keeper missed one and I dropped one off my own bowling (click the video below). I also bowled a fellow Wrist-Spinner 'Kat' around the back of the legs which was nice, because she'd done the same thing to me when we last played against each other. I come on in the 16th over for 2 and then come back again for the 26th over and then bowl out. 

Anyway reflecting on my success in this game, it's down to the fielding and I know this sounds like a broken record, but some of the better players were saying "Why is Thomo in the 6th Xi" He'd take shed loads of wickets in the 2's ro 3's and he's a good fielder. All of which is true. I can run as faster and make far more effort in the field that 75% of the players at our club despite the fact that I'm 66. 

In this screen grab I managed to get my hands to the ball and slowed it down, but that was a drop off my own bowling. 

Anyway back to the point; My son Joe said, ignore the fact that you're the highest wicket taker. Filter the stats and only look at your performance in terms of League games...

See below.

I've filtered it so that it's Spin bowlers apart from No.14 (Joe my son). The two that concern me are numbers 8 and 9 who are both 2 wickets in from of me. Tony Keep bowls straight, says he tries to spin it, but I think he cuts it rather than spins it. But his approach is wholly different to mine. Sri is a finger spinner but he has multiple variations including a faster ball which catches people out. He also plays in the 3rd xi where the players can run and catch. Tony plays in the same teams as me and we often bowl in tandem, but he has a lot of 'Bowled' rather than caught because he bowls at the stumps. 

I on the other hand, bowl looking to force the mishit, edge or catches in the covers, mid off and point. So many of balls that should be caught aren't.

So seeing the figures in the League I'm going to change tactics for the rest of the season and make the Flipper my stock ball. You have to bowl the Flipper a lot to be able land it consistently and if I'm bowling Leg-Breaks as my stock delivery I just can't pull the Flipper out of nowhere and bowl it well. But the other way round I'm pretty sure I can just pull out he Leg-Break if I'm bowling 90% Flippers. 

So starting yesterday in the nets I bowled 95% flippers and it went well. I've also bowled a hundred of them in the paddock across the road where I live and again it went well. Hitting the stumps 1/5th of the time. So every day now I'll go over the paddock and bowl 90 Flippers and 10 over-spun leg-breaks and see if I can convert that to the Legaue games and get back in front of Keep and Kumar and maybe Liam Rouse who is a 1st/2nd xi Left arm orthodox who mixes that up with seam balls. The other bloke Yannick he's the club pro, so he doesn't count!!!