General stuff

Slightly colder today with a bit of a North Westerly wind, but generally very sunny and pleasent. So that meant around mid day having realised there was no football on the field I could get some bowling in. So with a stump at each end and 16 balls I worked on the Big Leg Break for an hour. Compared to yesterday it was worse which was a complete disaster and very demoralising. Over the hour or so that I was there it simply got worse. But despite how crap it was I kept at it and in the end sticking with the Leg Break I went back to the normal variety to see how I'd do with that? Initially it was awful - too long and shed loads of wides down the legside and it wasn't going anywhere, but I persevered and eventually it came good - right length and right line with loads of bounce and this is off a soggy field.

Sometimes I have to wonder about myself because I have a way of bowling the Legbreak but because of the total obessesion with the Big Legbreak I neglect a ball that works for me and chase after the impossible. The other thing is I write all this stuff down but then try several different ways of bowling still chasing the elusive Biggun not sticking to the technique that works for me. The thing is my normal legbreak when it's going well produces a healthy amount of turn which for all I know is as good as my mate the Wizards and it's him that I'm out to beat this year with regards a target. So having eventually got it together I've decided that I'm going to write it down in a little book (The technique that works for me) and chuck it in my bag of balls and sit and read it before I start to bowl. Get my head in the right zone and focus on bowling my Bog Standard Legbreak (BSL). I reckon if I do this I'll be on the right track and maybe come back to the Biggun next year in the off - season? This way at least I'll have the Legbreak and it'll be my stock ball. So that's my new obective.

Ben and Joe had a better (More involved/interesting) session today at their training. Neither of them bowled that well - Ben got a lot better as the session went on, but Joe the Wrist Spin Legend bowled pies! Yet before we left we had a bit of a muck about and Joe was bowling brilliantly. Ben also batted and yesterday I bought them a forearm guard and he seemed to bat with a lot more confidence and after he said that it had made him feel safer. The coach Neil seemed to be encouraging him and praising him when he was getting it fairly right. Joe didn't get to bat. On the way home I asked them why they'd been so poor with their bowling. Joe didn't know but I've just realised Joe's got a cold and possibly doesn't feel that well but Ben put it down to The Fear. He was saying that he gets very nervous bowling in front of everyone even though it's just practice. So this gave me a good opportunity to explain that I used to have the same feeling simply because I wasn't that confident that I could do it and it was only once I'd put in the hours of practice that the confidence came. He seemed to understand so once we were home and with the light on our side for at least an hour we had a quick bowling session on the field. He bowled brilliantly. His first ball was a full toss that hit middle about halfway up and then in about 18 balls he hit the stumps another 5 times and bowled about 4 wides. Off the back of that I think he could see that more practice would help him feel more confident. Joe had an over as well again 5 good balls - 1 wide and his fourth ball had me - top of off stump. I played a front foot drive and ball went wide of the bat onto the stumps so he was pleased as well. One of the kids off the estate joined us as well and he also bowls right arm Wrist spin and he had an over and he bowled well too. So hopefully over Easter we'll get some good practice sessions going and the kids off the estate will join us?

Had a good look at the pitch today and it's looking good - at the moment a little bare which isn't that bad as long as it's flat. It still doesn't need to be cut though and I've left it for another week. The forecast is that we may have rain on Monday or Tuesday which should get the grass growing well. It'd be nice if it did rain heavily before Easter because I could get the roller on it again and maybe even put some seed down? I was in B&Q's yesterday and found that they sell roundup which what I'll need to kill off the Plantain once it gets going and that was relatively cheap. They also had a sturdy sack barrow in there for 14 quid which may be a far easier way of getting the roller from our house to the pitch. It's how I used to get the old smaller roller over there, but the current one is too heavy for my current sack barrow - but this new one is good for 31 stone (200KG) so may be an option?

Exercise

I've been really slack on this of late mainly because my stretchy band thing snapped and Decathlon was out of stock of them for a few weeks. Now I've got it replaced I'm back on the fitness trail and rightly so as I think I've got my first match in 3 weeks time. So Monday, Wednesday and Friday are fitness training nights.