Next 2 weeks

The prospects for me as I move into the new season look very promising and it seems year on year I'm picking things up and gaining a far better understanding of what I'm doing or at least supposed to be doing. Just in the last week I've either learned to or suddenly become aware of the fact that I'm able to bowl both the Top Spinner and a weak leg break that dips and bounces viciously, the Top Spinner being particularly accurate and useful. Also add to this the new Grimmett Flipper with 4 finger configuration rather than the 2 up 2 down Warnesque version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvix9j7IPgU this Grimmett Flipper is the ball that curves through the air with considerable drift/swing which is a new aspect to my bowling. Add to that last September as the season finished I couldn't bowl a Leg Break I appear to have potentially come quite some distance in 6 months.

I've now got 2 weeks off where I'll hopefully be bowling every single day putting in the hours to improve my little Leg Break in order that it can be my stock ball. At the minute I'm in a position where I'm not sure how it can be used to best affect tactically and this again shows my inexperience as a bowler. My current approach would be to bowl it at the off stump or wide of the off stump to a field set primarily on the off - side. But I'm now thinking as it's a weak Leg Break with potentially more Top Spin which produces some severe dip and bounce might it be a better strategy to bowl at the leg stump so that it bounces into the body. I've noted that in my own team there's a propensity for a weakness for the batsmen playing on the legside, so it looks as though a better strategy would be to bowl in this manner? So as a bowler I now aware that while I'm fielding I should be looking for clues from watching the batsman prior to my own spell to see if they do show a similar trait?

So for the next two weeks I'll be working on -

1. The Leg Break - getting it to bounce and spin.
2. Top Spinner - getting it to dip and bounce more viciously.
3. Grimmett Flipper - Getting it very accurate and to curve through the air and to turn.
4. Core Strength.
5. General fitness (running - cricket specific).

So come the first match I'll be ready to take wickets - I can't wait!

Joe & Ben

I've got to be careful with these two in order not to over-do it with them. Tonight I was hoping to get some bowling in and was going to drag em along to a field but neither of them was up for it and I almost resorted to virtual blackmail and then realised the error of my ways and backed off and instead went back home. Once back little Joe said he'd join me in the road and bowl and after a while Ben joined in and they were bowling alternate balls. Ben hit the stumps first (Using his newly acquired run in) and then Joe and I announced that it was '1 all'. Suddenly it got really competitive and they both were trying to beat each other and they both bowled for almost half and hour and generally both bowling very well, so that turned out to be a good strategy. Ben won finishing off at 3-2.