Resting and not practicing

On Sunday I didn't bowl particularly well, actually let's tell it like it was - I bowled crap. Now why that was I don't know but it might have been one of several things or a combination of all of them?

1. The Yips
2. I didn't warm up
3. *I bowled solidly for 3 hours the day before with not much of a break in between
4. My hand had just taken a big hit with a ball

*Note when I practice I use a bucket of 36 balls so I am bowling ball after ball and bowl hundred of balls in an hour and half.

Since then I've come down with a crappy cold and I don't feel particularly well, but tonight not having really picked up a ball since Sunday and thrown it in anger I noted while I was watching the England v Windies match that I was flicking the ball with a different emphasis with my fingers. I seemed to be getting the flick with very little use of the 2 'Up fingers' and all of the rip was being done with the ball primarily sitting in the hand supported and spun using the 3rd and 4th finger. So after the cricket was over I went outside and threw a few balls and they went well, loads of flick and rip with nice turn. I also threw some Flippers and they were Fast and accurate and I generally felt like my bowling was good.

Could that simply be the result of not going near a ball for a few days, resting and partially breaking the set way that I've tended to bowl? Because recently I seemed to have got in a rut and didn't seem to be going forward. Could it be that taking a break for a few days means that you come back to your bowling in a slightly different way?

Joe & Ben's match

I've just looked at their website and discovered that this match is a league match, they certainly don't know that and I don't know whether I should tell them otherwise it might increase their nerves? Reg was saying that the boys are pretty freaked out by the occassion as it is when suddenly confronted with the reality of a game on a proper cricket pitch with all the trimmings and spectators, so by mentioning that this is a league game at this point might not help. So I'll let the coaches do that on Sunday morning.