13858 - hit counter
Cor blimey this was a bit of a baptism of fire for Joe and Ben. Having never played a match in this kind of environment with the fielders all being so close and the ball bouncing off the walls and 2 runs being conceded for wides and no-balls (I think) and only 6 lads per team it was a bit intense. It's not a game I've played either so it was interesting to watch and see what the key objectives seemed to be. From Ben and Joe's point of view neither of them being particularly good at batting it looks like the thing that need to get good at is just getting the bat on the ball and looking to run if it's anything other than directly into the fielders hands. Their coach G-Man was saying that by running and getting the runs on the board you then put pressure on the fielders and they then start making mistakes with over-throws which if are not dealt with lead to runs from the ball hitting the wall/boundary. The only thing is - that kind of requires a sense of confidence from you as a batsman and feeling at ease and accepted within your team and not feeling like you're seen as the most likely person to consistently let the team down. The thing is there is such a vast level of difference in abilities and confidence between the boys in the team and I know that Joe and Ben feel like the odd ones out and that their place in the team is grudgingly accepted by the other boys who are far more adept than they are.
But having said that tonight I thought that Ben made a pretty good account of himself surviving possibly as many as 6 of the 12 overs albeit not making that many runs due to his lack of confidence in shouting yes to potential run making opportunities. I know also he's acutely aware of the fact that if he gets it wrong and the better players are then run out due to a bad call on his part he'd feel mortified at making the wrong decision. Additionally the other boys are very vocal in their condemnation of such mistakes and they themselves pile on the pressure to the less confident boys like Ben and Joe.
Joe didn't have such a good game - bowled fairly poorly and was bowled out as per usual by the big kid that was bowling at a thousand miles an hour and was as usual the best bowler of the oppositions team. The good news though is that G-Man's text message about the up and coming weekend 3 hour session is going to be all about playing this kind of game, so hopefully that'll help Ben and Joe understand what they need to do with regards getting the runs between the wickets.
I actually fancy a go at it myself and maybe with only 6 blokes required and it being played in the evenings I might be able to knock together a team I reckon? Simon, Dan, Badger, Me, Alex maybe? I just need one more Nakul? Or perhaps the Sri-Lankan bloke or maybe that geezer that played for Essex - how good would that be to have him on your side?
I reckon the 12 overs a-side and quick pace of it, tied in with the fact that it's played in the evenings might well appeal to them? The only thing is - it seems to be played fairly seriously amongst adults and the only examples of games I can find reference to on the internet are all league games. What I'd be looking for is to play games against teams like SDR in Basildon - but I can't even find any contact details for them at the moment on the internet. I could probably get them via Westleigh Height CC? The other option might be to look at other part time clubs like the AnZac teams around Southend or now that our college has almost merged with Thurrock and Basildon college - perhaps they could get a team together and play - inter-campus games?
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