Our pitch

Man I can't wait - this just looks just so F*****g good. We've just got to get some opponents now, so if you know anyone who's in some Mickey Mouse team getin touch and let's get this sorted. Let's see if we can play at least 4 matches over the summer?

Dave

Post Mortem

I was gutted at my own bowling performance on Saturday, although it wasn't with a real ball or on grass as you all pointed out. I can buy into the real ball aspect as they're so much heavier than the Kookaburra practice ball but as for the fact that I couldn't get the bastard thing to turn at all I was bothered. So today despite the fact that the grass is soaking and I was wearing wellies I went over to my own wicket a couple of yards from where I live and threw a few balls and there was a slight improvement. With the extra weight I was a lot more accurate and consistent, but still not getting it to turn much. So I got out some Stuey Mcgill, Shane Warne & Terry Jenner Master Class video's and did a bit of a post mortem. Having looked at them I think it was Terry Jenner who had the solution. I looks like I was bowling leading with the thumb edge of my hand rather than the palm of my hand facing the batsman as I was releasing the ball. Tonight at home throwing the ball around it does look like the solution and the impression I've got now is if I can throw the balls with palm facing the batsman it comes out spinning in such a way that when it hits the ground it has just got to take a sharp left? It looks so radically different to what I've been doing over the last couple of months. What I have been doing is more like 'Over Spin'. I can't wait to get into that hall in a fortnight!

6 A side indoor Cricket Rules (ECB)

Found this on the ECB website. If we ever get up to maybe 10 of us for a practice session or even 12 we could give this a go. Have a read it's a far better way to play than what we were doing and includes the chance to score runs between wickets and sounds as though it wouldn't take much longer than an hour maybe hour and half?

Playing Conditions
1 Laws
The Laws of Cricket (2000 code 2nd Edition - 2003) shall
apply with the exception of the following playing
regulations:
1.1 Teams shall consist of six players each.
1.2 Each match shall consist of one innings per team.
1.3 Each innings shall consist of a maximum of 12 six
ball overs.
1.4 No more than 3 overs shall be bowled by any individual.
In calculating each individual's accrued number of overs,
part of an over shall be deemed as a full over.
1.5 There shall be a 10 minute interval between innings.
1.6 Two batsmen shall be at the wicket at all times during an
innings. In the event of a team losing five wickets within
the permitted 12 overs, the last man shall continue
batting with the fifth man out remaining at the wicket as
a non-striker.
1.7 When a batsman reaches or passes a personal total of
25 he shall retire, but may return to the crease on the
departure of the fifth batsman. Retired batsmen must
return in order of their retirement and take the place of
the retiring or dismissed batsman. Two 'live' batsmen
shall be at the wicket until such time as the fifth wicket
has fallen. The batsman shall retire again when he scores
an additional 25 runs on his return to the crease unless
he is the last remaining batsman, in which case he can
complete his innings.
1.8 If the ball passes, or would have passed, above shoulder
height of the batsman standing upright at the crease, the
umpire at the bowler's end shall call and signal 'No Ball'.
If any venue uses only a half-mat, any ball not pitching
on the mat shall be called a 'No Ball'.
3
Indoor Six-a-Side Club Cricket Championship
41
1.9 Law 25.1 - Wide Ball - Judging a Wide
Please refer to Generic Playing Condition 7.
2 Results
The team scoring the most runs in its innings shall be the
winner. If the scores of both teams are equal, then the
team taking the greater number of wickets shall be the
winner. If the teams are still equal, a 'bowl out' contest
will be held to achieve a winner. Please refer to Generic
Playing Condition 9. If circumstances make the contest
impossible, the match shall be decided by the toss of
a coin.
3 Scoring
The scoring for Indoor Cricket shall take place as follows:
3.1 A ball struck to hit the boundary wall behind the bowler
without touching the floor or any other wall or ceiling
shall count boundary 6 runs. If, however, the ball touches
the floor but does not touch any of the other walls or the
ceiling and hits the boundary wall, then it shall count as
boundary 4 runs.
3.1.1 Before the toss, the umpires shall agree with both
captains the exact interpretation of 'boundary wall',
'ceiling', 'side wall' and 'back wall'.
3.1.2 If a ball is struck into an open gallery along a wall that is
not a boundary wall, the ball becomes dead and the
striker is credited with 1 run.
3.2 A ball struck to hit the ceiling or one or more of the side
or back walls shall count 1 run, even if the ball
subsequently hits the boundary wall in which case it
remains in play. 2 additional runs shall be scored if the
batsmen complete a run (if the ball is struck to hit the
ceiling or side or back wall and a batsman is then run out
1 run shall be scored).
42
3.3 2 runs shall be scored if the striker plays the ball and it
does not hit a wall and the batsmen complete a run.
3.4 A Bye shall count as 1 extra if the ball hits a wall
(including the boundary wall); a leg-bye shall count as
1 extra if the ball hits a wall (including the boundary wall).
In each case if the batsmen complete a run 2 additional
extras shall be scored.
3.5 2 Byes or 2 leg-byes shall be scored if the batsmen
complete a run without the ball hitting a wall.
3.6 No Ball
3.6.1 A No Ball shall score 1 penalty run, recorded as a No Ball
extra, in addition to any other runs scored under 3.6.2.
and 3.6.3.
3.6.2. From a No Ball struck by the batsman, runs scored as in
Scoring Regulations 3.1., 3.2. and 3.3. shall be
accredited to the striker. If the Batsmen do not run and
the ball does not touch any wall or ceiling, then just the
penalty shall be scored.
3.6.3. From a No Ball not struck by the batsman, or from one
striking his person when he is trying to avoid being hit by
the ball, runs shall be scored as in Scoring Regulations
3.1., 3.2. and 3.3.; these shall be credited as No
Ball extras.
3.7 Wide
3.7.1 A Wide Ball shall score 1 penalty run, recorded as a Wide
extra, in addition to any other runs scored under 3.7.2
and 3.7.3.
3.7.2 If a Wide Ball is called and the ball goes on to hit the
ceiling or any wall, then 1 run shall be credited under
extras; 2 additional runs shall be credited under extras
every time the batsmen complete a run.
3.7.3 If a Wide Ball is called but it does not hit the ceiling or
any wall, 2 runs shall be credited under extras for every
run completed by the batsmen.
3
Indoor Six-a-Side Club Cricket Championship
43
3.8 An overthrow hitting any wall or walls shall count as only
1 run to the batsman or to the total of extras as
appropriate. Additional overthrows can only ensue from
each additional throw which goes on to hit a wall or walls
(the batsmen shall not change ends).
3.9 If in the opinion of the umpire the ball becomes lodged in
netting or in any obstacle then the umpire shall call and
signal 'dead ball' and award 1 run. The batsmen shall
return to their original ends.
4 Methods of dismissal
Apart from the normal methods of dismissal contained in
the Laws of Cricket, the following variations shall apply:
4.1 The batsman shall be caught out by a fieldsman after the
ball has hit the ceiling, the netting or any wall except
directly from the boundary wall, provided the ball has not
touched the floor.
4.2 The last not-out batsman shall be given out if the nonstriker
running with him is given out.
4.3 The batsman or the non-striker shall be given not out if
the ball rebounds from a wall or ceiling and hits a wicket
without being touched by a fieldsman.
44

Check out my other blog here - this is all about Leg-spin bowling and nothing else. Double click on the image below.

 

Shane Warne

The Ashes: Could Warne Soon Be Playing for the Enemy? Cricket: After announcing his retirement could Shane Warne be next in line to coach England? Kevin Mitchell investigates.
For Shane Warne the future is always a gamble, be it on the dance floor or on the cricket field. But the most intriguing prospect of them all - The Blond helping England win back the Ashes - has suddenly, mischievously perhaps, presented itself as a left-field alternative to the condition he fears most: boredom. The idea that Warne could replace Duncan Fletcher as the England coach after giving his team such a comprehensive flaying for the best part of 16 years is, at first glance, both fanciful and illogical. But the suspicion that it might have been planted by Warne himself after the announcement of his retirement can't be discounted. (Ladbrokes rate it a 200...#8209;1 shot and, while, they didn't get rich getting it wrong, Warne likes a punt at good odds.) A more realistic scenario is that Tom Moody, a long-time Worcester resident and an Anglophile whose coaching contract with Sri Lanka expires soon, would love the job. And he would be quite happy if he had the finest wrist spinner of them all as an assistant. There are reasons to be sceptical, of course. Warne is a 37-year-old playboy still shrugging off the least appealing aspects of adolescence; he is a champion and great players rarely have the patience or the understanding of fallibility to pass on their genius to mortals; and he is, if you had not noticed, Australian to the roots of his bleached hair. Yet three influential voices here, James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, Steve Waugh, Warne's captain in 56 of the spinner's 143 Test matches, and the game's eminence grise, Richie Benaud, think it is not that absurd an idea that Warne would spread his wisdom beyond the place that is girt by sea. 'It would be good for world cricket,' Sutherland told The Observer. Asked if the tearaway would make a good coach, even of England, Benaud said: 'Yes, he would. He's got the best cricket brain of anyone you'll come across. He comes up against all different types of batsmen and then he puts them back in the pavilion.' He has done it 699 times for Australia. Could Shane 'we don't want the English to win at anything' Warne use that superbrain to help England inflict similar damage on Australia? For the moment, dreaming that he would shift his allegiance so dramatically, like a lot that surrounds the life of the man they call Hollywood, is mere speculation. Inevitably, it started in the newspapers. Waugh was the first to utter the heresy. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they offer him to be the England coach,' he wrote in his syndicated column on Thursday, the day Australia woke up to the news that their number-one larrikin was quitting the game. Later, Warne, all gleamingly content and so happy to talk he went on for a quarter of an hour after the cameras had stopped rolling, replied: 'I don't know what Stephen's on. Definitely not in my plans at the moment, no.' Rarely can the words 'at the moment' have been so loaded. As Warne said during an entertaining and frank retirement press conference in a jam-packed members' room of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (played out in front of 23 television crews, 40 photographers, hundreds of journalists after his 100-yard limousine ride from the Cricket Australia HQ to an underground car park), his immediate plans reside elsewhere. He wants to take part in whitewashing England in the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, mull over a few offers from TV and publishers, raise more money for his children's charity, which is on target for $A2million (£800,000) this year, and play cricket in the back yard with his kids. He might have added, but didn't, that he will talk to his estranged wife, Simone, about a reconciliation while he gets used to the unfamiliar sensation of not spending his days in a dressing room full of smelly kit and his nights in various dimly lit pulling emporiums with Kevin Pietersen and unknown, story-selling bimbos and strippers. Certainly, he has no further cricket commitments in Australia. Which is interesting. At the end of the southern summer, Warne will get ready for another stint with Hampshire, where he has two years left on his contract. As he is walking away from the international game, as well as Victoria and his club side, St Kilda, it will be the only cricket he will play - and that will hardly satisfy the ambition of one of cricket's most restless souls, a man, even at 37, for whom a mobile phone is not so much a means of communication as another way to get into trouble. So the prospect of taking over from Fletcher, who will almost certainly step down after the World Cup, or helping Moody remains a tantalising possibility. Also in the mix - if you can stand further speculation - is the outside chance that Glenn McGrath, who announced yesterday that he he too will call it a day after next year's World Cup, might be tempted to join the team, given he spent a season with his old team-mate Moody at Worcestershire. Whatever Warne does, he leaves a trail of glorious memories, some more palatable than others, and cricket owes him a considerable debt. The statistics glow like neon lights on the billboard for a movie. There is nothing left for him to achieve, nothing he could achieve. His bones are aching. He is half a stone overweight and, heroically, he has dragged himself through this series to impose his awesome gifts on batsmen still stunned in his glare. He is, as Benaud says, simply the best over-the-wrist bowler there ever was. He might also be judged to be the best bowler, whatever the discipline, and (according to Wisden) one of the five best cricketers of the twentieth century, alongside four knights: Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Garry Sobers, Sir Viv Richards and, of course, Sir Don Bradman. More words are superfluous. All we need to do is rerun the images of all those incredibly clever dismissals, those dipping, spitting deliveries that reduced very good players to dupes. But there was always more to Warne than his fingers - as any number of women will testify. All his supposedly adult life, Warne has been mesmerised by anyone in a short skirt and who smelt nice. It is said by his unauthorised biographer (the best kind), Paul Berry, that he has slept with a thousand women - which is 300 more than his wickets tally. However, when the sun finally faded on his career, he went home to the one who mattered most, Simone. She was the only person who could have made him take stock. She and their three children, apparently, want him back. He wants to go back. Even the prurient and the judgmental (of whom there is no shortage in Australia) ought to cheer on that prospect. While their Brighton mansion in Melbourne's suburbia often resembles a besieged castle, surrounded by camera crews and journalists, it is his only haven now that he has left his other home, the Australia cricket team. He hasn't always been the perfect, house-trained occupant there, either, and there have been tensions within the side in recent years that have been conveniently ignored in the interest of team success. When I asked Steve Waugh earlier this year whether he thought Warne might have made a good Test captain, he replied with a steady gaze and unquivering certainty: 'Mate, I think we made the right decision.' And that choice was SR Waugh. SK Warne was never going to get the plum. And, whatever we thought outside the dressing room about his obvious tactical acumen, the inner sanctum would not have it. Adam Gilchrist, as straight as a five-bar gate, indulges him up to a point and Waugh often lost patience with him. John 'Buck' Buchanan, the coach in touch with dead Chinese warlords, was not a soulmate. He has friends, of course - Michael Slater, also marginalised because of his eccentricities; Michael 'Pup' Clarke, whom he has mentored; and, to the annoyance of some of his compatriots, another youngster, KP at Hampshire - most of them away from the mainstream. Clarke only now is shredding his image as a bit of a lad, a nightclub starlet dazzled by his own image, a Warne in the making. In his own circle, Warne seems to be more admired and treasured as a player than clung to like an old friend. He runs his own race, does his own deals, creates his own noise - and makes more money than any of his team-mates. He drags people along in his wake. Warne, more enthusiastically than the others in this rather amazing cricket team, embraces celebrity. Yet - and this throws up uncomfortable contradictions for his critics - he is the most affable man. I interviewed him at the end of Waugh's last Ashes tour, in the team hotel in west London. It was the usual deal, arranged by sponsors, the clock ticking. But he would have talked all day. He expounded on all aspects of his life and his cricket. He could not have been more charming. And then, halfway through the interview, the photographer John Riordan moved about the hotel room to grab the best shot. Warne was sitting near the window. On the sill was an ashtray, and in the ashtray was a cigarette swimming in what might have been brandy, whisky or beer from the night before. He was keen that it not be in the shot but didn't say so; instead, he slowly and surreptitiously put a finger on the ashtray and dragged it from view along the window sill. He is a lot like a boxer, the kid from Ferntree Gully. He has grown up in the art of deception. As Benaud observes, he puts batsmen back in the pavilion. What he does to Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood and countless others on the pitch, he does to others away from his workplace. It is not malicious, just deep-rooted. Berry seems to have taken a hard line on Warne, although you could hardly question his forensic skills given the number of people he spoke to in compiling Spun Out: the Shane Warne Story. But, personally, I'm drawn to the player's obviously self-serving and maybe unconvincing defence. He calls Berry's book 'a pack of lies', which it isn't. He told Alpha magazine in his most recent interview: 'People are wrong when they think I'm a bighead. I'm not arrogant. I'm confident in my ability on the cricket field but, away from cricket, I think I'm very generous, genuine, loyal and fair.' Simone might quibble with some of that. But she's still there. The night before he announced he was retiring, they went out to dinner in Melbourne. It was some statement. You would have to be a particularly callous critic not to wish them the best. He goes on: 'A lot of people don't like me and that's fine. The general person in the street is very nice to me. They think a lot of the media attention has been unfair as well.' That's nonsense. The media, here and in Britain, have been in turn adulatory and hard on him - for good reason: he's a brilliant twit. And often he's in denial about his poorest traits. Warne is selfish. He is often what the Australians call 'a hoon'. Or a 'two-bob mug lair'. But he's like most of us. He is fallible and amazing, all in one. Nobody in sport that I can think of so embodies the oddity of being simultaneously an idiot and a genius. For most of us, that's good enough. We are privileged to have been alive in his time.
By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2006Published: 12/24/2006

Training 6th Jan

It happened at last - only took 3 months to get together but it did happen and by all accounts it was a bit of a laugh and we're all up for it in two weeks time, so we're looking at the next training session being at the same time and same venue and it may happen every fortnight if the enthusiasm is sustained "It's a bit of a day out for Nick and me, it' makes a change from southend" (Simon).

In attendance

Mark Soye
Alex Wood
Steve Bone
Dave Thompson
Thomas Slater
Nick Naughty
Simon Grainge
Richard Sainsbury

I've just realised there was 8 of us and we've all given Richard £7.00 each by my reckoning that's £56 and the venue was only £48. I reckon the extra cash should be spent on another Kookaburra Practice ball?

Anyway other than that, all that attended seemed to get into and we had some valuable practice in our pursuit of beating Sports Science this coming summer. There were some half decent batsmen and bowlers in the group and few with a dodgey action. If we can iron out the dodgey action we might have a good mix of bowlers. Down the pub after it was kind of suggested that Alex might take on the role of team captain as he seems to be more knowledgable on techniques and strategies and was already without prompting suggesting things and guiding people. The revelations of the day were Simon and Alex. Simon with his fast bowling and Alex with his Batting. Having seen a few us now having a go more of an idea about the team positions is beginning to form. Here's a suggestion - but I'm not the team captain so this could easily be over-ridden.

Batting order -

Openers Alex Wood & Simon Grainge
Richard Sainsbury
Thomas Slater
Mark Soye
Nick Naughty
Steve Bone (His arm was knackered)
Dave Thompson

Bowling

Simon Grainge (fast)
Thomas Slater (Medium) - needs some work on his dodgey action
Richard Sainsbury (Medium) - Dodgey action?
Dave Thompson (Leg Spin slow)

I'll have to distribute the passwords so you can all have a say about how shit I am and conduct some sledging!

Cheers to Carl Hodgson (who couldn't attend but sent his apologies for not being able to make it) for lending us the bats.
Cheers to Richard Sainsbury who coughed up the cash as the venue only took cash or cheques.

We'll still look at other venues because even using the hall length to length it still wasn't long enough for a short run up or Wicket keepers to have a chance to practice in any way.

Equipment wise we're okay, we've got more than enough pads and gloves, it would be nice to have another 2 of those plastic/soft balls for the sessions at the start of the session as they're more akin to the weight of a real cricket ball and they have the seam and have a similar bounce. I think everybody is aware of the potential dangers and a few got a couple of stingers even using the plastic balls. Fortunately no-one got hit in the bollocks, but once we start playing or practicing on grass with real balls there's going to be a need for helmets. Personally I'm in the process of buying one right now off of EBAY. They're not cheap and they're obviously prone to getting sweaty and horrible, so I'm inlcined not to share the helmet with anyone. Ideally we'd all get our own and I'd advise EBAY as the solution as you can pick them up virtually unused for 1/3 or 1/2 the price for a new one (About £20). But if people want to share helmets and get 2 or 3 'Team helmets' we'll have to sort some kind of list of head sizes and sort the money aspect out and if need be I'll bid for some on EBAY, but you'll have to let me know.

Next Practice (Subject to confirmation and booking) will be Staurday 20th Jan at 12.00 - 14.00hrs

Paying to practice

The venue's going to cost £48 for the 2 hours so we'll split that by however many of us turn up. Other than that there's the cost of the balls and possible wear and tear on the gear. The soft balls cost £3.00 each and the proper cricket balls along with costs to order them are around £7.00 each, I'll leave it till the end of the session and see how kanckered they are before I let you all decide how much you want to contribute to the 'Ball & kit fund'.

2nd Hour training strategy 6th Jan

For the 2nd hour some people have suggested we have a game of some sort. Having given some thought to this I've come up with this idea....
The length of the sports hall is such that we can bowl full length and have a wicket keeper. Again it's going to be tight for space and if all 12 people turn up as indicated by those that have shown an interest there's going to have to be some kind of format to playing. So this is my suggestion. Instead of aiming to whack the ball as hard as physically possible all the time, perhaps we should aim to put the ball in specific areas simulating trying to play it between fielders (I might be ambitious in these suggestions). The idea being if you can hit the ball not beyond point B and at the floor as you do so (Denying any catching opportunities you score 6. If you hit the ball between zones A & B that's a 4 and anywhere between A & C you only get 1 and bewteen the two 'C' markers 2 points.

That means 3 people will be occupied with Batting, bowling and Wicket keeping with the others in slips positions or other fielding positions?

Again we'll do this in Quick cricket style e.g. the batsman is only in for an over and the aim is to get as many points in your over. If you get bowled, caught or stumped etc you lose 6 points? Personally I think we should try and use the real ball for this because this will be the only opportunity for anyone who is serious about bowling to get a chance to do so at the right length?

What do you reckon a plan or a load of bollocks?

Dave.

I'm off to watch England get whitewashed by the Aussies now....

Training Strategy 1st hour 6th Jan

So basically what we've got is a sports hall normally divided into 3 bays with nets as per the image here. So for the first hour the plan is to use all 3 bays to bat in.

Each person batting gets to face 3 overs or so with the bowlers doing the same. Any spare people in the bays field.

Unfortunately the distance between A & B is a lot shorter than 22 yards and we'll probably going to have to use softballs (baseball practice balls) because that's one of the stipulations of using the space. The good thing is you can whack the things as hard as you like. Personally I'm up for sneaking some proper balls in so if anyone fancies facing a hard ball we'll be using the middle bay (Protected either side by nets) for bowling practice that approximates the real thing albeit a bit short? Remember I'm a slow spin bowler so it's not going to be that dangerous. Hopefully that'll keep us all busy and no-one's going to be standing around bored?

Update 11th Dec

I’ve had a look at a few venues in the Basildon area with a view to indoor training sessions. I’ve now provisionally booked 2 sessions at Laindon Community/leisure centre. Near Laindon railway station.

12.00 – 14.00 hrs on Saturday 7th Jan £48.00

Carl Hodgson
Thomas Slater
Dave Thompson
Richard Sainsbury (He’ll give you a lift from Southend)
Badger
Steve Bone
Mark Benson
Phil Buchanan

Richard Sandling
Catherine Barrass
Mark Soye
Tom Dick
Alex Wood
Nick Naughty
Simon Grainge
Catherine Barrass
Tom Dick

All the above (in Bold) live locally to Laindon with the exception of Richard and hopefully could turn up. Needless to say, the less people that turn up the more expensive it’s going to be. If there’s five of us I’d still be up for it.

Basically I need a show of commitment to see who’s up for this session. I’ll make sure there’s balls, pads, gloves and stumps (Home made – could do with more if you’ve got time to make a set 9” wide 32” high including the base). For batting practice we’ll be using baseball practice balls (Light and spongey) so we can whack ‘em around.

For bowling we’ll need the real thing and it’s the main thing I for one want to practice, so if anyone wants to practice batting (defensive as we can’t whack the real balls around) against Wrong un’s, Flippers, leg breaks, Sliders and back spinners you might want to get yourself a helmet and a box/jock strap, although my bowling is of the slow variety.

What we will need is a fast bowler, so anyone wanting to step up and volunteer please do so and give it a go.

We need to think of a way to practice as well. I’m thinking if we can get three lots of stumps. We can set up three bowlers and three batsmen along the length of the hall or divide it up into one big section for the bowling e.g batting defensively and maybe have people fielding any hits off the defensive bat. Then use the remaining section of the hall (The size of a badminton court) for batting practice as that’ll be netted off and Batsmen/women can whack it to their hearts content.

What we will need is some kind of carpet to put in the wicket area to minimise bat damage and damage to my balls.

The impression at this point is of the Southend contingent Richard Sainsbury seems to be the most likely to drive/turn up, so if the getting there aspect is an issue get a lift off of Richard.

Garrons News

There isn’t any really other than Steve Bone and I are trying to get over there and have a look at what’s on offer and suss out the price. From my experience of driving around looking at the venues local to me, it’s going to be pretty much booked in the evenings unless we want to get in there really late. As I get the news I’ll let you all know.

Welstead Gardens News

I can’t get the college to communicate with me, everybody I email just sends a reply saying they’ll talk to the people involved and get back to me or they pass me on to someone else who’s supposed to know but doesn’t get back to me.

New Team Members

Welcome to Tom Dick and Catherine Barrass. Tom Dick we’re informed is a pretty useful left handed batsman (His own assessment) and Catherine is like ‘Sporty Spice’ but better e.g. she does the sports rather than just ponces around on the tele singing. Catherine has done stuff like spear chucking, discus, shot put etc, so should be a pretty good bowler?

Update 11th Dec

I’ve had a look at a few venues in the Basildon area with a view to indoor training sessions. I’ve now provisionally booked 2 sessions at Laindon Community/leisure centre. Near Laindon railway station.

12.00 – 14.00 hrs on Saturday 7th Jan £48.00

Carl Hodgson
Thomas Slater
Dave Thompson
Richard Sainsbury (He’ll give you a lift from Southend)
Badger
Steve Bone
Mark Benson
Phil Buchanan

Richard Sandling
Catherine Barrass
Mark Soye
Tom Dick
Alex Wood
Nick Naughty
Simon Grainge
Catherine Barrass
Tom Dick

All the above (in Bold) live locally to Laindon with the exception of Richard and hopefully could turn up. Needless to say, the less people that turn up the more expensive it’s going to be. If there’s five of us I’d still be up for it.

Basically I need a show of commitment to see who’s up for this session. I’ll make sure there’s balls, pads, gloves and stumps (Home made – could do with more if you’ve got time to make a set 9” wide 32” high including the base). For batting practice we’ll be using baseball practice balls (Light and spongey) so we can whack ‘em around.

For bowling we’ll need the real thing and it’s the main thing I for one want to practice, so if anyone wants to practice batting (defensive as we can’t whack the real balls around) against Wrong un’s, Flippers, leg breaks, Sliders and back spinners you might want to get yourself a helmet and a box/jock strap, although my bowling is of the slow variety.

What we will need is a fast bowler, so anyone wanting to step up and volunteer please do so and give it a go.

We need to think of a way to practice as well. I’m thinking if we can get three lots of stumps. We can set up three bowlers and three batsmen along the length of the hall or divide it up into one big section for the bowling e.g batting defensively and maybe have people fielding any hits off the defensive bat. Then use the remaining section of the hall (The size of a badminton court) for batting practice as that’ll be netted off and Batsmen/women can whack it to their hearts content.

What we will need is some kind of carpet to put in the wicket area to minimise bat damage and damage to my balls.

The impression at this point is of the Southend contingent Richard Sainsbury seems to be the most likely to drive/turn up, so if the getting there aspect is an issue get a lift off of Richard.

Garrons News

There isn’t any really other than Steve Bone and I are trying to get over there and have a look at what’s on offer and suss out the price. From my experience of driving around looking at the venues local to me, it’s going to be pretty much booked in the evenings unless we want to get in there really late. As I get the news I’ll let you all know.

Welstead Gardens News

I can’t get the college to communicate with me, everybody I email just sends a reply saying they’ll talk to the people involved and get back to me or they pass me on to someone else who’s supposed to know but doesn’t get back to me.

New Team Members

Welcome to Tom Dick and Catherine Barrass. Tom Dick we’re informed is a pretty useful left handed batsman (His own assessment) and Catherine is like ‘Sporty Spice’ but better e.g. she does the sports rather than just ponces around on the tele singing. Catherine has done stuff like spear chucking, discus, shot put etc, so should be a pretty good bowler?