About me
I have been playing Club cricket since 1975, mostly in Essex but also for three years in Cheshire. I still play regularly, having recently qualified for the Essex Seniors (over60s), but have been spending more time coaching — currently UKCC2 (ECB Coach), and always looking for learning opportunities.
More recently, I have taken my first steps into Coach Eeucation — in 2019 I delivered my first All Stars Activator Tutor training sessions for Essex Cricket in the Community, and I am now qualified as an ECB Coach Developer.
Persevering swing, rather than penetrative pace, best characterised my bowling (before age compelled me to transition to non-spinning off-breaks – I call them my “arm balls”). So look out for essays in this blog, rather than pithy epigrams – unlikely to be twitter-feed (although I do tweet, as @TheTeesra, and “toot” on Mastodon as @theteesra@universeodon.com).
I’ll be writing mostly on the Club game – coaching and developing young (and not so young) players, League rules, umpires (always with the greatest respect, of course, especially now I have joined the men in the white coats), why the game isn’t as good today as it was when I first started playing…
There might be a few diversions into the First Class arena…after all, we all think we know better than the pros and the England selectors!
Why “The Teesra”?
Back in 2004, Saqlain Mushtaq was reputed to be developing a new mystery delivery, to follow on from the doosra – the “other” or second delivery. It’s not clear if the teesra (the “third” one) ever was bowled in anger, or even exactly what the delivery might be, but this blog is dedicated to the ongoing search for cricketing innovation, and especially to “good cricket” (whatever that might be).
Andrew Beaven
The Teesra 