When I started this blog, I set myself a little (unwritten) rule. I would never write “it was better in the old days”…
So I am going to struggle with this next post…but here we go.
Why is the Club game so slow these days? It wasn’t like this when I was a lad.
(I said it was an unwritten rule. Now it is broken.)
I umpired a game last Sunday. 40 Overs a side. Start time was 1 PM. And we finally got in to tea at twenty to five.
One of the challenges for ECB Coaches working in the Club sector is the constant turn-over of players, especially after they leave the established Colts’ set-up, generally after U16.
At my own Club, we have more than 70 players in the junior section, from 8-years old upwards. If we are lucky, we might see four or five join the senior Club (and probably fewer than that stay with the Club into their twenties).
I am sure that there are complex social reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest challenge for Clubs, County Associations, and coaches is to provide a form of the game that is accessible and enjoyable for the younger players before they are lost to adulthood.
With support from County Boards and local councils, Last Man Stands might just be that format. Offering competitive cricket, played at local venues, for players not able (or willing) to commit to a full day of competitive league cricket on a Saturday or Sunday, LastManStands could be a bridge between Colts cricket and the senior Club game. (more…)
No, I don’t mean it’s just too easy. I mean that a little blind-fold practice can go a long way to improving performance.
It is always helpful for a coach to watch other coaches working, so the other week I took the opportunity to watch a session at the Essex Autogroup Graham Gooch Cricket Centre, at the Ford County Ground, Chelmsford. And while I was there, I got into a conversation with the father of one of the young players being coached.
He explained how his son had problems with his batting until he improved his footwork.
How did he manage that, I asked.
By closing his eyes, replied the father. (more…)