Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

[GoldenArm]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Fair play though i should also say that you're obviously keen and i love people that turn up to every training session. I go to every single one myself, total netting addict. Just hunt about for a team that suits you buddy, perhaps a team that makes more effort to coach people?

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

that is, quite frankly, rubbish. you don't have to be first rate you don't have to be super fit. this is not professional levels we're talking about here. Go and watch some cricket in the league above the one you're in or perhaps even just a little higher. you will see that the teams doing well are the ones with players who are most willing to work hard. Dynamic fielding is usually a symptom of a good attitude. week in week out i see a pretty damn chunky bloke chuck himself around like a maniac, stopping everthing and shouting at younger, fitter lads for not doing better!

as said though, i put in the effort. more so than anyone else at the club it would seem. aside from the few guys that maintain the ground, run the club bar, etc, the rest just show up on saturdays and sundays, play their match, and thats about it. they might show up on other days for a beer, but they are simply putting in a social effort to ensure their place rather than a cricket effort. which fair play if thats all it takes, but that is what annoys me the most.

we definitely lost yesterday based on a combination of poor fielding, poor decisions, and a lack of top batsmen. the other side took 3 apparently stunning catches (i didnt see them). those could well have been the difference, although i think our batsmen were always going to fall short. also, the fact that we fielded in the rain and they fielded in the sun made a big difference, we should never have fielded first.

i take my cricket very seriously, i practice very hard, i dedicate a LOT of time to it (often more than i really have to give). maybe i have higher opinions of my bowling than everyone else does, maybe they are unfounded. personally i dont think so, arrogant or not, i consider myself a very good leg spinner, and when have leg spinners ever lacked confidence! ive not played at the club for long, and i dont participate so much in the social aspect (but no less than any of the other younger players). but what really bothers me is when i was given an opportunity in the club friendly match i was undoubtedly the pick of the bowlers, both in terms of the figures, but also the standard of bowling for anyone watching. yet i then get overlooked for the next 3 or 4 weeks.

hence im going to find another club, and hopefully their ethos will be similar to my own. its probably easy from an outside perspective to interpret my rants as having an attitude problem and thinking im the best player in the world and should just walk into any side. but i really dont, i put in 100% every week, and all i ask is that i get an opportunity. how can i impress when im played to my weaknesses and not my strengths? yesterday i fielded and batted badly, so in the eyes of the captain i had a bad game, therefore im unlikely to get another look in. but had i bowled, maybe id have taken 5 wickets, and then id have been regarded as one of the best performers. you wouldnt put Shane Warne into a side, ask him to open the batting, and then drop him from the side if he gets out for a duck. it is made even worse by the fact that im 100% willing to practice my fielding and batting (and would like to!), but the club just doesnt provide the facilities and opportunities to do so. so whos fault is it that i cant bat or field? there arent any coaches for the adults, and there arent any organised training sessions. most weeks i show up for training, im the only one in the nets, whilst there are 5 or 6 other guys in the bar instead.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I do see where your coming from, and in part you sound like my old housemate.

I am one of those "chunky blokes in the field" however I have over the last 4-5 years developed myself into a rather specialist fielder. Through playing goalie in 5/side football, and my triathlon training, I can often field a hellalot better than most of my peers.
Now that i'm at a new club, with a lot of younger players, I actually enjoy it a lot more, the other players are good in the field, and we are a tight fielding unit. My fielding seems to get me into the 2nd team occasionally when they are in a pinch, sure I may not bowl, but Its a lot more enjoyable when you can see everyone putting in the effort and feel like a team.
(My old club Last year, the average age was around 20 years older , and It was the the extent I could beat most of the others even if they had a 10-20 yard headstart chasing a ball on the ground)
I am also crap at catching. Anything High I tend to think about it, and sometimes I struggle fielding too close on the basis I cannot track the ball fast enough sometimes with my contacts on . . .
So I find I field best on the 1 and am happy to cover large swathes where I have to go running off (eg playing a heavily OFF side field and covering from fine leg through to mid wicket from square leg)

I would say you have a couple of thigns to do
Either buckle up and show them you're working hard on it, and grit your teeth.
If you go looking for another club, they will want to know why you are leaving the first one. You dont want to bee too negative or they will get the wrong impression!

 

[leftnright]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I do see where your coming from, and in part you sound like my old housemate.

I am one of those "chunky blokes in the field" however I have over the last 4-5 years developed myself into a rather specialist fielder. Through playing goalie in 5/side football, and my triathlon training, I can often field a hellalot better than most of my peers.
Now that i'm at a new club, with a lot of younger players, I actually enjoy it a lot more, the other players are good in the field, and we are a tight fielding unit. My fielding seems to get me into the 2nd team occasionally when they are in a pinch, sure I may not bowl, but Its a lot more enjoyable when you can see everyone putting in the effort and feel like a team.
(My old club Last year, the average age was around 20 years older , and It was the the extent I could beat most of the others even if they had a 10-20 yard headstart chasing a ball on the ground)
I am also crap at catching. Anything High I tend to think about it, and sometimes I struggle fielding too close on the basis I cannot track the ball fast enough sometimes with my contacts on . . .
So I find I field best on the 1 and am happy to cover large swathes where I have to go running off (eg playing a heavily OFF side field and covering from fine leg through to mid wicket from square leg)

I would say you have a couple of thigns to do
Either buckle up and show them you're working hard on it, and grit your teeth.
If you go looking for another club, they will want to know why you are leaving the first one. You dont want to bee too negative or they will get the wrong impression!

SteveyD,
I am exactly same as you in fielding cant catch a skier even if my life depended on it... great as a sweeper fielder - wont let a four go by covering a large area.. my skipper makes me stand at fine leg and i pretty much cover the back yard of the field..

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

SteveyD,
I am exactly same as you in fielding cant catch a skier even if my life depended on it... great as a sweeper fielder - wont let a four go by covering a large area.. my skipper makes me stand at fine leg and i pretty much cover the back yard of the field..

Also if you stand at a mid to deep fine leg, you can stop most byes on the off side too! and those annoying edges that go for 4 to 3rd man

 

[Jim2109]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

id say im probably very similar as well here. im not slow across the ground, i always put in a full effort sprint (unless im still catching my breath from the ball before lol), and il always slide or dive to stop a ball on the rope. as ive said, im by no means a lazy fielder, just not a very talented one! i dont lack effort.

i also cant catch that well, especially if it goes high. its definitely a mental thing and not a technical thing, because i can catch very well when there is no pressure on (e.g. warming up), its just as soon as its a match situation i seem to over think things. i also wear contact lenses and they hinder me in tracking the ball. ive actually stopped wearing them for cricket as the improved long range vision is offset by a lack of depth perception. i really struggle to pick up where the ball is when it goes airborne and can then never get into position for a catch. the lack of vision doesnt really hinder me unless the light levels really drop. i find the ball easier to pick up whilst batting without the lenses as well. its not like its so far away that i cant see it coming without them.

my favoured fielding positions are mid-off/on, and square leg, all on the 1. close enough that catches are likely to be flat and not skied. and because youre pretty much on the square the ground is flat, so you dont have to worry too much about the ball popping up off the surface at the last second and making you look stupid.

i hate fielding at cover or point, and i hate fielding in the deep because i have a really weak throw. i like fielding at slip and gully because im better at reflex catches where i dont have time to think, but those positions always go to the least mobile players in the team (which i think is a bit silly) so they dont have to run. the problem is that they cant take acrobatic catches either, so unless its straight into their hands they generally miss them.

after a weekend to reflect im less irritated by not getting a bowl now. and im now really fired up to improve my fielding just to ram the criticisms back down peoples throats. i hate being criticised, but i hate giving people the opportunity to criticise me even more.

i should be playing T20 on wednesday evening, and possibly a sunday game at the weekend as well. so im targetting perfect fielding performances in both. but ultimately if i dont get a bowl il still be pi**ed. fielding isnt fun for me, its just something i have to do in between my bowling. bowling is fun. batting is frustrating. perhaps if i felt like part of the team id enjoy it more, but in my defence, im literally the last name on the team sheet, and even then only if there is no-one else available. and it is without prior justification, and im easily the most dedicated practicer at the club.

im waiting on a response from my village club captain about playing for them. ive spoken to someone who i think is in the club management already and they said anyone is welcome to come along. so its worth a shot, their ground is 3 mins from my house so its far more convenient. i also know a few of the players already as i went to school with them, so i will be less of an outsider so the social aspect should play a lesser part.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Maybe this should be in the fielding bit rather than here, but here's my contribution. I must admit I look around in despair at the younger kids in the teams I play in and just listening in to conversations with kids generally. The paddock where I practice is barely 35 metres x 35 metres and it has two full size goal posts in it 22 yards apart. The kids all play football in there and yet 50 yards away there's a proper football pitch with a surface that is in good condition and flat and yet they don't play there. Guess why? I heard some of them a few days back say when they turned up and saw that I was already in the paddock......
"Oh - that blokes there bowling" They paused and looked.
"Let's go over the big field"?
"Nah - you have to run around on there".

I don't know about you, but as a kid I loved the fact that I could run further and longer and harder than anyone esle and when they were all flailing I was still going. But like everything in this world it seems as they they want all the glory for as little input as possible.

I've got bad feet and calf muscles and I'm 50 years old but in the outfield I can still run faster than most of the 16-18 year olds and still have more stamina than they have!

I still go to ground trying to stop balls with spectacular dives taking the skin off my elbows, knees and hips and other places and I get blokes commenting on my commitment. If I can stop the ball with my body if I can't get my hands on it then so be it - get something in front of it - don't let it pass. Other than that like you I can't catch lofted balls especially deep in the field but a fast ball off the bat at Cover, Short extra cover, Mid-wicket, point and square leg my success rate is far higher taking some spectacular catches. But I do really like fielding - far more than batting - I think it's just an innate hatred of batsmen and the desire to see them back in the sheds at all cost and if I'm involved in their demise then all the better. I just love fielding and the fact that you can demonstrate agility and speed!

With regards the less agile blokes, I reckon they're best off in positions like slips and gully - you've only got to cast your mind back to the ICC world cup in 2007 and Dwayne Leverocks fantastic catch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlQk1y00fvc the other option is wicket keeper, the bigger lads usually do well there too. It's the desire to do well that makes the difference.

 

[TheGreasyPole]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Hi Guys,

I haven't posted ijn a while because I haven't been practising my bowling for a while (moving house and other reasons), but I'm back to practicing a few days a week now either over a concrete court or at my village clubs nets on the weekends after their matches finish just on my own trying to get some cojnsistent accuracy and spin.

Basically, just trying to get back into it again..... bowling very poorly indeed except for short bursts where my body "remembers" again and a I get a good 2-3 overs out landing nicely, which I promptly lose again. I think it's going to take a week or two to get back where I was last Nov. when I stopped.

Being so poor I probably will continue with my original plan of just practising wrist spin for about 5 hours a week as my personal "keep fit" regimin and hope to use those hours of "keep fit" to be good enough and accurate enough by the end of the season/beginning of next to join a team (as my batting and fielding skills are nonexistent I feel I should at least be a half-decent bowler before I rock up).

ANYWAY..... update over.... Seeing as I'm bowling wrist spin regularly again after a 5-6 month layoff I'll probably chip in a bit now and again.

I saw Dave's new video's BTW..... what happenned to the one of Jim bowling to Dave we were promised ? I wanted to see that one..... but all I got was the film of dave bowling......... and the film of Dave hitting the mark relentlessly (infuriatingly so from my still very haphazard and inaccurate perspective !) with his "two wicket" practice. Damn, I wish I could land it consistently as Dave does there. I can.... for a nicely consistent 2 overs in 20.... it's the other 18 overs that are the problem !

Yours,

TGP

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I'll see what I can re the video, you might have to remind me again after the weekend.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Just a quick drive by
Phillpott book arrived today on recommendation from forum
Quick read through first couple of chapters during lunch break looks interesting.
Gonna head down to the nets tonight and try going through the stages


Also have been picked for 2nd's again this weekend, which means another week of fielding and batting at 7 . Hopefully the bowlers will get massacred so I can get a chance to bowl some wrist at them and show a bit of skill. (we have basically got 4 pace bowlers )

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Just a quick drive by
Phillpott book arrived today on recommendation from forum
Quick read through first couple of chapters during lunch break looks interesting.
Gonna head down to the nets tonight and try going through the stages


Also have been picked for 2nd's again this weekend, which means another week of fielding and batting at 7 . Hopefully the bowlers will get massacred so I can get a chance to bowl some wrist at them and show a bit of skill. (we have basically got 4 pace bowlers )

I can feel a fivfor coming on........
With the book take note of the spinning into the body and then the description of the big leg break - it'll be interesting to hear what you make of that?

 

[GoldenArm]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Exciting 20/20 tonight! Went to New Road for Worcs VS Yorkshire and got a double leg spin whammy of Adil Rashid and Steve Smith. Both bowled some pretty good stuff, good figures anyway 36/2 and 32/3. Even though Rashid had the better figures it did look like Smith bowled the better spell of the two. They found him really difficult to get away and a couple of fours came through fielding errors which will have annoyed him. I had a terrible view unfortunately and couldn't get behind the bowlers arm for most of it so no idea how much they were turning it. Not much i should think on a new road wicket. I was surprised by how flat they were bowling though, but then i always think that when i see pro's bowling in the flesh. i know its 20/20 and defensive bowling is the aim but bloody hell give it some air fellas! Great to see 8 overs out of the 40 bowled by leggies though, viva la leg spin!

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I can feel a fivfor coming on........
With the book take note of the spinning into the body and then the description of the big leg break - it'll be interesting to hear what you make of that?

Hah , i'm still a young one in terms of leg spin development. I have leg break, a bigger leg break ( but far less accurate) and a top spinner that is somewhat variable (i struggle for length on it, hvae had people charge down wicket and pull them before )

 

[gundalf7]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

nice to see ur progressing nicely stevey.

been a while since i posted my season so far has been a very mixed bag was going pretty badly but results have improved markedly in recent weeks though i'm still not sure what i'd been doing wrong, lol.

Took my first ever five for a few weeks ago for only 22 runs , so that is one of my season targets achieved. Seem to be getting into really good form atm have finally got the googly to the stage where i'm confident enough to bowl it in matches and did bowl it well in a friendly match i had on monday, took 3-20 from 6 . The accuracy and spin have been there all season though i'm probablly bowling less bad balls now. Have really struggled in the league this year it being my 1st season of league cricket. Only have 5 wickets from 5 games so far really should have had a lot more but all the edges and mishits seem to evade fielders. Got a huge game tomorrow which is the difference between 2nd bottom and mid table for the club tomorrow.

The batting this year really hasn't gone to plan and i've struggled to score any runs in matches and am back at no 11, lol.

 

[macca]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

Took my first ever five for a few weeks ago for only 22 runs ,

They put a fivefor and a ton on the same level these days dont they? So congratulations are in order.

Grimmett took more fivefors in first class cricket than Bradman scored hundreds and they played about the same number of games. Mallett uses this stat to call grimmett the "Bradman of Spin" and arguably the greatest bowler in history.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

0 overs bowled
0 balls faced (in at 11 and other batsman(#6) bowled next ball)
Man of the match awarded to me

Fielding genius apparently to be known as "The Wall" when fielding at short extra cover

 

[gundalf7]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

10 overs 2 maidens 2-45 today ; stumping off the opener who made 70 odd, and one of the middle order caught at mid off from a lofted drive. Had an lbw turned down near the end that hit a leftie who went back to the ball hitting middle stump lower than half way up, can't believe it was turned down even for league umpiring which is notoriously stingy that brought a new high. Make things worse the keeper dropped 2 edges and had 2 in the deep that should have been caught that ppl managed to let through them for 4. "nd spell was really great 1st spell had 3 overs and bowled pies stuggling to hold a sweaty slippy ball.

0 not out off about 20 balls batting for the draw, pretty happy with today after the team managed to go from 100-2 chasing 4 an over to 128-9 damn batsman managed to play on with 5 and a half overs left so left me stranded and 146 all out. Batting wise fairly happy today as its been my defense thats let me down and today i never looked like getting out. Team wise my teams batsmen were shocking as we did have a very strong batting side out today, all the top 10 have scored 50's before against an awful bowling attack so very disappointed in the end, managed to get in for the sunday team tomorrow as well if the weather holds

 

[Spiderlounge]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I finally got to bowl in a league match today. We were on our way to a good win with our opponents 9 wickets down and 120ish runs short of the target, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. In the scorebook it looks absolutely woeful - I bowled 8 wides in the over - but the six fair balls were some of my best ever.

I had an over's warning that I was going to bowl and I worked myself up into a bit of a state, to the point that a couple of balls before the end of the preceding over a catch went down and I was disappointed that the match hadn't ended! So I'm afraid nerves played a big part.

I've still only been bowling leg-breaks (or anything else for that matter) for barely four months so today I was just aiming for the right length, trying to give it a good rip and essentially hoping it would land on a decent line. My length throughout was reasonably good, one hopeless slider-turned-beamer apart, and I gave it some flight and was getting a little bit of drift, and I was getting a healthy but not excessive amount of turn (it was an artificial wicket).

Even some of the wides were in a weird way encouraging, with plenty of turn off some of them, but of the fair deliveries they got a single off one, two were OK and three were absolutely peachy, drifting a little, pitching on a perfect length, just missing off-stump and forcing the batsman to choose between leaving and edging. In the end they just about managed to do neither and I wasn't far off getting that last wicket.

So without wanting to dwell too much on the wides, I was very pleased with the amount of spin I got on the ball, the length and the flight, and I come away knowing that if I can improve my accuracy I could turn into a pretty decent bowler. Several of the guys seemed very impressed with those three balls, and the captain said after that he should have left me on instead of bowling himself - he unfortunately got hit for 16 off his one over!

O 1, M 0, R 9, W 0, wd 8

 

[shrek]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I finally got to bowl in a league match today. We were on our way to a good win with our opponents 9 wickets down and 120ish runs short of the target, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. In the scorebook it looks absolutely woeful - I bowled 8 wides in the over - but the six fair balls were some of my best ever.

O 1, M 0, R 9, W 0, wd 8

Bad game for me personally today, Rain kept threatening all day long and I didn't get a bowl even after our one and a half offies had the other batsmen tying themselves in knots - and we shot them out for 130 off 30 overs. Went in to bat at one drop with score on 2, saw the other opener fall and then got out myself leaving team at 16/3 as a seamer bowled one in the corridor and I thought of letting it go but changed my mind at last moment, inside edging on to my stumps. Thankfully, other guys bailed us out and we got there in 23 over with 4 wickets to spare.

Most interesting bowler to me was an off spinner from the opposition who really seemed to know his stuff( I was umpiring for rest of our innings) He got good revs on ball, got it to drift and loop and bowled a very tight line outside off but they were unable to exert any pressure as other bowlers kept going for runs. There was a leggie in their team who got a set batsmen out stumped as he kept tossing them up with decent revs on the ball. But to me he looked like he was bowling way too slowly and without enough topspim to really trouble batsmen who didnt lose his mind.

Looking forward to the match tomorrow where we face the best spinner in the league one left arm spinner who bowls at a good pace, gets enough revs on it to hear the ball fizz as it passes you and generally gets amazing drift, dip, turn and bounce. But, I think we've got a working plan against him and should negate him as we did to the second best spinner (an offie in the first match). Also hoping that I'll get a bowl tomorrow

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Wrist Spin Bowling (Part Three)

I had an over's warning that I was going to bowl and I worked myself up into a bit of a state, to the point that a couple of balls before the end of the preceding over a catch went down and I was disappointed that the match hadn't ended! So I'm afraid nerves played a big part.

O 1, M 0, R 9, W 0, wd 8

To quote philpott :

It is often assumed that the bowler's action is likely to be the major factor in his achievement or non achievement of accuracy. I question that strongly and suggest that that incorrect concentration techniques and incorrect practise are by far the major causes of innacuracy. When bowlers learn what concentration is and carry out these lessons fully ... ... they rapidly grow in self-confidence. They begin to 'KNOW' where the ball will go rather than 'Expect' or 'Hope'

Confidence / concentration sound like the reason you weren't happy with the bowling. Maybe you should see if you can get a few decent net sessions in bowling against other bowlers (or not so good batsmen) to improve your confidence? Its something that I struggle with as well, and whilst i'm playing in the 2nd XI (out of 3) I won't be bowling for a while unless I can get results in nets. (strangely i have no problem bowling the 1st XI captain repeatedly in nets ) but then nets isn't conjuscive to spin bowler bowling because you tend to be bowling one ball in 4 /5/6 at the batsman and can't build up the innings