Local Cricket 2017/18

Oh ■■■■ really?

I think it’s a CA thing - this is from their Rules and Regulations:

Helmets

Players should not be allowed to bat, field within 10m of the bat or wicket-keep up to the stumps, during a match or at practice where a hard ball is being used, without wearing a cricket helmet with a face guard.

If this is made mandatory in our comp - I will retire.

White Hills. Played on the weekend in the 2nds got flogged by golden square

I hate it. I haven’t worn one keeping since I was 13. I know the VTCA are against the rule.

I’ve never worn one while keeping - and last year was the first year I wore one batting since I was 16.

I don’t suffer from claustrophobia, but I genuinely can’t wear a cricket helmet without feeling that way. I’m 35 years old - I don’t have much left in me anyway, so I reckon I’ll just give it away.

I have started wearing one as I get older. The reflexes are slowing down. In saying that there aren’t too many bowlers quick enough to worry me in B1 Turf (I say after Day 1 of Round 1 lol)

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I’m 26 so not quite ready to hang up the gloves. I’m a bit the same. Not claustrophobic but just feel uncomfortable and restricted when wearing one

Nice club White Hills, lovely ground to watch also.

Yeah the boys have been great. Made me feel really welcome. It helps having moved up not knowing anyone.

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Plenty of cricket left in you
I’m 37 and plan on playing for another 10 years
Missing a couple premierships that I want to win

That book was a great read.

Also Results Vault has now morphed into what is MyCricket which is used by Cricket Australia as the standard system for collating results. A great tool. Most of my club career is on there except for a few years when Premier Cricket decided to try and develop their own platform. Unfortunately those were my best years! 40 plus wickets and 200 runs and no real record.

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I’ve never worn a helmet while keeping. I don’t wear one while batting either.

I’m 41 and when I played juniors wearing a helmet wasn’t compulsory. The grade I’m playing now there isn’t any bowling quick enough. The reflexes are still ok.

If our league made wearing one compulsory while batting I’d probably give it away.

Of course there is - and it’s the lure of premierships that keep me going. But… I’d rather go camping around Bright with my wife and kids than being concerned about run rate required and wickets in hand with 10 other blokes on a 43 degree day in Tallangatta.

I top edged a sweep into my grill once. Glad it was there for that one moment that will probably never happen again.

But if people don’t want to wear a helmet, they shouldn’t be forced to do so.

If it’s not on ResultsVault, it didn’t happen…except for my career of course, which was recorded (amongst the other 800 blokes who played there in my time) in the famous literary masterpiece, The Hunters.

I played from 1973 to 1997, so the internet wasn’t really a thing. If you took 3 wickets or made 25, you got mentioned in the Moorabbin Standard. 11 times one season, 8 for bowling, 3 batting. Pretty pox level of cricket I was playing though.

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I hear ya, hopefully I snag a B Grade flag in the next few years and then retire from “2day” cricket and just play 1 dayers every second weekend

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Haha I’m 34 myself. I feel like I’m getting better (or at the least knowing my game better) the older I get. I reckon a flag may see me out though, that’s what I’m playing for really, and obviously the love of the game is still there.

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I’m being very selfish
B and C Grade flags give me a flag in each grade
A through to E grade

Yep, South Yarra. Considering how big a club they are, they’ve got 6-8 teams, good facilities at Como Park, including an elevator in their Art Deco pavilion and always put on great spreads - they seem to be a friendly club. Some clubs just attract knobs, birds of a feather, often bigger one’s but not them and not Burnley either in the Mercantile.

Haigh gave a great speech at an MCA dinner years ago. He really made some of the stiffs and blazers squirm with his eloquently blue references. We’re a newish, more social type club where having a sense of humour is considered highest priority, Haigh seemed to get us.

A few season back James Sutherland captained a development team as part of a larger club of highly talented text book taught kids 13-17yo’s, a few might make district level and perhaps domestic if they stick to it. It made for some very interesting interactions between us and some of their cockier young bucks. To his credit he never complained about them getting bounced or sledged, part of the education.

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Copped a top edge just off cheek, missed the the jaw, skimmed the cheek from a bloke bowling sharpish darts whilst keeping. No damage. Used to keep up occasionally to some of the medium pacers on occasion without helmet. Haven’t kept up without a helmet for a couple years now, I’m 40, don’t want to replace teeth. Just forced myself to get used to it. Pretty jack of keeping too for our firsts, prefer to bat higher in our seconds and field.

Keeper shortage at the club…

The only time I’ve ever batted without a lid, was playing 3s at Lilydale, near 40 degrees, past 50 and no scary quicks in their line-up. Decided to go with the baggy cap, proceeded to top edge a sweep from a spinner into my own chin. Scar still remains today! #Karma

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