Oh yeah, my arm has gone to ■■■■! Even bowling now is an effort, I need at least 2 overs worth of bowling to be able to get through my action at training. I’d rather work on batting. Funnily enough I feel like I’m in the best form with the willow at this age than ever before. That’s the only thing that’s keeping me going, that and winning an elusive senior premiership…
2 Likes
Haha, I hear ya brother. I’m 41 and still keep wicket. All our other keepers have either moved interstate or had babies, so I’m having to train up some new clean slates the basics. To give with the ball and not crocodile snap for it.
Opened the batting yesterday for the first time in years, then kept wicket for 41 overs after we skittled them chasing 174. Our Firsts first win in nearly 12 months, dropping down a grade really needed to happen.
Tuesdays are always the hardest, especially walking down stairs.
2 Likes
I played on Walker Oval yesterday, right next to the zoo. Four ovals there, La Trobe CBD have it on the Sunday now but Parkville (Wombats), Parkville Youlden have a side in the Mercantile and I think the old Royal Park Commie Reds might still play there. Brens, Strawfleld, Walker.
1 Like
Played on Walker No. 2 twice when RMIT used to be in our comp. I think they’re in the NWMCA on hard decks now. That straight boundary towards the zoo is a joke. Regulation mid-on is about 3 parts of the way to the boundary. Watching our normally miserly opening bowler get deposited three times in the opening over into the carpark was amusing, two of them being very agricultural swipes that didn’t deserve going the journey. Our 4s play RPB at Western Oval, that’s a lovely ground, belter of a wicket. The lower grades sometimes get better grounds/tracks than what we do in the 1sts and 2nds. If they play Sunday fixtures from time to time they get 2 umps as well…
does the mercantile cricket association still play games at fawkner park. when i played the caulfield mercantile played there
Absolute postage stamp, There was about a dozen sixes yesterday.
Yeah, a few of it’s clubs are still based at it’s many ovals.
good batting wickets there in the 70’s but no so good for trundlers
Short boundaries a few of the grounds too. Apparently a couple years back they let go of the bloke who had been curating the wickets there for a very long time.
My shoulder has been catcus for years…I had a bad throwing action…more side arm and it has ended up with me not being able to throw over a tin can.
Bowling I have no issues with, can rattle through 20 overs no worries.
1 Like
Ilija Grgic belted me for a couple of sixes when he was a teenager. Pitch had a bit of turn and the ball was pitching middle and off, missing off. He was missing by a mile, so i thought i’d pitch leg or outside trying to hit middle. I didn’t hit middle…he did. I’ve always told people he hit me into the lion enclosure, but in truth it was the opposite direction.
One of my 2 successive centuries there…2/104 on successive Saturdays.
2 Likes
Never change what’s working
Dots build pressure, pressure = batsman making mistakes…
1 Like
Generally i was good at that…but he looked such a blonk that i thought all i needed to do was put the pill on the stumps.
Bit late with the advice though…played my last game in 1997.
Mine was pretty strange too. Used to work well for me but I wish a coach had have pulled me up in my youth. Back in my early thirties I remember I went for a big rip from deep cover and somehow tore my pectorial muscle really badly. Still not sure what happened there, might have already been damaged. It kept getting reinjured for years at seemingly random times which basically meant no big throws during that time.
Hahaha yep just a year or two late
Same here, by the time we got a coach that told me my action was wrong I was done. Bit like you could throw the ball over the bails from deep mid wicket…now it bounces 3 times lol
1 Like
LOL yeah our club has got a batting coach in. Fantastic, coached at a number of Premier cricket clubs. Would’ve been nice if I met him 20 years ago! But still it’s great to get feedback on a few technical things…
1 Like
It’s amazing what a coach can do. We went from a talented club sitting in A2-A3 to one of the best sides in A1.
I have been playing since 98/99 took me 10 plus years to register a 100, i now have 7. A few tips and technical changes and bang
Last year was the first year in 5 that I haven’t made a 100
More hundreds and flags in the last 10 years than any period in our club’s history and we were one of the founding clubs.
1 Like
Lol, yep. And, you can see the look on the bowler’s face who just put 30 seconds into shining the the thing.
Wow, that’s excellent mate. Can see why you still love getting out there.