It's all about practice

In the second of my series of pre-season articles I will focus on how I believe we can improve the standard of play at all levels in the club. The starting point is that Laurelvale and its members have to decide if they are happy competing at the current level or whether they want to progress. Clearly if we want to compete with clubs such as North Down and Waringstown we have to look at what these successful clubs do and then put in place standards which will raise the bar further. This will be a long term process as improvements could take as long as five to ten years to feed through into actual results.

If we decide that we do wish to progress then we need to examine how we can do this. I have already alluded to the need for an improved quality and quantity of practice and the need to develop a strong team spirit and desire to win in my earlier article. It is an approach which we need to foster throughout the club from U11’s right up to the first eleven.

This article will concentrate on how we can improve our practice evenings this season. I can sum my attitude to practice in the following sporting “clichés.”

“Fail to prepare and prepare to fail”

“The more I practice, the luckier I get”

“Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect”

The first issue of the quantity of practice is easily addressed. We had a limited number of indoor pre-season nets and during the summer the senior teams practiced two nights per week and although attendances were good during the early part of the season, these dropped off as the season progressed. The simple questions to ask are - is this is a sufficient amount of practice ? and what commitment  are you prepared to give ? 

The second issue of the quality of practice is more important and more difficult to address. We are in a fortunate position to have a number of qualified coaches and senior players who have competed at the highest level possible in Ireland and so there is wealth of knowledge readily available to hand. These coaches and senior players would only be too happy to assist you in improving your practice and cricket standards. I hope to work with the other coaches to provide a much more structured practice environment next season which should allow players to work on all aspects of their game on an individual basis. I have detailed below some of the key issues which we can concentrate on during practice/nets:

Seam &  Swing Bowlers

• Developing a smooth run up and delivery stride.
• Develop an efficient and safe bowling action.
• Working on ensuring the seam remains in the correct position allowing the ball to swing and/or seam in both directions.
• Obtaining consistency and accuracy in line and length.
• Developing variations – slower ball etc.
• Developing bowling plans.

Spin Bowlers

• Working on creating extra spin and dip in all conditions.
• Developing variations in flight and pace.
• Obtaining consistency and accuracy in line and length.
• Developing bowling plans.

Batsmen

• Developing a comfortable and effective grip, stance and backlift.
• Examining balance and footwork.
• Developing a full range of strokes.
• Working the ball into gaps.
• Running between the wickets.

Fielding

• Working on the basic fielding techniques. – close catching, fielding in the ring, fielding on the boundary.
• Working on speed and agility.
• Developing an understanding of a captain's game plan and your particular fielding job.
• Concentration for fifty overs.

Coaches can only give you the tools to improve your games but the quality of your practice is dependent on your own personal attitude. No coach can make a player practice with the correct focus and intensity. It is up to the individual to make a conscious decision to improve their own game through practice. Don’t expect the coach to come to you to offer advice. Show willing and approach the coaches or senior players about aspects of your game you wish to work on. 

I would like to receive feedback from you on this article. Please email with your opinions, questions or comments at btopping@utvinternet.com .

Do club members want to take their cricket this seriously?
How much time can you commit ?
Are there aspects of your game you need help with ?
Can you help out with coaching ?
Any general comments/suggestions ?

30 January 2008

A first impression

Last season was my first at Laurelvale Cricket Club after having been away from the game for nearly 9 years. My previous cricketing experience was with Lisburn Cricket Club, having played continuously in the first eleven between 1987 and 1998 as a wicketkeeper/opening batsman. I was delighted when Charles McCrum asked me to come and play at Laurelvale and I thoroughly enjoyed last season despite the poor weather and my own poor batting form.

As a relatively new member, I thought my first blog would be to give you an "outsiders" first impression of the club. In my opinion Laurelvale Cricket Club has a great many strengths which could be utilised to make the club one of the best in the NCU.

I have been greatly impressed by the commitment and dedication of the office bearers in running the club effectively and managing club finances. Tom Irwin, Harold McCrory, Adrian Campbell, David Willis, Reggie Thompson, Bob McMahon and Roberta Jelly all put in sterling work to keep the club going for the benefit of all the members. I am sure this is not a complete list of all the major contributors so if I have missed anybody's name, please accept my apologies.

The ground and pitches are superbly maintained by Colin Grant and his helpers and to my mind this would be a major selling point when trying to attract new players to the club as there is nothing better than playing on a good outfield and flat pitches with a bit of pace and bounce.

On the playing side, I feel we underperformed by finishing in the middle of Section 2. We are lucky to have three ex-Irish internationals playing in the side (Charles McCrum, Paul McCrum and Noel Nelson) together with the experience of Wayne Pearson. Any young cricketer playing could learn and develop their game very quickly with guidance from these individuals. Although the end of season stats did not show it, I believe we also have a very talented group of young players in the first team squad who could easily compete at a higher level.

The Second and Third Elevens were well managed and captained by Wesley Best and Denver Pearson last season both of whom are committed to developing the underage players at the club. The club hope to put both Wesley and Denver through the level 1 ECB Coaching Qualification before the start of next season.

Wesley, Denver, myself and the new overseas player will be planning and running coaching sessions for our underage players next year. I see this as crucial to the long term success of the club and intend working with the U11's, u13's and u15's to produce players capable of competing in Section 1 in 5/6 years time. Hopefully we can also attract new young players by providing excellent coaching.

In the shorter term, I believe the current first team squad also has the ability to perform at a higher level. One of the reasons that we underperfomed last year was that attendance at practices from most of the first eleven squad was poor. Perhaps this can be put down the poor weather and limited practice facilities.

Next season, I will be working towards ensuring that players can get more net batting practice and coaching from the senior players/coaches. Bowlers will not be required to "overbowl" in the net and again should be able to benefit from one to one coaching. This aim behind this is to make our practices more enjoyable and focused.

In addition to an improved quantity and quality of practice, we need to develop a strong team spirit and desire to win every match. If we do this, I see no reason why Laurelvale cannot push for promotion in the coming season. I will return to this issue in future blogs.

5 January 2008