Cricket is Painful
What did I say last week?
ah yes…
It’s often said that you can only improve by playing with people better than you, and I agree
Yeah, well, that’s true, and I found today that I’d improved quite a bit over the course of the week, and I played quite well.
Despite the fact that only 10 of us turned up (It turned out that the *main* practice *isn’t* at 8pm on a Tuesday, but at 7pm on a Monday and it *isn’t* at the Armitage, but at Manchester Grammer … directions gratefully recieved) we had a heavily involved two hour session.
Batting : I could see the bowl well and was getting well into my stride padding away the spinner and hitting quite a few of the others. Then two Lancashire U21 players turned up, he softened me up by bowling an off spinner for his first, so I decided to watch the second ball to find out which way he was spinning it (the first one hadn’t moved much and I wasn’t expecting a spin delivery for the first one, to be honest) cue an 80mph ball that went straight through me.
This is when we discovered that he was a lanky u21 player. the three guys bowling at me at that point were him, his mate (slower, but still quick) and another guy who was quick but wayward.
And when I say wayward I mean beamers.
I got hit on the chest by one, still painful, and on the palm by another, also painful. I ducked the most dangerous one!!
Bowling : Of course batting is not my main thing when playing cricket and I found my leggies working a lot better than last week. A good line a good length, and towards the end I upped the speed and spin a little. Got to put all 4 together and they’ll be pretty decent. Still having problems with batsmen who constantly pad them away, or batsmen that come forward (though a nice quicker ball often sends them back into the crease) Going to work on the googlie next, that’s a tough one to master, but once I get that, the flipper and top-spinner in my armory I should be a good bowler. still not good enough to make the uni team, but useful enough to play for a club side… I reckon.
Obviously still alot of rough edges to smooth off (only my second nets session since 1997!) but looking more promising.
I also took control of the session at the end when a few people left (organising the bowlers, the putting of stuff away, the timekeeping and teaching somebody else how to leg-spin (consider this is only my second week doing it!)) I think responsibility suits me. Nah, I *Know* responsibility suits me.
Anyway. that was tonight.
I spent most of the day trying to get the university to pay me. It turns out they’re paying us by cheque, which they don’t have yet. The upshot being I’m not getting paid til next monday at the earliest. Bummer.
Had my demonstration class. Enjoyed it. I like my group of students, they’ve got a good sense of humour about them (gallows at times!).
Got no work done due to the combination of the above.
Met with my supervisor on Monday and had to present some work that my predecessor had done… It turned into more of a discussion after it turned out that Jeff hadn’t given me all the information I needed (there’s no way I could’ve known that too! he was trying to lead me in one direction and I went the other, due to the lacking info!)
so was very busy on Monday. Did nowt in the evening though, after footie (in which I didn’t play too well) I was naq’d so sat down and chatted on my newly installed MSN to people. Alternativeley arranging myself a drummer, and getting PeteG to turn up to the go-karting in November with Lou (yay!)
Have I said what I did on Sunday? I find it unlikely since I did mostly nothing!
and that’s you up to date with me. leave comments.
