Time in the Middle

Its been a tough start to the cricket season. Up and down weather, a lot of organising and running around and a very poor start with the bat, not just from me, but from the whole team has meant we have yet to get a win on the board. Its a very different scenario from last year, where we had 2 wins on the opening weekend of the season, with our opening batsman (not me!) averaging 199 from that weekend. In the first weekend of this season, he averaged 8.

But this is not just his fault. The whole batting line up has been fraught with cracks and lack of technique since the start of the season, and the fact of the matter is, you cannot win cricket matches if you don't score runs. On the first weekend of the season - last weekend - we got scores of 92 and 105 as a team. We lost them both by (a bucket full) of runs and 9 wickets respectively. I, amongst everyone else, wondered if we had suddenly lost our spark.

This weekend, we had a free week on Saturdays. Instead of moping around at home, I offered my services for another team, and after a heavy Friday night at a party in Flitwick, found myself in the back of a posh Audi on the way to Huntingdon. With news that the forecast didn't look good, I braced myself for a cold day in the field, as I found out we were bowling first. The best moment of the day was finding out that I was playing in the same side as a Pakistani music sensation. Najam Sheraz sold 300,000 copies of his first album worldwide, and in his native country, he is a national superstar. I overheard someone describe him as, "Pakistan's Elton John". It just so happened, that our opposition was full to the brim with Pakistanis, who clustered round him wanting a photograph and his autograph and to shake hands. Sure enough, after 37 overs of on and off fielding in between heavy rain showers, the game was called off after a hailstorm. I spent the time running from one boundary to the other, but despite being exceptionally tired, I wanted to do it. If anything, it was good fitness work, and I proved my fielding ability by pulling off a full length dive on the boundary to stop a powerful and almost certain four. I got a high-five from the music star aswell!

When I got home at roughly 7pm, I lasted a full hour before collapsing on my bed and falling asleep instantly. It was the first time in 6 weeks I had not been "out on the town" on a Saturday night. Proof that, as I approach the age of 22, I am as much a party animal as ever! It is true, I do like a drink or 8 on a weekend evening, as I'm of the firm belief that I won't be able to do it as much in 10 years time! They are the only opportunities I get to let loose, and with the disposable income I have, I can get away with it. But frankly, after about 3.5 hours sleep and a day in the field on a cold, rainy day, there was no chance I was making it 7 weeks in a row!

Thanks to my mammoth sleep, I was awake at 9 to make my way to Bedford CC to begin preparations for the afternoon. With a lot of people missing, I was opening batsman, captain and official tea man! I spent a lot of the morning preparing the food for the mid-match interval that afternoon until I found out the forecast, and feared I had spent my money on nothing.

As the match came, I lost the toss (of course), and we were put into bat. We didn't have the strongest of batting orders, with a long tail, and with our batting performances of late, (including the friendlies), it was imperative that those of us at the top of the order protected our wickets as if they were our own Mothers. Some of us took this a bit too far...

Ok, now... My own personal performances of late haven't been too good, and that's mainly because I've thrown my own wicket away with a stupid shot and lack of patience. Patience was certainly something I was not lacking today! After 20 overs, (at the drinks break), we were 40-0. My fellow opening batsman, TK, was on 27. I was on 6. 6 runs off 20 overs. For those of you who are well clued up on cricket, you'd know that is positively Geoffrey Boycott-esque. For those of you who are not - I batted at the literal pace of a snail. I spent the first half of our innings leaving and blocking and defending. I figured that, if the rain was going to come down torrentially, then I might aswell spend the remaining time out in the middle trying to find some form, and trying to find the middle of the bat.

After the drinks break, in which I doubled my score in the space of 2 balls, we decided that we needed to start getting a move on, which was the point I got out. I don't do attacking very well, (as you can tell!), and I edged one to slip after trying a big mow down the ground. We finished on 157-5, in the pouring rain - certainly a better effort than of recent times.

In short, we lost. Sure, my teas were not wasted in the end, but we still went down by 5 wickets. We lacked quality with the bowling and fielding, and although there was a point where we could have kicked on with a couple more quick wickets, we ultimately fell short. Never mind.

It's my birthday next Monday! After this week, (another 6 day week - although there are a couple of half days thrown in there), I have a week off! Woohoo!

Until then, I will continue to plough on. I wrote a blog at the end of Friday night also... Admittedly in an intoxicated state, however, I do think its one of my best ever pieces. However, I will not be publishing it. I wrote it specifically for one young man, and I will show him it soon. People say I am too open and honest on this blog of mine, especially to publish on social media, but even I will not be making that step this time...