Inherently Reliable Technique

Read this brilliant article on wicketkeeping. It's superb. However, I would challenge one thing: 

"Russell's, approach will work more often; Rossington's will look better but work fewer times."

The point of contention is not about the method itself, but the underlying assumption that a classical technique is inherently more reliable.

I don't think that is true.

I don't have any stats on this, but I do know that people move differently and track ball movement differently. For some, staying still and leading with the hands is far more natural feeling than feet first classical style.

For these people, the flashier method is also the most reliable.

Then we also know that people have an eye-tracking preference. For a keeper standing up to a right handed batsman this means:

• A "right eye" keeper will be more comfortable moving earlier to try and get to pick up the ball on the leg side
• A "left eye" keeper will be more comfortable staying on the off side longer and relying on hands instead of feet.

Bottom line is this: There is no inherently more reliable technique: Only a technique that suits your personal body and mind preferences.

I like my keepers to have a go at every way and see what feels more right, but also be able to do the other way at least a bit. Just in case. 

Training Notes: The Balancing Act of Pressure

This week's training theme was "pressure". Results were mixed, but overall encouraging.

The balancing act here was to put people under more pressure without disengagement. Last time I tried to do this, the response we largely negative: Passive rejection of trying the game or perhaps even outright defiance. This time I set up a game with a lighter touch and gave people room decide for themselves.

I framed the game in a different context by saying it was an opportunity to learn natural response to pressure and develop a way of dealing with it. The idea was to give players an insight into their own mind from which they can learn.

The game itself was a simple incentive. Bat for 15 minutes without getting out and you get five extra minutes (an idea from Millfield School Head of Cricket, Mark Garaway). The players batted in pairs to add running to the mix. Running raises the heart rate, which is a quick way to feel under pressure.

I'm not sure how much it was coincidence and how much it was a lack of desire to feel pressure, but we had four players drop out once I explained the game in the team WhatsApp group!

The results were good. Everyone batted with focus and there were no strops. One player misunderstood the game and almost blew up when he was out first ball. Then he realised his net wasn't over and calmed down. Then after his net he said "we should play 'out means out' sometime too". Nice.

Naturally, I have no way of monitoring the success of the drill in teaching a calm response to pressure. That's down to how the guys reflect on the drill. However, from observations I saw people batting and bowling with more overall focus. So, I was pleased that the guys seemed to be taking the opportunity.

The next night was a more traditional net that is supposed to be run by our Development captain. I'm always there which means he tends to default to letting me run the session.

As a result I sort of plan something and then let the guys get on with it. This time I asked them to decide for themselves about raising heart rate. I suspected the results would be a passive ignoring of it. I was right. Nobody did anything except bat and bowl.

I now realise how important the balancing act is between setting up games and allowing self-management. Get it wrong and the goal is not met. Get it right and you have a chance for learning.

Last year I would have got frustrated at the player's lack of ambition to be self-reliant. This year I know that you need a bit of structure to allow self-reliance, as group-think and peer pressure seems to kill it unless you force it just a little.

I also think drills work better if I make it clear there is a single intention that is behind the drill. Even if someone doesn't like or appreciate it, they can buy into trying it once. 

Develop Skill in Context

Eddie Jones; 

"You have to develop skill in context. That means practising at high intensity under significant pressure."

I don't agree. 

Intensity and pressure are two factors crucial to skill. It's useless being able to play a perfect cover drive in the mirror at home but missing every one when you do it in a match. Yet, these element are at the top of a list that includes: 

• Basic understanding of the need to improve, and a desire to risk failure to do it. 
• Basic understanding of the skill itself, and how you perform it with individual differences.
• Understanding of other ways to perform a skill. 
• Tactical know-how.
• Confidence in your ability to perform skills.
• Having resilience when things don't go your way.

If you introduce more intensity and pressure too early, you risk losing people who have not yet developed these areas enough. They are likely to see training as a test they are failing rather than an environment that encourages growth.

I image for Jones, most of his players are well developed in these areas, so he is right in his ideas for the group he coaches. I'd also say for most cricket coaches - even at senior level - there is work to be done to develop other areas first before pressure is added.

That said, I am going to run a session that is higher on intensity and pressure this week, even though I think some of the guys may react poorly to it. I am going to put it into the context that the session is deliberately high pressure and unfair. The test will be made clear: Your response to pressure will reveal how you respond to in in actual games, so learn from it. 

I'll see how it goes!

Training Notes: Boundaries and Mindsets

​A few more sessions in and I can say with honesty that I am encouraged by my new approach this year.

I feel less resistance from players and feedback has been positive. Most players get the general principles of a growth mindset. Those who are more resistant enagage in interesting discussions with me as we navigate a way through. All positive signs.

Additionally, turnout and volume is increasing. We had a session with over 700 balls bowled this past week!

The most recent theme at the sessions was "Boundaries" and, as you can imagine, people bought into that with gusto. I had players choose their own interpretation of this, based on focusing on one thing in their learning edge, Most people worked on hitting harder in their best scoring areas. Some preferred to play a more cautious game of dot or boundary. Bowlers chatted to each other about tactics and lots of yorkers were bowled.

Only two people didn't buy in. One went on the bowling machine and spent 40 minutes playing straight and mostly defensively. Another was a young lad who got frustrated with the way he was playing and gave up saying "I'm just rubbish now, I used to be good." Classic fixed mindsets from both. However, these are exceptions rather than rules.

I think the biggest surprise for players in this shift is the realisation that they can improve. Several guys have said something like "I'm too set in my ways to change", but then gone about a session with a specific goal to improve something about their game. Most people, rather than resist a growth mindset, have embraced the idea that they have more in them. Even if the more is just being the best version of you that you can be.

As a result of a strong focus on mindset, I have only done one team net based game so far. That one went well, but I am conscious of not letting a score encourage a fixed mindset. While tracking is important, I have quietly let PitchVision do that while players often focus on experimenting with different things in nets to find out what works.

Cricket nets in Glasgow at West of Scotland CC. PitchVision video analysis is seen in action. 

When someone is experimenting, I throw away the PitchVision data. When someone is specifically trying to improve their strengths, I use the data to help.

In the coming weeks, I will look again at the odd game where scores are kept, reminding people that the score isn't the important part, but it's good to check in with your progress in a quantified way from time to time.

I am also about to send out a update on bowling accuracy and pace to see the responses.

Otherwise, it's back to a couple more weeks of mindset-focused nets before a full month of fielding practice in March.

Good Coaching Gives Room for Autonomy

'...good coaching does not take away autonomy. If you doubt this, then ask yourself “Why does the average teenage boy play 17 hours of video games a week?” A big part of that why is there is no one standing over his shoulder critiquing every move, and demanding that he entertain them. Would it be helpful to have your boss stand over your shoulder and critique everything you do at work? No? Then why do we think it helps our young athletes?'

John O'Sullivan writing about why kids quit sport.  

This ties in with my philosophy of coaching too. I believe cricketers of all ages, abilities and skill levels need to work things out for themselves for three reasons:

1. It's the best way to learn something (it takes longer, but sticks firmer) .
2. It develops a growth mindset (you learn you can do it for yourself) .
3. It's way more enjoyable (play at something, think it through and solve it yourself).

The computer game analogy is a good one. I enjoy the occasional foray into the space combat game Elite: Dangerous. I get the most satisfaction from playing when I am challenged enough to have to work something out. I get the least satisfaction from doing something well within my skill level that is easy. If someone was to stand over me and tell me every move, I would not be engaged with the game and I would play it less. I my mind, cricket is the same, just "in real life".

Training Notes: Rotate the Strike

The last few sessions have kept a focus up on rotating the strike. We did this with a game first shown to me by good coaching pal, Sam Lavery.

The game work well and we tracked performance on PitchVision. Everyone bought into the idea. They were trying new shots and working out the best way to play balls into different areas. Some stuff worked brilliantly (one guy hit 40% of his shots into gaps), other stuff was a total failure. There were some complaints about it not being ideal, but I took the opportunity to ask how we could make it better next time.

Speaking of taking opportunities, I continued to bang the mindset drum at every chance:

• A player showed concern at facing bowlers who were too good for him. I asked him what would the opportunity be for success in that situation. H challenged me and I challenged him back. It was a great discussion.
• One player brought up his desire to warm up with football before games in the summer. I'm against football as a warm up as I have seen it go wrong too often. However, I have opened my mind to other ideas and so challenged the player to come up with a solution that everyone can be happy with, rather than just refusing to join in other games that I select (like he did last year).
• A player fed back to me that after one net he lost focus and starting swinging at balls. He wasn't happy with himself. I asked him what he could do to next time and we had a good chat about his options when he recognises the urge again.
• Another player had a similar experience but reacted differently. He came out of the strike rotation net and said "I didn't play the game". This is classic fixed mindset, defending his ego because he felt he didn't do well. I tried to refocus him on what he could learn from the experience. I don't think it quite sunk in, but he was certainly saying by the end of the chat that he doesn't want to be "one of those guys who thinks they can't learn anything."

Now, I don't want every net to turn into an experiment as we also need to nail down the basics of what works well. For batsman that's still a reliable drive and pull shot with nothing fancy. For bowlers that's still hitting the top of off stump with the odd yorker or slower ball/googly/arm ball thrown in. But I feel most of the time, players will naturally gravitate to doing this and just need focus to make sure it gets hammered home.

I need to ask questions like, can you drive well every time? If not, how can we make it better, if so how can we make it harder? I need to push those guys to their learning edge at every chance.

In some ways, bowling is easier on this as we have the accuracy stat. Accuracy gets lots and lots of wickets, so by hitting off stump you will do well in club cricket. All bowlers will work hard on this stat (measured by PVC of course).

Currently things are looking solid. We have two guys topping 50% (exceptional) accuracy and several in the 40s. This doesn't even include our opening bowler who is working away at the moment but is usually one of the more accurate.

The danger is people using the numbers as proof of ability not benchmarks for improvement. I am keeping my eyes peeled there.

Honesty in Coaching

Honesty is a complex thing, but when truth is told and heard in the right way, its powerful. Here's an example from a coach,

 

He let me talk (at least through my sobs), and then he let me listen. He was honest. He told me that I wasn’t ready. I was too weak... when it mattered the most, I didn’t work hard enough in the offseason, but he told me that I had potential, and asked me to stick with it.

I finished the season, despite a lack of playing time, and worked hard that summer. The next year, I played in every single game. I was awarded Honorable Mention All-Conference, and our team made it to the substate regional final.

The following year, I was a senior captain and starter. After the best athletic season I have ever participated in , my team made it to the first state tournament since the 1960s. I was again an All-Conference selection. My senior year laid the foundation for a 2010 team that would win its first state title.

What would have happened if my parents sent Coach P an email demanding to know why I wasn’t playing? What would have happened if they let me quit without having a conversation with him? My parents have taught me more things than I could ever count, but one of the most important things was to fight my own battles, and never give up.

Mindset Notes: We Should Win

"We should win every game next season"

That's what one of our stronger minded players said to me the other day. And I disagreed totally. Of course, I agree that winning every game would be a brilliant outcome. The problem is that reality is rarely so kind as to follow the most desirable course of events.

What if we get a couple of key injuries, feel rusty and play below our best in the first game of the season and lose? That's the entire plan for the year out of the window in April.

Let's go the other way and say we win the first eight matches. We are on top of our game. We are steam-rollering everyone. Then we come up against a pro who is on fire. We play hard, fight toe to toe and are vanquished in the last over in a game of incredibly high standards.

The plan to win every game is gone again. This time, through no lack of effort or ability from West, but an epic battle that went all the way.

For me, it's the word "should" that is the problem.

As soon as we say "should" we compare ourselves to other team's talents.

Comparison based on talent is a fixed mindset. We expect to win because we are better. Any loss is down to your innate ability as a cricket team.

And even a moment of thought about this makes you realise that is not how the world works.

The best team doesn't always win the match.

Worse than that, failure hits you hard. Really hard.

You can't understand why you lost (because you "should" have won) so you start making excuses. You blame yourself and look to change clubs or quit the game. You blame others and start pointing fingers. You blame the weather, the pitch, the outfield or the time of year. Anything, as long as it's not that you are not as good as you thought you were.

So, I want to say,

"Remember, when we strive to play our best we always succeed."

The achievement might well be the same (winnning every game) but this is not just rephrasing the same sentiment. It's a totally different mindset and team culture.

In this culture, winning is important but it's not the ultimate indicator of success. Winning or losing is not the direct result of how good a team is. So why set yourself a goal that you don't control?

The better aim is to work as hard as possible to improve and be as good as you can.

That means doing things within your control to be your best. It means focusing on the things you can control. It means admitting what went wrong if you lose and learning from to come back stronger.

It means focusing on improving, not proving.

We know from research that team cultures based on personal and team growth increase the chance of success over cultures based on fixed mindsets. So even if your only aim is to win every game, doing it from a growth culture is still more effective.

It's a no-brainer.

Drop the "should" and focus on things that work: effort, determination, focus and constant improvement.

Training Notes: An Early Start and Mindset Focus

We have had two rounds of training as I write this and things are off to a totally different start to last year. It's still too cold for cricket, even indoors, but we started earlier and with a different focus.

As I probably mentioned, we are setting out indoor training differently:

• An hour a week for 6-12 year olds.
• An hour a week for 13-15 year olds.
• Three hour long small group (3-6) session of seniors.
• A two hour session for 16 plus juniors and Development players.

And I am running one to one sessions by request.

With each session I have come up with a theme to give some focus. It seems to be working well with people taking up the cause.

Turnout has been reasonable. Numbers are still somewhat lower than ideal, with notable people missing. However, I have seen about a dozen juniors and roughly 20 seniors at various sessions. I am also doing six regular one to one sessions a week (up by three from last year). Two new players have joined. This is predictable for the time of year (sessions have started several weeks earlier than last year). I will continue to press people to come along, but also be aware that the nets can only reasonably hold about 10 people. And that's crowded!

The juniors have had one session and the theme ("Do Your Best to be Your Best") worked very well for the older kids. There was the usual shenanigans of course, but it was far more focused than usual. The younger ones are just happy to have a bat in hand and I want to encourage that "play" element as much as possible.

The small groups have been super-focused. The first week was my push for a shift in mindset, the second was a specific focus on strike rotation. In both cases I did not play any score keeping games and kept the focus on approaching nets with a "plan-act-reflect" process rather than having a hit.

I have not given up on keeping scores, and I think people are more open to monitoring as well. It's just my focus is on building a growth mindset and sometimes a challenge or scorekeeping can encourage a fixed mindset. So, I will bring these things in carefully at a later stage. Of course, we are still tracking bowling with PitchVision.

This has been a big shift for me from last year but I sense it has gone well. People are more focused on the mindset when they don't worry about games. That said, they have bought into using PitchVision so well that some are asking me how to run the software (last year only one person was interested in that, this year it's been four already).

We have also had the addition of two new coaches.

Both are currently players and both are keen to make an impact as coaches on the senior teams. One has become Development captain and so has fallen into a role of running the Development nets. He still has plenty to learn (as we all do), but he enthusiasm is well directed and I have already felt confident in letting him run sessions. This will grown his confidence and takes pressure off me in that I don't have to do it all!

As sessions get busier and more intense it will be a challenge to keep players engaged and in the right mindset. It's hard to measure this, but I will monitor it by conversations with players, and watching reactions (to thing like errors, focus, choice of goals, skipping training, and dodging hard work).

Switch Hit 🏆

Until yesterday, I had never coached anyone to play a switch hit. That run is over, so I thought I would explain it a little.

Coaching club players means "fancy" shots are a long way down the list compared with building a serviceable drive, cut and pull. The switch hit is the most fancy of them all. Created by KP, who is king of show-off batsmen, the shot is risky and has a low pay off because you hit the ball into a well covered area.

So why did I coach it today?

It was a hunch.

The batsman in question is very right handed, using his right hand for most of his control over shots, and looks like he tracks the ball with his right eye. He ends up squaring up a lot in his drives, but still hits the ball well from an open position, even through the off side.

Purists might criticise his batting for this, but I didn't want to break his natural inclination, so focused on getting him to align his body to the right line and focus on stepping forward so his weight transferred into the ball.

In other words, I left alone his tendency to stay open.

One session in passing I said that if I was coaching him as a kid I would try him batting left handed as his dominant hand and eye would be on the other side and he could hit the ball better. We laughed at the thought and moved on.

Then I realised something.

It might be too late to teach him left handed batting, but why not try some left handed shots?

The easy swipe of the switch hit seemed like the obvious thing to try.

And so, as it was out last session before a break we tried it!

Here's what we did:

• 30 minute of working on right handed footwork with drills and sidearm
• 10 minutes of underarms with him batting left handed and trying the switch hit, sweep left handed and drive left handed.
• 20 minutes of switch hitting against the bowling machine at 47 mph on a good length.

It went well. He nailed the switch hit, the left handed sweep and a left handed cover drive with no issues against underarms. That was a good start considering he's never batted left handed before and is self confessed "not very good" at pulling or sweeping.

On the machine, he was hitting 8 from 10 well almost right away.

We made a slight change to how he changed position (early hand switch first then spin round to bat left handed) and his timing improved too.

Then I found a weak point, aiming the ball slightly fuller at off stump. He struggled more to make a good contact.

It was certainly an experiment where I was learning as much as he was, we got a lot from the session:

1. He is reliably decent left handed.

2. He's is a naturally defensive batsman and this gives him another surprise attacking option.

3. It demonstrates how his right hand controls the shot.

4. It gives him the lead in working out the best way to do it, but I am there to guide with drills and suggestions.

Also we had fun!

Will he ever use it in a game? It's too early to say. It takes a lot of guts and self-confidence as a batsman to reel out a shot like that. If you get it wrong in a game you would look a fool. And he is not most confident player ever anyway.

I think he has the potential to use at least the switch hit and perhaps the left handed sweep in a real game. He just needs a bit more work to feel consistent.

But even if he never uses it, I'm trying to establish in him that he can play attacking cricket and have confidence in his technique to play shots reliably. If he feels he can switch hit he will feel like a genius and that will leak into other parts of his game.

That's my plan, anyway!

Coaching Philosophy

This time of year, I often turn my mind to the big picture of my coaching. As one of the players I coach is fond of saying; what is action without reflection?

I've decided it's about time I built a philosophy to overarching all my coaching. I've always had a vague idea of "helping people get better at cricket, because they can". This year has taught me a lot more, so I am starting to formulate some pillars that I can thread through the way I coach and the influence I have on the team.

Heres my first draft.

My philosophy as cricket coach

To give cricketers the opportunity to develop into the best they can be as a player and as a person.

• Mindset: Building a team culture based on trust and a growth mindset. Expecting the highest standards of effort and behaviour, and challenging players to meet these standards.
• Goals: Using data and coaching to build plans based on individual goals. Measuring the success of these goals. Using these measurements as a driver for more enjoyment, skill and determination.
• Coaching: Creating training that takes players onto the learning edge and allows them to think for themselves. Coaching by questioning, observing and collaborating. Giving honest, constructive feedback based on player's and team goals.

I'm not totally happy with this. Questions I ask myself are things like,

• What do I mean by culture of trust and growth, and how do I do that?
• Is there more to coaching than questions?
• Is there enough cricket in it, or is it a bit too high-falutin'?
• How do I present this to players (if at all) and how will individuals respond? Is there anything I can do about negative views or actions from this exercise?

I certainly believe in this as a both a philosophy and a practical approach to coaching. I just need to clarify things further in my mind. More reflection to come, I'm sure.

The Learning Edge

Jeff Mitchell - The Learning Edge

“Your learning edge is located just above your competency zone – just inside your anxiety zone. Here is where the greatest learning occurs, as you are challenged by a task that is just outside your competency level. You can expect to make a lot of mistakes as the task is just beyond your capability. You are able to maintain your composure, rather than shutting down as you would further into the anxiety zone, due to the task being only just inside this zone. This means that you are able to make use of your mistakes, which provide great learning opportunities. ”

Put this in a cricket growth mindset context.

For players I can ask things like, does going into nets push you to your learning edge? If it doesn't, how can you get there?

If the coach asks you to do a drill that is challenging but possible, are you worried about making mistakes or feeling challenged by the opportunity to learn.

As a coach, I can ask myself if I am pushing guys too far into the anxiety zone, or not pushing them enough and leaving them in the comfort zone? I see players working hard who never leave that zone and if we are to expect higher standards I need to push this hard.

Fixed Mindset Behaviours

Yesterday I wrote about the fixed mindset, and as I was putting my plan together for 2017, I found I had made a list of all the things that happened last year that seemed to come from a fixed mindest.

Oddly, almost every negative thing I could think of tied in. And every one could have been avoided with a growth mindset.

It's not just players either, there are a few in there from me!

So, to remind myself to be on high alert for fixed mindset thoughts and actions, I'm keeping this list here. Maybe it will help you too.

Fixed mindset behaviours

• Skip training because the surface is different indoors.
• Skip training because you secretly don't want to show yourself up.
• Skip training because you are too good to face third team bowlers.
• Claiming you are the best.
• Come to nets to "just hit balls".
• Finding ways avoid helping anyone else with drills or clearing up because you don't want to waste your precious training time.
• Complaining about being treated unfairly.
• Come to nets to hit half volleys on the machine for 20 minutes.
• Refusing to take part in a middle practice because "it won't do any good". 
• Getting cross because someone is getting more time batting in nets or batting higher up the order than you, and that's unfair.
• Never trying anything new or challenging because you think you might look silly or have someone take the mickey out of you.
• Assuming you should bat or bowl where and how you want because you know your ability the best and shouldn't need to change.
• Dodge fielding practice when it looks difficult because you might mess up the drill.
• Thinking that revealing you have some weaknesses is a sign of lack of ability.
• Not warming up because you might get injured and it doesn't help your game.
• Let others get away with doing their own thing that is counter-productive to the environment just because you want everyone to be self-sufficient.
• Ignoring negative behaviour because the only method of recourse was old-fashioned discipline.

My answer to all of these now is going to be some variation of "what's the opportunity to grow here?"

Let's see how it goes.

Training Notes: Lessons from Autumn Training

The 2016 autumn sessions have nearly finished, and as Christmas approaches, it's a good time to reflect on them.

As I said before, these are a very different structure and so have resulted in some positives and negatives.

First the areas that need work,

• Although we had more people come through, attendance was not as regular. There were a few faces there most weeks and some who barely came at all.
• Some people vanish for the winter. One one hand it's good they let me know they are not interested in cricket until spring has sprung. On the other hand, it's a source of frustration.
• My "hands off" style often lead to a lack of direction from some players. In younger players this often lead to distracting each other and senior players.
• Even with small groups, there were times when things didn't match up and players were not quite getting what they wanted from a session.

I have decided one simple way to get this aligned is setting out clearer themes for the sessions. This still gives players room to work on things they want to focus on, but with a loose structure around it.

On the encouraging side,

• I'm doing way more one to one sessions outside of the main sessions.
• Those who came to the sessions with more of a plan achieved positive outcomes, including one player who has transformed his front foot driving and another who looks like he has cracked a problem with his bowling action.
• I've learned some things about technique just by watching and interacting with players and asking for feedback. It's felt like an awesome discussion, working towards a solution with players, rather than prescribing one way.
• I have learned a great deal about encouraging a growth mindset in both myself and players, and I sense this could be transformational.

Mindset

I'm currently reading "Mindset" by Carol Dweck. It's about the idea of the "growth mindset", which sounds a bit new age drippy, but is a scientifically proven approach to success. I urge you to look into it if you play or coach cricket. The absolute basic idea is that people approach the game in one of two ways: either prove your worth (fixed mindset) or improve yourself (growth mindset). Those with a growth mindset are more likely to succeed.

I took pages of notes as I listened to the audiobook. The ideas in it have drawn together a lot of threads for me in both my own coaching and the way others approach being coached and training.

Before I read the book I thought I knew the score about growth: we can all improve. That's a huge part of it, but there are other layers that I have spotted in myself and others. For example,

1. Players who either skip training or turn up to sessions without focus are probably in a fixed mindset. You don't push yourself, you can't fail. Every play and miss against a net bowler proves you are not good enough. You would rather play safe and not turn up, or do something simple.
2. I'm convinced this is where the phrase "I just want to hit balls" comes from too. Before, I thought it was a lack of a desire or creativity, but really it's because fixed mindset cricketers see nets as a test. If you go in and face balls at random you get to see if you are "in form" or not and protect yourself from pushing forward.
3. In myself, I have seen fixed mindset language. I have given players excuses for a bad performance ("oh that ball swung more") rather than giving honest feedback that is difficult to deliver. I have been demeaning to players as "banter" for when they are unfocused when it would have been much better to have demanded the best from them in those moments.
4. I have praised players ability to build up their confidence. This sounds great, but Dweck's research showed this is counter-productive. When you praise people by telling them how good or talented they are, they stop pushing themselves because they don't want to fail and prove their lack of ability. Instead praise works when it is about growth: effort, strategies, choices and genuine attempts to challenge yourself.
5. I have pushed players and when I got resistance to the idea of something new and challenging (fixed mindset), I caved to their demands because I wanted to be player-centred. Actually, I know know the answer is in the growth mindset: to offer the challenge, see who takes it up and work with those who resist it. Tell them I want them to be the best and this is the way I have chosen. If you genuinely don't want to do it, how can we develop by doing something different?
6. I've realised that there are far too many fixed mindset excuses to not train. Those in the growth mindset see setbacks as opportunity. Those in the fixed mindset see it as clear reasons to avoid nets. If I hear "the indoor nets are not good for my game", I'm on red alert for the real reason, which is "it's challenging for me to adapt, I'd rather play safe and save my ego". Compare that to the player who was at nets this week, saying the bounce on the concrete is different, but as long as he is making the right shot choices, he's happy he's developing.
7. That said, I have also noticed measured training is not only way to learn and improve. It's a very important way, but as long as a player is in a growth mindset where they are trying to find ways to learn - even in failure - then they can learn from unmeasured training, games, reading, talking and so on. There are many tools.

I can take all these things into future sessions and help create an environment at the club built on growth. I thought we were there before, but I can raise it further by using a growth mindset to set high standards of work and discipline while removing ego-based value judgements.

This can be done, and I'm glad we had this phase to bring it forward. The work continues.

Training Notes: An Autumn Opportunity

Last year we put together a highly planned and organised Autumn series of training sessions. Players had to commit to 10 weeks and all had plans to follow.

The success of those sessions was exceptional in both measureable (a big jump in runs and wickets) and unmeasurable (the feeling of working as a team) ways.

But it was not perfect.

A few guys felt left out because I kept it to just eight players once a week. One player in the group trained hard then barely played a match all year, adding to the feeling of space being wasted. Not everyone made noticeable improvements.

So, this year I have mixed it up and changed it from one group of eight, to several small groups of four to six, with an hour each. This allows for more players with a wider range of standards, while keeping the focus on specific improvements.

I've also moved the focus away from identifying and correcting technical errors and towards encouraging players to solve their own issues. I have asked guys to bring their own intentions to the sessions and I can help draw out their own ways of solving the issues with drills, ideas and analysis.

The first session was a fascinating mixture of different responses to this challenge. Some guys wanted to talk more, other guys struggled to find a focus and some hit the nail on the head first time.

It certainly has a different feel. I plan much less, instead focusing on pushing players towards certain drills and practices based on what they tell me. However, I am not dogmatic about it and also let players make their own mistakes, even if I think I know the answers.

This is a fresh approach for me and it's not in my comfort zone. I like to plan everything to the finest detail. To keep my hands off and act more as consultant rather than dictator is not easy. But I know this is the only logical way. I can't play for people, I can only help people work out their best way of playing.

However, after two sessions things look good.

There have been 14 players at the sessions (with another four showing interest). That's a huge increase on last year and covers a wider range of skill levels. Here has been the breakdown of self-directed goals:

1. Develop dip in spin bowling.

2. Improve consistency of driving on the ground.

3. Hit with more power to pierce the infield.

4. Improve hip drive to fix a follow-through issue.

5. Learn to consistently play later, and hit harder leg side shots.

6. Learn to sweep and reverse sweep consistently, and bowl with more pace.

7. Play straighter.

8. Off drive consistently.

9. Put more power and timing into drives.

As you can see, these things are mainly technical with no focus on tactics. I still have all my tactical ideas ready to go but this time of year is a great time to build a platform of fitness, technical ability and general self-confidence to take into the start of next year.

In each case, we will measure how effective we are in this goal with a combination of measureable effects on PitchVision and how the player feels they have improved.

That leaves five players without a goal set.

Two have had sessions to "get back into it" and ended up trying a few things without direction. They have been asked to come up with better focus for the next session.

The last three are juniors. As they are younger, I am putting less emphasis on them to come up with plans and letting them play around more, challenging them to both fit into the senior culture and stay focused.

When they do it right, they coach each other pretty well, offering advice and generally challenging each other. When they fall down it descents into insults or doing things they "can get away with".

So, for example, one youngster was batting in nets and backing away to shorter balls. The bowler shouted at him that he was "scared of the ball" and should stop stepping away. The boy responded by saying "I'm not! Shut up!"

Now, I know this kid is far from scared of seam bowling. He's tough and strong. I have seen him challenged by a bowling machine bowling fast and short at him and he steps into the ball and smashes it. It's not fear, he is making room to score through his favoured off side.

So, I stopped the net and told them they were both sort of right. The batter was backing away and the bowler was right to point out that this solution might not be the best way to play. I agree, he tends to hit them in the air. However, I also told them both that saying "you're scared" will not get theat point across. It will rile up and cause defensiveness. Instead of looking for an emotive cause, look for a solution. What can you do to stop it happening? How can the bowler help the batsman do it?

These questions make the same point but with the desired effect.

But anyway, back to the sessions.

I plan to continue to run these as they are, track results and report back on the findings at the end of this phase (around December time). Then we can move into more tactical skills.

Positive signs, but a long way to go yet.

Season Notes: Coaches Review of 2016

The last game of the season saw West complete a thumping win to finish third in the division, narrowly missing out on promotion.

So, let's review the season, so we can start planning for next summers promotion push.

First, the final game. Batting first in glorious conditions - perhaps the best of the year - we started well. Our overseas player moved up to open while the skipper dropped down. This change worked as the pair put on 71 in 17 overs (4.17 per over). One opener dug in, the other looked to play with more expanse and got plenty of poor balls to exploit.

However, West did not use this good start, with a phase that saw a couple of attacking batsmen fall cheaply (a run out and caught on the boundary), while our overseas opener was stumped for 77 when he could have easily sailed to a hundred. This 23 over phase saw the rate drop to 3.65, when fives were quite possible against a weak fielding side with a fast outfield and easy pitch.

The slowest section was when two batsmen got together who do not have natural boundary hitting games. They tried and failed to hit gaps and rotate. The worst part was an eight over section where just 11 runs were scored. It was possibly a tactical error to put a slow starter in at the 30 over mark, especially when the guy at the other end was going slow too.

In response, a big hitting batsmen was sent in and he went for it, scoring 15 in eight balls. The changed the tone of the innings and the last few batsmen clocked on that driving hard and straight was easy runs. The last 10 overs yielded 72 runs, and West finished on 228.

I felt this was about right (we predicted 220 at the start) but in hindsight, another 30 runs were on the table. Had the middle section been more productive we could have passed 250. 

Control above the magic 77.7% line and was and combined with misfields galore.

Nonetheless, none of these details mattered as St Michael's collapsed utterly after their main batsman made 33 of the first 37 runs before nicking off.

The other 10 batsman managed 27 between them and they were all out with little fight for 60. A hat trick for our first change seamer was probably the highlight. It was a solid performance from us both bowling and fielding but really it was a terrible performance with the bat from a clearly under-strength opposition. I was glad West kept the foot on the gas to make the game a short one. One risk from these dead games is to struggle to get motivated, but there was no danger in this game.

The win made no difference to the league table and West finished third. 

Season review

So what have we learned this year?

A lot!

We have a strong squad who's strength is clearly bowling, but have shown signs of improvement with the bat. The fielding has also stepped up.

Batting

With the bat, consistency of control (BC) has been excellent, even though scoring rates and runs scored have varied. 

As a team, you can see how both consistency of BC and how scores are loosely tied to both BC and SB% from this chart:

Comparison of runs scored with SB% and BC. As you can see, the lines loosely follow each other.

When scores drop, BC and SB% also tend to drop. For example, here are the average scores for each SB%

• Below 32% - 152 (77.59% BC)
• Above 32% - 178 (78.59% BC)

So, the trend is clear: The more balls you score from and the fewer balls you miss, the more you score. But you must bear in mind that there are plenty of examples of the trend bucked. It's never a sure thing.

Interestingly, the average number of balls that result in a boundary stay the same (13) at every SB%, but the average number of singles almost doubles from 34 to 61. 

The lesson to me here is simple; increasing SB% is about scoring more singles, rather than blazing more boundaries. 

Individually, the runs have been split evenly through the team. No one excelled, all batsmen had at least one good performance and the lower order all did good jobs. 

Only one batsman passed 400 runs but six passed 200 and nine scored over 100. 

The top seven scored 79% of the runs at an average of 18 runs each and SB% 31%. 

As a team, this approach worked well enough for us, but did make for some shaky moments in individual games when wickets fell. Realistically, another 30 or so runs per match is the key if we are to be promoted next year. My thought is this can be achieved by the top order boosting SB% by 1% (and therefore averages by 5 runs).

Not a tall order and a good target!

We have a generally attack-minded top order (I'd say five of next season's top six are guys who like to get on with it) so this should be an easy sell.

Stats aside, our batting was superior than the opposition in most matches with two notable exceptions. We batted first and scored below par in both these matches and the stronger opposition batting were too much for our usual excellent bowlers. I'm wondering if there is an issue when pressure is on. That thought needs time to dwell.

To drill down on runs further, we can also look at scoring rates within games and between games. Starting with the latter:

Average RpO over the 2016 season

As you can see, West started reasonably, getting the average RpO over 4 quickly, peaking at 4.27 in June. However, July and August saw the average fall consistently back down below 4, only rallying at the last game. This is a time when rates should climb.

So why the dipping scores?

For me it is down to individual batsmen not firing well: For example, one batsman scored 245 runs up to the end of July and 47 after. Another scored 280 in the same early period before tailing off to 62 in his last seven games. Our overseas player scored half as many runs in the second half as the first.

No one else in the top seven filled in these games with the same effect: The average top seven batsman scored 20 runs a game in the first half and 13 in the second half (and that drops to 11 when you take out the final match).

The average score for number eight to 11 also dropped in the second half of the season, but by less than one run. So it's all about the top order.

Why did this happen? 

My current theory is training drop off, as I feel we didn't train as well or as hard with the bat as a unit as the season progressed. However, as I have no way of measuring this, it's hard to know for sure. Nevertheless, I will see if I can make changes next season.

What about run rates within games?

As you would expect, scores climb in each 10 over phase of the match as you see here:

Average Runs scored by West in each 10 over phase

So the template is to tick along for 20 overs, gradually increasing the rate from 2.9 to 3.3. The middle overs consolidate at 4s before the long handle in the final 10 overs. Sensible stuff.

Outside the last 10 (where there was not enough data to make a sensible decision), each phase has a different influence on the final score:

• Above average 0-10 score makes the average total 182. (Below average is 124.)
• Above average 10-20 score makes the average total 152. 
• Above average 20-30 score makes the average total 164.
• Above average 30-40 score makes the average total 206. (Below average is 176.)

From this you can the most important time to improve the rate is in the first 10 overs and - even more so - overs 30-40.

For next season, I will hope to boost these scores to at least 35 runs in the first 10, and 50 runs in the pre-death phase. That's only an extra 14 runs in 120 balls. Shouldn't be too tricky, especially as we have done it this season several times.

You might say target is influenced by wickets. So let's look at that now.  

A good start makes a difference. When two or more wickets fall in the first 10 the score averages to 136. It's 169 with fewer wickets.

Losing wickets between overs 30-40 makes no discernible difference to the score, neither does losing wickets in the last 10. 

That said, you need five wickets in hand at over 30 to be confident of making it to a good total, and certainly no fewer than three.

It seems clear to me that we are at our best with the bat when scoring at 3s in the first 10, maintaining the good start without losing more than five wickets up to 30 overs,  accelerating to 5s after that and going big at the end. 

Thrive with intent!

Certainly this tactic should work both chasing and setting a target. The only difference is not to restrict yourself in the first innings if you think you can go past the average target.

Speaking of chasing, West won 71% of chases and 75% batting first.

The average chase was 129, which we got four down. However, we also lost our two biggest chases with our best chase just 162. These two fact contributed to the general feeling we are not good at chasing. I disagree that losing four wickets chasing 129 is not good. It's simply using your resources. It could be better, but it's not even close to losing. We won two from four games when losing more than four wickets, so even when we wobble we are still in with a good chance of winning. 

However, not being able to chase 215 and 300 (the two losses) is a concern. Perhaps we need to work on batting under pressure towards a big target.

When setting a target, there is no pattern to the losses. We lost after scoring 239 and 189 but won after scoring 85 and 118. Naturally the ideal is to average more than 164 batting first, but with our bowling it was not needed very often (and the plan next year is to score 20-30 more batting first as previously outlined).

So, let's move on to bowling now.

Bowling

The bowling was exceptional this year, consistently bowling out teams all year for low scores.

Five bowlers did the bulk of the work. Two spinners took 72 wickets between them at less than 13 runs a wicket. Three seamers took 77 wickets at under 14 (under 15 is excellent work). That alone tells you all you need to know.

The plan was consistently executed: Take early wickets with seam then bring on the spinners to remove the rest. This was true batting first or second.

On average, the opposition were four down after 20 overs and all out in 39 overs. It was 36 when we bowled second. 

One main seamer took most of his wickets up top. His contribution of 22 wickets at 9.86 in this phase is easily the most valuable because it was often the best batsmen. He opened with a seamer who also got 12 wickets at 13.67 in this phase.

The main spinner took 32 of his 41 wickets in the middle overs. He was not far ahead of the other spinner, who took 28 wickets in this phase. However, the first spinner was also pretty good at bowling in the last 10 overs too, and nabbed a few wickets from tail-enders. The third seamer bowled most in the middle, taking 19 wickets at 10.11. 

Impressive from everyone in these roles.

As a crude measure of bowling accuracy, I also compared wides through the season. West bowl three fewer on average, and bowled fewer wides in 13 from 19 matches.

Incidentally, wides is another broad indicator of success. When West "won" wides we won 84% of games. When we "lost" wides (bowled more) we won 50%. Turns out bowling straighter and giving the opposition fewer runs is helpful!

In the games that went the distance, we were less successful. Death bowling saw us average three wickets and concede 62 runs (compared to our own death performance of four wickets and 57 runs). West lost two of these three games.

The back up bowlers were all good. The main one was a batsman who could bowl a bit. He played every game but only bowled a few overs. From outside the main eleven, one leg spinner, one off spinner and one seamer had a game when someone was out. No one failed to do a solid job. One other seamer was brought in as a "horse for courses" choice to open the bowling early season. It didn't quite work out but he still took a couple of wickets. Overall all, they were not needed much, only bowling an average of 7 overs.

All that aside, the real secret of success is no secret: early wickets starting a cascade that almost always ends before 50 overs.

The tricky part for next year will be finding something to try and develop!

Fielding

Finally, the tricky one.

Fielding has always been unmeasured, so this year we tried to put some simple numbers on fielding skills:

1. Catches and drops
2. Good stops and misfields
3. Throws at the stumps

What we found was interesting.

We were pretty happy with catching through the year but still only caught 57%. While this included half-chances it's still lower than you would hope. More of a worry was that this number didn't change much through the year. I would hope for it to go up, but it remained around mid fifties percent the whole time.

As catching practice volume was high, it's time to look in more detail at why so many were dropped. Sadly we didn't record any more than catches and drops so I can't see any trends for types of drop. 

My instinct is to say we need to make catching practice both harder and more specific with more flat and low catches. We also need to make sure fielders are protected from weaker areas. So, if you are poor under the high ball, stay off the rope as much as possible.

Also, we are better catching at home than away. I put that down background. The ball can be picked out easier in familiar surroundings.

Stops and misfields were better. We averaged out four misfields per game and six good stops. Misfields dropped from six earlier in the season. And was my secret aim for the second half of the year. Anything under five seems to be acceptable to the players. Good stops fluctuated a bit but always between five and seven. We will continue to work hard on ground work, perhaps looking at diving as a next step.

Throwing at the stumps was poor. We hit 21% (24% at home) and didn't get enough run outs. This fluctuated hugely through the year but the average fell from 60% after six games to 8% in six matches at the end. We seem to get worse in the second half!

Without detailed analysis of what was going wrong, I can only say we need better practice to get the numbers up. We always practice a few throws but I can't say we do it with full commitment, at different angles or with work on technique. So, a winter mission might be to develop throwing accuracy through a technical programme. I'm still to work that out.  

So, overall a superb season for the first team, with still key areas to develop further: consistency with the bat, strike rotation, bowling accuracy, catching and throwing.

Mainly thanks to winning, the spirit of the club has also been much higher this year. The first team are tightly knit, good mates and led by a couple of social butterflies who were not around last year. The rest of the club share in the success of every team and I see no signs of cliques of favouritism.

Other teams

Obviously my focus has been on the first team mainly this year. However there are many other teams at the club!

The strong 2nd XI won their division. It was perhaps slightly tighter than we would hope, but the side is filled with experienced guys and is well-captained. There is a core of guys who all stepped up to fill in the first team with no problem.

The challenge for this team in the next year is to continue to bring through players who can step up to the first team. Clearly, young cricketers are the priority here and we have a few who can fit 2nd team cricket around school and University. 

The Development team, playing on Sunday, is even more focused on young players. It was my aim to almost turn the side into a Youth 1st XI, and we are well on the way to that, often fielding five or more under 23s. We also fielded one 12 year old and two 13 year old boys this year, all who were not out of their depth. Also, first team players have turned out to help out youngsters. Brilliant. 

However, we also have a core of less "serious" guys who don't train much and are not on contention for regular Saturday cricket. These are important club players and great lads to a man, but they don't fit the Development model too well. I have been trying to encourage them to play for the midweek 3rd XI over the Dev team. That said, a member is a member and we are an inclusive club. Sometimes youngsters play midweek over Sunday and sometimes less serious guys play Sunday over midweek.

I've been clear about my general policy of preferring youth on Sunday and no one seems to mind too much as long as everyone gets a game somewhere. 

I also never write off anyone keen to play cricket as I believe we can all improve given enough work and time.

We fielded six age group teams this year. That was probably too many with the experiment of adding U14 and U16 to an already packed schedule. The strongest team was the U13 boys, with the U15s also having a good showing. The U18 were weak purely due to numbers.

The long serving Junior Convenor has finally throw in the towel and retired this season. This is sad as he has been an incredible servant. It does give us a chance to look at the setup.

I feel there are too many age groups at the moment and hope we can pair this down, ideally with eight a side cricket for the younger boys. 

I also want to look at the training of 12-15 year old lads. 11 and under are served by Monday sessions, 15 and up and join in senior training, but the in between ages are playing on Monday in the summer and also need practice the most as they are learning to play hard ball. The simple solution may be to have an older junior session before one of the senior practices next summer. 

And so that is the 2016 done and dusted.

Personally it's been fun, and challenging. I have learned a lot and felt I have been part of a far more positive environment than any other season I can remember. We have our focus areas for the winter and are moving forward to 2017 full of hope for another step forward!

Game Notes: The Dream Ends

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster for the players, and the coach! Here's a summary from on field performances and training thoughts.

The last four games have been a win, a win (over top of table rivals), a loss (against the other rivals) and abandoned without a ball bowled. This meant that we could have moved into second place for promotion after beating Poloc, but were scuppered by a weak performance against Greenock.

The chances of promotion are now zero.

As has been the case all season, the bowling has saved the batting repeatedly. Scores of 171 (against weak bowling), 132 and 102 batting first are not enough and the source of the issue has been no runs from the top order. Lucky for us, the bowling has won out mostly. It was telling that the day West didn't take enough wickets was the day we lost.

It's interesting that batting control has remained high all season and is still at 78% for the year. However, scoring ball percentage has dropped from 32% in the first part of the year to 28% in the last few games. As we average about 2 runs per shot played, that accounts for a drop of 24 runs  when batting first. It's 18 runs when adjusted for average balls faced.

Really, this should have gone up over the year as pitches improve and batsmen grow in confidence. It hasn't. Scoring off more balls and rotating the strike is an area to work on.

There has been an expectation that anything less than 250 batting first is a failure. However, realistically, this does not happen; even at the top level. Premier teams with better batsmen and more reliable pitches only manage an average of just over 200. West average 150 unadjusted for conditions. This is still not enough from the batting unit, but it's good to be realistic about what is achievable.

And this 150 has been enough to beat lesser teams when we bowl them out for, on average, 140. The bowlers - apart from the Greenock game - have plundered wickets with ease.

The fielding has remained strong. We save an average of six runs a match and catch about two in three chances. Combined with better running than most, we average nine runs a match better in "controllables" than the opposition.

What does this mean for West now?

With one game left, training will be winding down. I would like  to see guys take the chance to practice something they don't normally do, like strike rotation or power hitting. I suspect instead it will be a mixture of apathy and "having a hit". I'll push my agenda as much as possible though.

Then I'd like to have a review with senior players to work out what to do differently next year. It will be good to know both individual and team goals for the winter sessions so I can plan so appropriate work.

In my mind, this means better strike rotation and better confidence of top order batsmen to take scores on to forty plus. It also means furthering fielding skills to take even more catches, make even more good stops and - our biggest weakness in the field - hitting the stumps for run outs.

Game Notes: A Bizzare Season Continues

West of Scotland 85. Weirs 55. West of Scotland win by 30 runs. 

What a strange, interesting and exciting season this has been so far. And this game, West's fifth win a row, was the strangest so far. The scores say most of it: Winning by 30 runs after scoring 85!

It was an away game at a ground notorious for low scores. No one was expecting great things. However, the warm up was focused. A few guys did seem a little off their game despite lots of enthusiasm. There were more dropped catches and misfields in the warm up than I have seen all year. I don't think we managed a single direct hit when warming up throws at the stumps. 

After losing the toss and being inserted, we were confident. The opposition looked weak. They had not warmed up at all and there were a few guys who looked pretty unfit. Yet the openers bowled accurately with seam movement and there were precious few chances to score runs. We ran well, making several singles. One opener decided to use his feet and make things happen, playing well a couple of times to score singles from length balls he had turned to half volley length. Despite some poor fielding, It was still slow going: 18-1 from nine overs. It looked like if they were going to get wickets it was more likely LBW and bowled than caught or run out. 

After 20 it was 55-4. This is low for West, but still only slightly behind the average of 62-3, and ahead of the slowest start (48-2). The best 20 is 77-2.

We thought there would be more bad balls and bad fielding to exploit. When that wasn't forthcoming, we lost focus and got out. Two mistimed shots to safe hands, one playing into the leg side and bowled off stump, two going back to full balls and trapped LBW, another LBW playing no shot. None of the top six were got out by magic balls.

The real failure was from overs 21-23, where we lost four wickets for five runs. Two were top six batsmen. This exposed the lower order early and two guys playing for the team for the first time this season went in quick succession to defensive shots.

Number seven knuckled down to bat with the last two. He scored 22 in 55 balls and farmed the strike away from the number 11 so well he only faced one ball in a stand lasting 19 runs. You might argue the 11 was not poor enough to be protected, but considering how well everyone else did, it was not a crazy decision from the better player to face as many balls as he could. He did turn down a few runs in the process, but that stand of 19 proved crucial. 

As as you would expect, control was the lowest of the year at 74.22%. Remember, the trend is to lose when control drops below 77.5%. 

However, at the break, the talk was not as depressing as you might imagine. 85 is a terrible score, but we have bowled out teams for less and knew they did not have much batting. We knew there was a chance, even with one bowler missing due to injury.

The scoring intially followed the same pattern: 20-2 after nine over but with Weirs having less control than West  (71.31%). The game was in the balance already. Then, in the last over before tea, a spinner came on and took a wicket to take Weirs into the break three down. West were back in the hunt.

After the tea break, only three bowlers were used. There were a few tense overs as Weirs moved to 37-3 in 12 overs. Then a wicket from the opening bowler was followed by a wicket maiden from our main spinner. It was 38-5 in 14 and the danger batsman was out. 

Nevertheless, 47 runs needed is very tight indeed, even with poor batsmen. The fifth wicket pair moved to 46-5 and every run seemed like a tiny cut that would eventually kill us. In fact, two wicket in two balls finished Weirs chances. 46-5 became 46-7. The last three got to 55-7 before collapsing. Five wickets had fallen for eight runs, with one run scored for three wickets in the last 15 balls.

Clearly, it was terrible batting, but the types of dismissal also tell a story: four catches behind the wicket (and two dropped at slip), three LBW and two bowled. Coupled with three wides bowled (two by a stand in seamer) you can see what a good bowling performance it was as well. 

So what are the lessons? 

First we can take confidence that we can win tight games. Yes, the opposition were very weak, but we gave them a chance to beat us with a weak batting performance yet still won with ease.  This is a marked difference from the Greenock game were we posted a defendable score and bowled poorly to lose.

Finally, when we get in a pickle, we need to learn how to manage the risks we take. The openers were right to look to rotate and increase the scoring rate. When it failed, two or three of middle order needed to dig in and be sure they were around to post a total. 160 was probably the upper end of what could have been scored, with 120 closer to the par. That requires top order guys to get 30 or more runs at a slow rate. The aim is still to bat with intent to score and thrive under the pressure of dot balls, but not to worry if you don't score for a few balls. The bad one will come. Patience.

This was an ugly win but a show of great character. I count it as progress from earlier in the year, but certainly not anywhere near the finished product. With two big ties to come, we have to lock our minds onto being at our best.

Game Notes: Thumping Weak Opponents

Hat trick ball

Irvine 75. West of Scotland 76-4. West win by six wickets.

With last week rained off, the aim was to get back to winning ways against Irvine, who beat West earlier in the season. This time there was no mistake. Irvine were terrible and West easily took them apart.

Conditions were bowler friendly. The ball both turned and seamed throughout the match. Irvine batted first and it was clear they were not the side we faced earlier in the season. One of the openers tried to play a forward defence to a bouncer, a batsman was rapped on the pad before his front foot had landed another could hardly put bat on ball. 16-3 from 10 overs.

The batting was so poor, all we had to do was put the ball in roughly the right area and watch wickets tumble. Only one player looked like he could score runs, and the tail was a shambling  combination of blockers and sloggers. Their number 11 looked like he had never played cricket before. He would not have got into our third team. That said, everyone bowled well. This team managed 215 against us earlier in the year so it wasn't a total shoe-in. West still needed to bowl well, and we did. There was almost a hat trick with two in two and the third ball running close.

There was precious little fielding skill needed as Irvine took no quick singles at all. West did drop a couple of catches and misfielded two so it wasn't perfect, but it was far better than the average for this year. 

The party was interrupted with Irvine having a couple of decent bowlers. A big hitter was promoted to opening: His mission was to win the game in short time as rain was about. I approved of this tactic as winning quickly is the sign of a strong team. Sadly, he was out first ball defending onto his ankle and the ball spinning back into the stumps. Ridiculous and freakish.

The other opener was sublime, looking like he would never get out and, with precious few boundaries available, looked to pick up quick single aplenty (16 in total). At the other end, our number three got a bad LBW (I know all batsmen think they get bad decisions, but even the umpire admitted a mistake on this one). Then number four seemed to get a good ball from the opening seamer and nicked off. We were three down in the first 10 overs. Every wicket was from a defensive shot, rather than a poorly played attacking stroke.

I was still not concerned. We were ahead of D/L and had plenty of batting to come. Even when we lost a fourth wicket, West only needed 30 or so runs to win. And this pair saw the game home in 26 overs. The rate was slower than I would have liked (2.89) but when you look at the difference in control (79% compared to 60%), I don't think we missed out on too many scoring opportunities, it was just difficult to bat even against average bowling.

Despite it being a comfortable chase in the end, it wasn't fully convincing. One player said he thinks we are not good at chasing. Looking at the stats, I disagree. When West bowl first, we have won five from seven, losing an average of six wickets per game. The average chase is 132 - a testament to the quality of our bowling and fielding - so getting there six down makes it seem like we are struggling, when actually we are doing the thing that matters; winning. 

Could we chase better? Of course. Our best chase was 162 and both losses came when the target was over 200. Are we doing well at it at the moment? Good enough to get the job done. It's a skill to develop for bigger challenges, but right now we are still going the right way.

Game Notes: Another Stunner

West of Scotland 118. Stirling 69. (32 overs rain reduced match). 

Despite forgettable batting, West showed mettle in the best bowling performance of the season so far.

Stiling are one of the sides in the better half of the division, so the game was set to be a challenge. In wet conditions, the game was reduced to 32 overs. Unlike last time, we handled the delay well. Most players had an impromptu game of football in the wet while we waited and I didn't hear one complaint. The warm up was focused. 

West batted first. The pitch was slow and the outfield was long and wet. We knew batting would be tough. It turned out to be the case as Stirling turned to seam and swing, taking three wickets in the first 10 overs. There was a recovery in the middle order and an acceleration from 2.2 an over. At one point West were motoring at 6.1 (between overs 18-24). 150 was quite possible with even 180 on the table.

Sadly, a poor decision from one player led to a run out and then getting bowled the next ball. From here, with only a few overs to go, the lower order struggled to pick up the pace. 87-3 became 110 all out with 28 runs scored in the last eight overs.  

Overall control was the lowest of the year at 75%, SB% was down at 28% (compared to 41% in the last rain reduced match an 31% on average) which tells a story of poor conditions. We managed 30 singles, 9 stolen (compared to 41/18 in the last reduced overs and 45/19 average). We hit seven boundaries. These stats was a consequence - in my mind - of tight bowling, ring fields, a big slow outfield and few gaps to hit. So, it poses an interesting tactical question on how we play in these conditions, when you have fewer balls you can score from and you can't hit the bad ones for many boundaries. The foundation is staying calm and keeping frustration out of your head, then building a method that allows you to break the shackles. We did this well in a couple of patches but still need to work on with individual methods.

Nevertheless, it was the bowling and fielding that won the day. West were simply better than Stirling. Four bowlers were used and all tied down the runs and took wickets easily. 23-2 from 12. 44-6 from 20. 69 all out. It as easily our best performance with the ball and those numbers tell you everything.

Catching was at 57% with the slips the culprits for the drops. It was made up in some good outfield catching and stopping. The fielding difference was -1 overall showing both sides did well. However, we bowled half the number of wides as Stirling.  Essentially, we out-bowled them. I was most pleased with the approach: no complaining, just positive and focused. We knew we had to bowl the, out and we did it by executing on the basics very well. 

Pleasingly, the seconds also won easily but are working hard to improve fielding standards too. The Development team also won playing on Sunday on the same wicket. Although a lower standard of cricket, the scores of 56 all out and 57-6 show you just how much the wicket favoured bowlers!