Walkerville Cats Newsletter Issue 73 www.walkervillecc.com.au 09/01/2014 Presidents Report This time of year sees representative cricket start to appear with both Juniors and Seniors. The NEJCA U/15 team has been selected with Albie Willmore, Cooper Harrod & Jordan Majewski to represent North/East. The ATCA U/21 final training squad includes Matt Perilli, Ben Donovan & Zack Fagg. Former Walkerville Junior, Louis Hutchinson, has made it into the final training squad for the State U/15 team with final selection coming at the end of the week. Happy New Year to all, This time of year is like Day 3 at the golf, "Moving Day", the time when teams can make As we start the New Year it would be remiss of me to their move or consolidate as we get closer to thank the many people within the Walkerville Cricket the finals. To the Senior Teams, the taste of Club who volunteer their time to assist across the many success stays with you forever and to the areas of the club, especially after this seasonal period of Juniors, always look to improve your game. giving. To the committee and the many things that are CJ done behind the scenes that aren’t seen and the more Social Calendar visible things, the guys who spend time trying to get a wicket up each week under difficult circumstances, the This Sunday Junior coaches who implore their knowledge to the 12/01/2014 SUPER SUNDAY-Sussex Hotel future cricketers but also have the difficulty of giving 12:30pm start – don’t be late $30 includes everyone a go...it is these people and their time which BBQ & Beers (until keg empty) Aust v Eng allows for such a great club to operate and continue to One Dayer in Sydney. be successful in Junior and Senior ranks. Socially we have a big couple of months coming up, 01/02/2014 Poker night and invite your Friends starting with Super Sunday this Sunday at a major Must Pre purchase your ticket through Paul sponsor, the Sussex Hotel. Starting at 12:30pm its is Reid at [email protected] or 0430 008 $30 which includes drinking the keg dry and a BBQ ($10 699 BBQ only), then Happy Hour prices. Come and watch 23/02/2014 Raffle Day Tickets Available Soon the Poms go 6-0 down with the first of the One Dayers for your chance to win some serious $$$. starting. March Twisted Corks Wine Tasting event. Poker Night is a new one and will be a big night. Walkerville Annual Golf Day- Date to be Saturday February 1st at the Sports Club starting at confirmed. 7pm. With a trip to Thailand first prize and professionally run, the competition will be fierce, so get your sun visors and dark glasses at the ready. $50 covers your buy in on the night. Founded 1915 Walkervillecc.com.au Tim’s Coaching Tips Continued. Lessons from the Ashes The Christmas/ New Year break gives us welcome time to spend with family and friends and to celebrate. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on our season so far as both individuals and as a club. If you are happy with your form then you need to examine why you’re playing well and ensure that you continue the same levels of preparation and confidence. Don’t just take success for granted ! If you haven’t been successful as often as you’d like, why is this the alone from the third, fourth and fifth bowler. The case? Is it technical? Is it mental i.e. concentration gap between their best and the rest is too big. This or preparation? is team cricket; keeping all batsmen under Regardless of what has already happened, our pressure because every bowler does his job, every focus should be on what is to come. In the spell, all day. Statistics show that bowling three remainder of the season , will we push to play finals maidens in a row greatly increases the chance in the top three grades or just fritter away of a wicket. Depth in bowling is especially opportunities through inconsistency? Does training important for our A Grade in the weeks ahead. pick up in intensity and purpose or do we drift Lesson 3: Be positive at the crease. along? Do we learn and improve or just keep Simply taking up time at the crease is pretty making the same mistakes? Do we unders tand the pointless in most situations. You need to find ways situation and play smarter cricket, grab the to keep scoring and rotating the strike. Bad balls initiative, keep pressure on the opposition? should be efficiently dispatched. Don’t do this and There has been ample opportunity to watch you merely keep the bowlers in the game and international cricket and I’m sure everyone has create problems when a wicket falls. It is also true seen plenty of the current series. What are some that 20 or 30 and out doesn’t really win games. of the lessons we can take from what’s happening You need to find the balance and build big and apply to the Walkerville environment? scores more often. Good sides have players Lesson 1: The team which fields better who make 80s and centuries and make match invariably wins winning contributions . There is a vast difference between the two sides Lesson 4: Runs from the last five wickets can and this results in a huge gap between them in be critical pressure on the batsman. Do we m ake batsmen When batting, our lower order players must do a uncomfortable because there are no easy singles, job with the bat, down to number 11 if necessary. every run has to be earnt, fielders are quick to the When bowling, keep the pressure on. Bowl to the ball and nearly every catch is taken, including tail like you’re bowling to the top order. Don’t let some “blinders”? Fielding is often a visible sign of partnerships develop by dropping intensity. confidence, teamwork and effort. The Lesson 5: Confidence is crucial wicketkeeper sets the standard and the mood on What comes first, confidence or performance? It’s the field needs to be competitive. an interesting question. The best in any sport have Lesson 2: Bowling as a unit is critical a nearly unshakeable self-belief regardless of Mitchell Johnson has been frighteningly fast and current performance. We need to continually find deserves a lot of the accolades which have come ways to boost and maintain strong confidence, his way. In reality, England have struggl ed regardless of the state of the game, always because all the Australian bowlers are keeping the believing that we can find a way to win. game tight and bowling well to their fields. There I hope none of our players believe that the are no weak links. In contrast, England has found Australians are winning because they are sledging. it difficult to keep pressure from two ends, let I’d suggest the opposite is more likely to be true. Because they are winning, they are sledging more and their opponents, who already lack confidence, Founded 1915 are losing Walkervillecc.com.au even more. Bowling short and sledging will not work as keys Player Milestones to Walkerville being successful. Playing good, consistent cricket is more helpful to long term Milestones: success. Playing in the As great win over Reynella Recognising and playing the “big moments” well in Round 4 John Hutchinson notched up is really important. I look forward to the his 100th game for the club. He has played opportunities the second half of the year will 20 1st X1, 60 2nd X1, 13 3rd XI, 2 4th XI and provide and to us playing more consistently. It’s 5 LO XI games. an exciting time. Go Cats! Tim Hart Look a Likes SuperBad or Super Cats?? Well done Hutchy A major contributor to the A Grade win was Damien Miller with a 10 wicket bag which took him past 100 wickets for the club. He has now taken 108 wicket at an average of 15.89 and currently sits on 99 A young Simon Buckley and Jonah Hill 1st XI wickets. Matt Perelli and Christopher Mintz Well done to Damian “the Myth” Miller Joke of the Week with Evo An Irishman, a South African, a Kiwi and a Zimbabwean walk into a bar…. Oh wait it is just the English Cricket Team Will Raynham and Michael Cera Founded 1915 Walkervillecc.com.au A Grade Wrap Up A grade continued Skipper Knowles won the toss and elected to bat on a language and a lot of (bad) beard stroking, a new traditional Walkerville wicket. When Sarsons and the roller was acquired and the groundsmen were the inform Gilo went to the crease the Walkerville boys happiest people in the whole of Walkerville as were optimistic until Gilo decided to give gully Father Christmas came early and produced what catching practice with a well timed late cut straight only can be described as a 'beast of a roller'. into his hands. When Sarsons was caught behind with Reynella turned up and were greeted with an the score on 23/2 a consolidation period was needed absolute road to bat on. However with overcast from the English lads, Gareth Cox and Zack (loves an conditions the Walkerville boys were optimistic of argument) Fagg. In a tense hour Fagg decided that getting their first victory of the season. What the old saying 'let your bat do the talking' should be happened however, was not predicted.