The Blue Thread

[dinu23]

I want to congratulate all u guys who did well this season. We didn't have a good season...but there's always the next one.
I want to thank you Liam for giving me the opportunity to play in the team. and I hope to do much better in the next season.

 

[Travis_Teh]

Often the so called 'part-timers' have very good bowling records - better than the specialists!

Tell me, who is a better bowler, Flintoff or Hondo?

Just becuase you cant bat doesnt mean youre a better bowler than someone that can!

This is no way a personal go at any of the 'part time allrounders' in the club, as I love everyone of single yous (hahaha, listen to 12th man and you'd understand that, kosta tzu).

But the fact that the 'part timers' are able to get good to very good bowling stats is the pure fact that half the time they are not bowling at the best of the oppositions bat.
Sure, I understand that, the part timers are (for one reason or another, i am not entirely sure why it happens both in CW and real life) able to break partnerships of batsmen when the strike bowlers cant.....but overall the fact is that the strike bowlers do a hell of a lot more work than the part timers to get their wickets.

For example the stats provided earlier by Dinu of his bowling stats are your stats, cribby. You guys have unreal averages, and strike rates. But the effort put in to get those are no where near the effort put in for Adam to get his average, or even myself.

This is because the strike bowlers do (this is a guesstimate) a crap load of the effort required for the team to get wickets, ie : 75%+, and the part timers (in hindsight) clean up if required when the strike bowlers are unlucky/tiring.

I'm not sure if this post has enough meaning, but I think i've said my point.

 

[Travis_Teh]

Yes, but the point is that we have four specialist bowlers and three all-rounders who have had successful years with the ball in the team, and not everyone can get a bowl. So it's not an issue of anybody being underbowled, it's an issue of there only being so many overs to go around, and the captain will throw the ball to those he thinks are most likely to get the job done.

It's like me complaining because I don't get a chance to bat in the top four. Maybe I would like to, but there are already established players in that position.

That's right.
You've scored the second most runs for the blue club this season behind Simon in the 5d game.
You'd warrant a top 5 position in the batting order, but it hasn't eventuated due to circumstances in the club.

 

[Travis_Teh]

You may be Flintoff if you say so, but there is no Hondo equivalent in our bowling lineup. I think you should just make the most of the opportunities you get, and you and Dinu have had plenty of opportunities with the bat. The fact is that we have at least seven established bowlers, six of whom have career averages under 30 (Halsey, Patrick, Demeza, Camps, Popat, myself, + Fuller, who averages a touch over 30). Simply put, there is no weak link in the bowling attack, and unproven bowlers can't expect to get more than a few overs at a time. Both you and Dinu have had a few short spells this season and picked up wickets cheaply - this will hold you in good stead for next season, but for the moment I think it is best to leave the experienced bowlers (all seven of them!) to share the significant bulk.

In hindsight of this post, it is -almost unfair- on the strike bowlers (patrick, collins, demeza, halsey ... for majority of the season.... plus fuller and popat and camps as allrounding semi strike bowlers) to give up a go at bowling simply for the part timers to 'have a go'.

Then secondly, it would be increasingly unfair on the bowlers trying to get a first team slot : harris mainly, and tucker secondly then the two newest rookies, to try and break into the main team if they wouldn;t get any bowling in the team as the 'part timers' are taking so many overs.

There is a fine line between a smile and a frown, and it's called an eyebrow (stupid saying my mate says).

 

[dinu23]

can we drop this part-timer thing? I feel sorry to have brought it up.
we wouldn't win a single match wiithout you bowlers and allrounders. So lets just forget it and enjoy the last few days of the season, shall we?

 

[Travis_Teh]

Good team performance boys, a very good win. Hopefully we can finsh off the 1Dayers in same fashion. I hope i get a another but it seems unlikely with Blaze getting a game and probably some of the guys that were rested in the last game coming back, but i can only hope that Liam saw some potential to give me another game. If i don't then i guess it overseas club cricket and trying to improve my game so im somewhere closer to the 1st XI. I think i might work on my batting and bowling equally, maybe a more all round game will help getting in the 1st XI, guess we have to wait and see.

I offer you my slot in the time for the last one dayer, if Liam sees fit.

I may also be a rookie, like you, but I wish the club to grow. The club can grow stronger if it sees you in action rather than me in the last game.

I would suggest, as Fuller has suggested, that you work on either batting OR bowling.

THe club has too many, in my opinion, allrounders as it is.
I agree with your opinion tho on the spin bowling front of the club. Halsey is possibly the best, (i'd say second), leg spinner along side with Neil from the Blacks.
Then we have a chinaman in Harris who has an amazing first class record from his debut season and quality all round spin in popat.
There is also the new boy blaze who hasn't yet had the chance to show his stuff, and cloete can throw pies too.

I'd still recommend improving either one or the other facet of your game......unfortunately no one knows how the trading will go off season. As that could play a major part in anyone of our games

 

[Travis_Teh]

I want to congratulate all u guys who did well this season. We didn't have a good season...but there's always the next one.
I want to thank you Liam for giving me the opportunity to play in the team. and I hope to do much better in the next season.

You, my friend, had a completley rad season !!!! WELL DONE!!

 

[Travis_Teh]

can we drop this part-timer thing? I feel sorry to have brought it up.
we wouldn't win a single match wiithout you bowlers and allrounders. So lets just forget it and enjoy the last few days of the season, shall we?

I believe we all enjoy it very much!

Speaking, maturely, about things within the club isn't a bad thing, Dinu

It'll make us understand our own strengths and weakness' and improve our game, if anything

Here's to season 9!!!!
*thumbs up*

 

[dinu23]

to season 9!

 

[BlackCap_Fan]

Well played Blues players. Some of us did well, some of us didn't, and sadly, the team didn't.

I guess I had a pretty good season, cashing in some good matchwinning performances!

Here's to season 9! *raises champagne glass from nowhere*

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

No way!

Why? Demeza isn;t in the team to bat!

Any team relying on the number 11 to get any runs at all has some severe problems


Plus, i'm the leader in golden ducks, ducks for the season, and golden pairs..
No way in hell i'm giving that up!

We don't pick you to bat, but we could use more than a 10-man lineup.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

As Sean stated, we pick our specialist bowlers to do the bulk. From there it's the best suited of the part-timers. It hardly makes sense to bowl 8-9 bowlers per season.

Look at Wavell Hinds. For a while he had a Test average below 20 and the low 20s, because he bowled a few short spells and took a wicket or two here and there, yet he was never considered a main bowling option. The fact is, we can't accomodate all the allrounders and the players who have had a heavy workload have been doing well.

Take a cue from Andrew Garven. He started off as a bowling allrounder I believe. Now he's a batsman who bowls occasionally, yet he's hardly been complaining about it.

 

[RigorMortis]

I'm starting to feel like Paul Reiffel here guys....the less I play the better I get

Seriously, it does bug me a touch when I hear guys whining that they don't do enough bowling or batting or whatever. Especially as a bowler who couldn't get much of a run this season. How many normal cricket teams have 8-9 guys who bowl every game and take a bag of wickets? Most teams bowl 4-5 guys with maybe 1-2 who bowl every few innings as "golden arm" bowlers. Maybe it's a case of some guys trying to do everything?

Just my $0.02...

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The team that finished the season for Blue in OD...

RGEWS Cribb
LA Camps (C)
MW de Silva
A Crampton +
BL Wilshere
PE Young
MJC Currie (debut)
DP Tucker
T Loganathan
R Harris
NL Patrick

And just for good measure, the team that started the season for Blue in OD...

SJ Fitzsimmons (C)
RGEWS Cribb (debut)
MW de Silva (debut)
A Crampton (debut)
D Jellett +
SC Popat
SE Fuller (debut)
MP Phillips (debut)
TC Halsey
NL Patrick
AAA Collins

 

[BlackCap_Fan]

That looks a strong middle order there .

 

[Nate]

haha Ive had a moan bout my bowling, but my batting! terrible! worse than Neil for goodness sake!

 

[Nate]

Simon! You legend mate - 2430 runs at 56.51 with 7 100`s and 11 50`s! Player of the season, easily.

Hats off also to Liam (your batting came of age this season!) and De Silva for an awesome batting effort in your debut year. Cloete, perhaps not your best season, but a solid one none the less.

Fuller, you rocked the boat with 1000+ runs and 50+ wickets in your debut season, well done.

Well bowled Collins (always on the spot), Demeza (very impressive) and Halsey (Pickup is the second best leggie, right? ).

As a team we`ve struggled a bit this year, but there have been many promising individual performances. Well done boys.

 

[Travis_Teh]

Hmm, random post.

Is there going to be a lot of us blue guys applying for offseason club cricket?

Also, is there an off season trading period?
Will there be much trading going on for the blues, Liam?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The squads must first be reorganized somewhat, with a possible 5th team coming into play. There will then be trading.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I'll be looking for club cricket, certainly. Hoping to work on my batting in particular.