Post by wheels on Jun 4, 2009 16:18:04 GMT
Hi all
Now that we’re a month or so into our first season with Roseburn as the single home base for the club, we hope that everyone within the club is having an enjoyable experience of playing cricket and socialising after games.
It seems like a good time to set out a few thoughts from the playing committee about how we envisage organising the cricket every weekend with the long term future of the club in mind.
The sole purpose of this document is to serve as a means of communication between the playing committee and the members of the club. There are various things that we would like to communicate with club members and this document is a result of that. We would like to make you all a bit more aware of what the activities of the playing committee are and where you can help us out. This document is not directed at any one person, member or team, but is simply a means of sharing information.
OUR APPROACH TOWARDS CRICKET
As a club we think we have a pretty good attitude to the game of cricket: we play hard and we play to win, but we play fair, and ultimately we play cricket in order to enjoy it. Needless to say this is an attitude that the playing committee wishes to maintain in order for the club to thrive. We want everyone involved in the game to enjoy the time that they are playing, organising, umpiring, scoring, or any other activity they are involved in.
THOUGHTS ON THE SEASON SO FAR
It’s great that we’ve been able to put out four full teams every week of the season so far – several teams in the lower leagues have defaulted already this season because they couldn’t get enough players, so for a club of our modest means to put 44 players out every Saturday is no mean achievement. For those who have been missing out on selection, don’t forget the schedule of Sunday and midweek friendlies – there’s plenty of cricket to go round as long as you’re on the lookout for it.
On the field, it’s great to see the 3s and 4s doing so well – keep it up folks, and with any luck the 1s and 2s will begin to show what they’re capable of as well. One general point that applies to many of us is that we need to be a lot greedier with the bat – the games we play are 40-50 overs long, and most of the time we don’t last that long. If we keep sides out in the field for 35-40 overs and keep wickets in hand, it gives us a chance to push on at the end and post some really good totals. If on the other hand we find ourselves at 40-6, then even if we have a couple of partnerships we’re always going to be up against it.
The club is full of talented batsmen, but all too often they’re getting 20 or 30 and getting out, and still seeming to feel as if they’ve done their job. If you get 20 or 30 then you’ve done the hard work and should be looking at 50 and beyond. All we want from a batsman walking out to the middle is to think: what price am I going to ask from the opposition for my wicket? (Clue - the answer should be along the lines of “a high one”...)
ROSEBURN AS A SINGLE VENUE FOR ALL TEAMS
Despite mixed performances on the field so far and a few disruptions for various reasons, we believe we are much better off as a club to be playing at Roseburn every week. There’s a number of benefits for this and once we get the hang of the logistics of running two games every Saturday we’ll really start seeing the benefits.
The biggest long term benefit of having Roseburn as a shared base is that it, gives us two home games most weeks and the chance for us all to watch and get to know players from other teams within the club. As you will know, several games thus far have been subject to some disruption, from rugby fans and other uninvited guests, but with the schedule of Saturday rugby fixtures at Murrayfield coming to an end, and with the relevant authorities aware of the antics of some of our other occasional visitors, things should get better on that front from now on.
As a playing committee, we would like to record our thanks to those club officials (Paul Hubbard and Don Wilkie in particular) who have given up large amounts of their time to make the pitches and facilities at Roseburn as good as they can be. The club continues to move forward on that front, but we’ll leave the Executive Committee to keep you updated on armoury developments and so on.
Great also to see the youth setup really taking shape, with the junior team now having completed its first two competitive fixtures. Ian Shiels and Iain Martin have given up huge amounts of their time and done a fantastic job to set the youth structures up from scratch, with valuable assistance from a number of other members.
Again we won’t claim to speak for the youth committee, except to say that more volunteers to qualify as coaches and help out with the youth setup are always very welcome – speak to Ian Shiels in the first instance if you’re interested in that.
TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
As I’m sure you know, an awful lot of work is put in by captains and executive committee members to keep the club going and keep it moving forward. Team selection, transport logistics, pitch preparation, youth development, arranging fixtures, running practices, sorting out the teas on matchdays – it all takes a good deal of time and mainly falls to a handful of individuals.
For a club of our limited means, the playing committee needs and expects some help from the playing members every matchday towards organising the various activities involved. We would really appreciate it if club members would come forward and help us out. We do not want to be like task masters who bark orders at the players, and if everyone is doing their bit it makes for a happy and successful team.
The following things are some of these standards that we would like to set every matchday.
TASKS FOR THE CAPTAINS DURING THE WEEK BEFORE THE MATCHDAY
The captains during the week have to:
• Coordinate with the opposition for a confirmation of the match time and place.
• Select the teams and let the playing members know of their selection.
• Update the team sheet on the message boards, then post scores on the message board after the game.
• Coordinate the transport for the players if its an away game.
• In case of any last minute cancellations, coordinate the replacements and their transport (and believe us this does happen and has happened at least two weekends out of five this season).
• After home games, completing match return forms and sending them to ESCA; updating the ESCA message board with the result and scores; and for 1s and 2s skippers, phoning the results and scores to the newspapers.
BEFORE THE GAME: MEETING TIME
Meeting time for home games is normally one hour before the scheduled start – i.e. 12pm for 1s and 2s, 12.30pm for 3s and 4s – unless stated otherwise by your captain. It is the responsibility of each playing member to ensure that he/she is at the ground at the stipulated time and not five minutes before the start.
It’s equally important to meet on time for away games Every weekend the captains generally coordinate the transport for the players to the away games. If there is a common meeting point, we expect everybody to respect that time, as a delay means that the remaining three/four players in the car are also delayed. We have the Murrayfield hotel as the general meeting point, however this is not always the case. If in doubt please speak to the captains in good time ahead of the game.
We appreciate that none of us are professionals and that there will inevitably be times when we are delayed may be due to unforeseen situations or due to unavoidable events (traffic!). This is understandable as a one off event but not as a recurring thing. If you are held up on the way to the game, please let your captain know by phone or text.
If you are able to assist by giving lifts to away games, please offer. It would be good for this task to be rotated rather than the same people having to drive every time.
And as a passenger, please be willing to meet somewhere convenient for your driver rather than expecting to be picked up from the door. When accepting a lift you should also offer to pay your share of the petrol money at least.
TASKS ON HOME MATCHDAYS
A quick checklist of the jobs that need doing before home matchdays is below.
• Collecting teas from Rumblin’ Tum in Corstorphine
• Putting out scoreboards, boundary flags, tables, chairs and stumps
• Making the drinks for mid-innings and the tea interval – as of this Saturday (hopefully) all the necessary kit will be kept in the side armoury, so please help out by making up bottles of squash, using the drinking water tap in the dressing room block (the brass tap on the main sink dispenses drinking water).
• Making (i.e. brewing) the tea – we have ordered a tea urn and should be available from this weekend onwards. This will require filling up switching on and emptying when used up.
• Collecting match fees and notes of future availability – your captain will need to delegate this task, so please volunteer if you can.
• If the nets are being used, helping to set them and bowling machine up as needed and to get them down when finished.
If you notice that one of the jobs hasn’t been done then please take it upon yourself to help out. And if someone else is doing it by themselves, two people will generally get it done twice as fast, so please help out you can both then get on with preparing for the game.
WARMUP & FIELDING SESSIONS BEFORE MATCH START
We are sure you are all aware of the importance of warming up and getting plenty of fluids to the body before the match starts. We want this to be a standard routine every matchday. Pre-match fielding practice is also of real benefit and, to our minds, one of the keys towards winning games. Again, you do not need a sign from the captains to start these drills. Just go ahead.
What we also want is not just some catching practice (with one player giving a few catches to a group of players in a semi circle) but also some running around, targeting the stumps, some high catches, some ground fielding and the works. All four teams have struggled in the field at various points this season, and while we appreciate that not everyone is a natural athlete (several of the playing committee included...), we do expect everyone to do the best they can in the field and, through practice, give themselves the best possible chance of performing in the game.
TASKS DURING THE GAME
Jobs like keeping the scorebook, updating the scoreboard, bringing out the drinks and umpiring are the responsibility of all the playing members.
However, we have noticed that some of these jobs tend to fall on a handful of people. We can understand that players are uncomfortable in doing an activity they have never done before, but nobody is born knowing everything. What we want to see is an attitude that you are ready to do whatever is required to learn doing the stuff.
If you don’t feel confident enough to umpire then read the excellent guide to the Laws on the ESCA website (attached herewith) or do some umpiring in a friendly match. Another alternative is to ask your captain or fellow umpire if you could do a stint umpiring only at the square leg position every over. This is how some of us started umpiring and can be a real help in getting a feel for the role without the same pressures that go with umpiring at the striker’s end. Umpiring can be interesting and enjoyable, and has the obvious benefits of being close to the action and appreciating other players at close range.
Lastly, if you agree to play then you’re expected to stay around until the conclusion, whether or not the conclusion is a successful one. It’s important for good team spirit as well as for sharing the workload. Again, though, we realise that we’re not professionals and all have other pressures in our lives, so if you do need to leave early for any reason, speak to your captain as soon as possible, and ideally when stating your availability for the game in the first place. We can accommodate occasional requests to arrive late or leave early, but it’s much easier if you let us know the position well in advance.
BATSMEN’S RESPONSIBILITIES TO UMPIRES
Just as we need you to help your team by volunteering to umpire, it’s just as important that you as a batsman support your team-mates in their umpiring role, and in particular:
• Accept decisions, both when they are made and afterwards – mistakes will inevitably be made, but they are made in good faith. If you think you were wrongly given out then make the point quietly and constructively after the game, not by showing dissent or sulking at the time.
• If you know you have edged the ball, you are expected to walk. It puts your team-mate in a totally unfair position if you don’t, however tense the match situation. If you don’t think you have edged it then by all means wait for the decision – but then accept it, whatever it is.
APPROACH ON THE FIELD
As mentioned before, as a club we think we have a pretty good attitude to the game of cricket: we play hard but fair, and we play cricket in order to enjoy it. Maintaining this spirit is essential to the continued health and success of the club.
In order to do this, it’s worth pointing out that the time your captain and team-mates really need your support is not when things are going well – that pretty much happens as a matter of course. Where it can be really helpful is by keeping the energy and enthusiasm levels up when the team is up against it – when the opposition are piling on the runs and it’s hard to see where the next wicket is coming from. Those are the times when you can really make a difference by staying positive, by supporting your team-mates and encouraging them when things go wrong.
Lastly, there are bound to be times in every season when we feel that we have been the victim of incorrect decisions by opposition umpires or sharp practice by opposing players. It’s natural enough that these things can annoy us, but it’s important that we don’t let them put us off our own game. Better to channel our energy into our own performance and make sure we come away with a win – that’s by far the best way to ease the frustration of any perceived injustice.
These may all seem obvious points – but they’re also essential to a good team spirit and a positive, successful culture. When these things don’t happen then the game quickly stops being fun for everyone and the chances of winning those tight, tense games are massively reduced.
AFTER THE GAME
All the pieces of equipment that need to be put out at the start of the game also have to be put away at the end of it! Again, we expect the playing members to help out rather than wait to be asked. Any help is always very much appreciated even though we may not explicitly express it then and there.
BETWEEN GAMES: PRACTICES
As you know, practices are held at Roseburn every Monday from 6pm. We have also reintroduced Thursday practices, starting a little later (around 6.45pm) to allow the junior practice to finish – although if you come along earlier there’s always scope for a bit of fielding practice...!
If you’re struggling with any aspect of your game then please try to get along to a few practice sessions – it can make a big difference.
And as with the appeal above in relation to match days, there are things you can do to help make the sessions run well:
• Lend a hand with putting up/taking down the nets. It doesn’t take too long when there are enough of us. If you can’t be there for the whole session, at least try to be there either at the start or at the end. Regularly turning up, having a bat and then leaving others to do the donkey work is not greatly appreciated by captains or colleagues!
• Take part in fielding practices – and if there isn’t one going on, start one up! As captains we tend to have plenty to do and discuss during practice sessions, so having a few people taking the initiative and helping to manage the session is extremely welcome. You don’t need to defer to your skippers on this one – as far as we’re concerned, everyone is equal when it comes to club practice sessions.
SELECTION
A few points that have been made before but are worth restating:
• Please please please keep your captains posted about your availability! If you’re not sure whether you’ll be available for a given game, or if you’re unsure whether we know your availability, just send one of us a text. It takes 30 seconds and it makes a skipper’s job a heck of a lot easier.
• Team selection takes place on merit, with the proviso that we aim to select balanced sides throughout the club. We also want to give everyone a good opportunity to participate actively in games – we try not to pick players just to “make up the numbers”, as in the long run this leads people to get fed up and look elsewhere for their cricket. There may be odd occasions where you don’t get a lot of batting or bowling opportunities in a game, but we try to avoid this when we can.
• The best way to state your selection potential to the committee is to perform well in games and at practice sessions.
• As a rule, we expect you to play for whichever team you are selected for – we are a cricket club, not four independent teams. But that said, we don’t bite – so if you don’t feel happy playing for a particular team, or if you don’t think you’re being selected at the right level or in the right position, just come and have a quiet word with any one of us. I can promise that we’ll be constructive and sympathetic, and we’ll try to address whatever the issues are. If we are unaware what the issues are we can’t do anything about them!
We hope we have given you all a fair idea of what goes into organising the cricket and our expectations of where you, the playing members can help us out. If you have any questions or comments, please have a word to any one of us.
Thanks for reading!
Tom Wheeler, Ankeet Vora, Andrew Lacey, Chris Brown
Murrayfield DAFS CC Playing Committee
Now that we’re a month or so into our first season with Roseburn as the single home base for the club, we hope that everyone within the club is having an enjoyable experience of playing cricket and socialising after games.
It seems like a good time to set out a few thoughts from the playing committee about how we envisage organising the cricket every weekend with the long term future of the club in mind.
The sole purpose of this document is to serve as a means of communication between the playing committee and the members of the club. There are various things that we would like to communicate with club members and this document is a result of that. We would like to make you all a bit more aware of what the activities of the playing committee are and where you can help us out. This document is not directed at any one person, member or team, but is simply a means of sharing information.
OUR APPROACH TOWARDS CRICKET
As a club we think we have a pretty good attitude to the game of cricket: we play hard and we play to win, but we play fair, and ultimately we play cricket in order to enjoy it. Needless to say this is an attitude that the playing committee wishes to maintain in order for the club to thrive. We want everyone involved in the game to enjoy the time that they are playing, organising, umpiring, scoring, or any other activity they are involved in.
THOUGHTS ON THE SEASON SO FAR
It’s great that we’ve been able to put out four full teams every week of the season so far – several teams in the lower leagues have defaulted already this season because they couldn’t get enough players, so for a club of our modest means to put 44 players out every Saturday is no mean achievement. For those who have been missing out on selection, don’t forget the schedule of Sunday and midweek friendlies – there’s plenty of cricket to go round as long as you’re on the lookout for it.
On the field, it’s great to see the 3s and 4s doing so well – keep it up folks, and with any luck the 1s and 2s will begin to show what they’re capable of as well. One general point that applies to many of us is that we need to be a lot greedier with the bat – the games we play are 40-50 overs long, and most of the time we don’t last that long. If we keep sides out in the field for 35-40 overs and keep wickets in hand, it gives us a chance to push on at the end and post some really good totals. If on the other hand we find ourselves at 40-6, then even if we have a couple of partnerships we’re always going to be up against it.
The club is full of talented batsmen, but all too often they’re getting 20 or 30 and getting out, and still seeming to feel as if they’ve done their job. If you get 20 or 30 then you’ve done the hard work and should be looking at 50 and beyond. All we want from a batsman walking out to the middle is to think: what price am I going to ask from the opposition for my wicket? (Clue - the answer should be along the lines of “a high one”...)
ROSEBURN AS A SINGLE VENUE FOR ALL TEAMS
Despite mixed performances on the field so far and a few disruptions for various reasons, we believe we are much better off as a club to be playing at Roseburn every week. There’s a number of benefits for this and once we get the hang of the logistics of running two games every Saturday we’ll really start seeing the benefits.
The biggest long term benefit of having Roseburn as a shared base is that it, gives us two home games most weeks and the chance for us all to watch and get to know players from other teams within the club. As you will know, several games thus far have been subject to some disruption, from rugby fans and other uninvited guests, but with the schedule of Saturday rugby fixtures at Murrayfield coming to an end, and with the relevant authorities aware of the antics of some of our other occasional visitors, things should get better on that front from now on.
As a playing committee, we would like to record our thanks to those club officials (Paul Hubbard and Don Wilkie in particular) who have given up large amounts of their time to make the pitches and facilities at Roseburn as good as they can be. The club continues to move forward on that front, but we’ll leave the Executive Committee to keep you updated on armoury developments and so on.
Great also to see the youth setup really taking shape, with the junior team now having completed its first two competitive fixtures. Ian Shiels and Iain Martin have given up huge amounts of their time and done a fantastic job to set the youth structures up from scratch, with valuable assistance from a number of other members.
Again we won’t claim to speak for the youth committee, except to say that more volunteers to qualify as coaches and help out with the youth setup are always very welcome – speak to Ian Shiels in the first instance if you’re interested in that.
TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
As I’m sure you know, an awful lot of work is put in by captains and executive committee members to keep the club going and keep it moving forward. Team selection, transport logistics, pitch preparation, youth development, arranging fixtures, running practices, sorting out the teas on matchdays – it all takes a good deal of time and mainly falls to a handful of individuals.
For a club of our limited means, the playing committee needs and expects some help from the playing members every matchday towards organising the various activities involved. We would really appreciate it if club members would come forward and help us out. We do not want to be like task masters who bark orders at the players, and if everyone is doing their bit it makes for a happy and successful team.
The following things are some of these standards that we would like to set every matchday.
TASKS FOR THE CAPTAINS DURING THE WEEK BEFORE THE MATCHDAY
The captains during the week have to:
• Coordinate with the opposition for a confirmation of the match time and place.
• Select the teams and let the playing members know of their selection.
• Update the team sheet on the message boards, then post scores on the message board after the game.
• Coordinate the transport for the players if its an away game.
• In case of any last minute cancellations, coordinate the replacements and their transport (and believe us this does happen and has happened at least two weekends out of five this season).
• After home games, completing match return forms and sending them to ESCA; updating the ESCA message board with the result and scores; and for 1s and 2s skippers, phoning the results and scores to the newspapers.
BEFORE THE GAME: MEETING TIME
Meeting time for home games is normally one hour before the scheduled start – i.e. 12pm for 1s and 2s, 12.30pm for 3s and 4s – unless stated otherwise by your captain. It is the responsibility of each playing member to ensure that he/she is at the ground at the stipulated time and not five minutes before the start.
It’s equally important to meet on time for away games Every weekend the captains generally coordinate the transport for the players to the away games. If there is a common meeting point, we expect everybody to respect that time, as a delay means that the remaining three/four players in the car are also delayed. We have the Murrayfield hotel as the general meeting point, however this is not always the case. If in doubt please speak to the captains in good time ahead of the game.
We appreciate that none of us are professionals and that there will inevitably be times when we are delayed may be due to unforeseen situations or due to unavoidable events (traffic!). This is understandable as a one off event but not as a recurring thing. If you are held up on the way to the game, please let your captain know by phone or text.
If you are able to assist by giving lifts to away games, please offer. It would be good for this task to be rotated rather than the same people having to drive every time.
And as a passenger, please be willing to meet somewhere convenient for your driver rather than expecting to be picked up from the door. When accepting a lift you should also offer to pay your share of the petrol money at least.
TASKS ON HOME MATCHDAYS
A quick checklist of the jobs that need doing before home matchdays is below.
• Collecting teas from Rumblin’ Tum in Corstorphine
• Putting out scoreboards, boundary flags, tables, chairs and stumps
• Making the drinks for mid-innings and the tea interval – as of this Saturday (hopefully) all the necessary kit will be kept in the side armoury, so please help out by making up bottles of squash, using the drinking water tap in the dressing room block (the brass tap on the main sink dispenses drinking water).
• Making (i.e. brewing) the tea – we have ordered a tea urn and should be available from this weekend onwards. This will require filling up switching on and emptying when used up.
• Collecting match fees and notes of future availability – your captain will need to delegate this task, so please volunteer if you can.
• If the nets are being used, helping to set them and bowling machine up as needed and to get them down when finished.
If you notice that one of the jobs hasn’t been done then please take it upon yourself to help out. And if someone else is doing it by themselves, two people will generally get it done twice as fast, so please help out you can both then get on with preparing for the game.
WARMUP & FIELDING SESSIONS BEFORE MATCH START
We are sure you are all aware of the importance of warming up and getting plenty of fluids to the body before the match starts. We want this to be a standard routine every matchday. Pre-match fielding practice is also of real benefit and, to our minds, one of the keys towards winning games. Again, you do not need a sign from the captains to start these drills. Just go ahead.
What we also want is not just some catching practice (with one player giving a few catches to a group of players in a semi circle) but also some running around, targeting the stumps, some high catches, some ground fielding and the works. All four teams have struggled in the field at various points this season, and while we appreciate that not everyone is a natural athlete (several of the playing committee included...), we do expect everyone to do the best they can in the field and, through practice, give themselves the best possible chance of performing in the game.
TASKS DURING THE GAME
Jobs like keeping the scorebook, updating the scoreboard, bringing out the drinks and umpiring are the responsibility of all the playing members.
However, we have noticed that some of these jobs tend to fall on a handful of people. We can understand that players are uncomfortable in doing an activity they have never done before, but nobody is born knowing everything. What we want to see is an attitude that you are ready to do whatever is required to learn doing the stuff.
If you don’t feel confident enough to umpire then read the excellent guide to the Laws on the ESCA website (attached herewith) or do some umpiring in a friendly match. Another alternative is to ask your captain or fellow umpire if you could do a stint umpiring only at the square leg position every over. This is how some of us started umpiring and can be a real help in getting a feel for the role without the same pressures that go with umpiring at the striker’s end. Umpiring can be interesting and enjoyable, and has the obvious benefits of being close to the action and appreciating other players at close range.
Lastly, if you agree to play then you’re expected to stay around until the conclusion, whether or not the conclusion is a successful one. It’s important for good team spirit as well as for sharing the workload. Again, though, we realise that we’re not professionals and all have other pressures in our lives, so if you do need to leave early for any reason, speak to your captain as soon as possible, and ideally when stating your availability for the game in the first place. We can accommodate occasional requests to arrive late or leave early, but it’s much easier if you let us know the position well in advance.
BATSMEN’S RESPONSIBILITIES TO UMPIRES
Just as we need you to help your team by volunteering to umpire, it’s just as important that you as a batsman support your team-mates in their umpiring role, and in particular:
• Accept decisions, both when they are made and afterwards – mistakes will inevitably be made, but they are made in good faith. If you think you were wrongly given out then make the point quietly and constructively after the game, not by showing dissent or sulking at the time.
• If you know you have edged the ball, you are expected to walk. It puts your team-mate in a totally unfair position if you don’t, however tense the match situation. If you don’t think you have edged it then by all means wait for the decision – but then accept it, whatever it is.
APPROACH ON THE FIELD
As mentioned before, as a club we think we have a pretty good attitude to the game of cricket: we play hard but fair, and we play cricket in order to enjoy it. Maintaining this spirit is essential to the continued health and success of the club.
In order to do this, it’s worth pointing out that the time your captain and team-mates really need your support is not when things are going well – that pretty much happens as a matter of course. Where it can be really helpful is by keeping the energy and enthusiasm levels up when the team is up against it – when the opposition are piling on the runs and it’s hard to see where the next wicket is coming from. Those are the times when you can really make a difference by staying positive, by supporting your team-mates and encouraging them when things go wrong.
Lastly, there are bound to be times in every season when we feel that we have been the victim of incorrect decisions by opposition umpires or sharp practice by opposing players. It’s natural enough that these things can annoy us, but it’s important that we don’t let them put us off our own game. Better to channel our energy into our own performance and make sure we come away with a win – that’s by far the best way to ease the frustration of any perceived injustice.
These may all seem obvious points – but they’re also essential to a good team spirit and a positive, successful culture. When these things don’t happen then the game quickly stops being fun for everyone and the chances of winning those tight, tense games are massively reduced.
AFTER THE GAME
All the pieces of equipment that need to be put out at the start of the game also have to be put away at the end of it! Again, we expect the playing members to help out rather than wait to be asked. Any help is always very much appreciated even though we may not explicitly express it then and there.
BETWEEN GAMES: PRACTICES
As you know, practices are held at Roseburn every Monday from 6pm. We have also reintroduced Thursday practices, starting a little later (around 6.45pm) to allow the junior practice to finish – although if you come along earlier there’s always scope for a bit of fielding practice...!
If you’re struggling with any aspect of your game then please try to get along to a few practice sessions – it can make a big difference.
And as with the appeal above in relation to match days, there are things you can do to help make the sessions run well:
• Lend a hand with putting up/taking down the nets. It doesn’t take too long when there are enough of us. If you can’t be there for the whole session, at least try to be there either at the start or at the end. Regularly turning up, having a bat and then leaving others to do the donkey work is not greatly appreciated by captains or colleagues!
• Take part in fielding practices – and if there isn’t one going on, start one up! As captains we tend to have plenty to do and discuss during practice sessions, so having a few people taking the initiative and helping to manage the session is extremely welcome. You don’t need to defer to your skippers on this one – as far as we’re concerned, everyone is equal when it comes to club practice sessions.
SELECTION
A few points that have been made before but are worth restating:
• Please please please keep your captains posted about your availability! If you’re not sure whether you’ll be available for a given game, or if you’re unsure whether we know your availability, just send one of us a text. It takes 30 seconds and it makes a skipper’s job a heck of a lot easier.
• Team selection takes place on merit, with the proviso that we aim to select balanced sides throughout the club. We also want to give everyone a good opportunity to participate actively in games – we try not to pick players just to “make up the numbers”, as in the long run this leads people to get fed up and look elsewhere for their cricket. There may be odd occasions where you don’t get a lot of batting or bowling opportunities in a game, but we try to avoid this when we can.
• The best way to state your selection potential to the committee is to perform well in games and at practice sessions.
• As a rule, we expect you to play for whichever team you are selected for – we are a cricket club, not four independent teams. But that said, we don’t bite – so if you don’t feel happy playing for a particular team, or if you don’t think you’re being selected at the right level or in the right position, just come and have a quiet word with any one of us. I can promise that we’ll be constructive and sympathetic, and we’ll try to address whatever the issues are. If we are unaware what the issues are we can’t do anything about them!
We hope we have given you all a fair idea of what goes into organising the cricket and our expectations of where you, the playing members can help us out. If you have any questions or comments, please have a word to any one of us.
Thanks for reading!
Tom Wheeler, Ankeet Vora, Andrew Lacey, Chris Brown
Murrayfield DAFS CC Playing Committee
