Fourth of July!

What a way to celebrate Independance Day!

14 players came out to represent England and the USA, including first-timers Ashwan, Mike and Jon. It was great to see new faces and fill out the sides on a perfect Sunday in Vermont.

With the addition of Ashwan, the England bowling attack became the focus of the match, and they did not disappoint. Ashwan and Bhima bagged two wickets apiece, while regulars Kevin and Barrie each took one. Debutante Mike Todd returned to the pitch with some left-arm bowling, only to be roughly treated by Chris for three fours and a six. The wily veteran had the last laugh, however, by inducing Chris to take a single before having the luckless Dan caught off the last ball of the over.

England made short work of their target, with Ashwan and the Insidious Mister Wides top scoring. The USA is going to have to work on some bowling discipline if they are to have a hope on Battle Day!

Thanks again to everyone - see you next time on the pitch!

Scorecard


USA
Merrick - 0
Joe -22
Dan - 0, 0
Neel - 15
Zak - 1
Chris - 19*
Jon - 0, 0
Extras -2
----------------
TOTAL 59 (9.2 overs)

ENGLAND
Barrie -4
Peter - 5
Ashwan - 26*
Max - 5*
Extras -20
---------------
Total - 60 (5.5 overs)

What a Day for Cricket!

Certainly wasn't a day for football! :/

While England was busy creeping across the line to beat Australia, and the other England team was slouching towards defeat, a decent little contest was brewing on Lower Willow between two 4-man sides. This day, England consisted of Barrie, Bhima, Eric and Zak, while the USA gave Neel Patel his debut in support of Peter, Chris and John Paul. Batters were given two wickets apiece.

The USA won the toss and put England in to bat, and Neel opened the bowling.

Barrie was bowled first ball, but it for some reason seemed unfair, so he was given a do-over. Barrie then proceeded to nick the next ball to slip and that had to be that. What a start!

Eric then came in, and after sandwiching a four between two dot balls, fell to Neel on his 5th delivery. Zak survived the last ball of the over and Neel's first over went 4 for 2. Sweet.

Bhima finally got on strike and negotiated his way to 27 before being bowled (quite happily, I might add) by John Paul in the 10th over. England finished on 65/5.

The USA's reply began with Bhima bowling Peter for one in the first over, and the game appeared to be on. But once Chris arrived at the crease, he unleashed a batting display of such devastating ferocity that he was almost banned from ever batting again. Seven fours, three sixes and one lost ball later, the USA won the game in the 8th over with 12 balls to spare.

Thanks again to everyone who came out, and especially Peter for mowing the wicket. It was a great day out, and I know we had a LOT more fun than those who stayed home to watch England.

At least there will be no more conflicts for anyone for the rest of the Cup, unless we pick up a young Argentinian leg spinner...

See you on the pitch!
Chris


Scorecard

ENGLAND
Barrie 1 - 0
Bhima - 27
Eric - 4
Zak - 0
Barrie 2 - 14
Eric 2 - 3*
Zak 2 - 3*
Extras - 14
-------------
TOTAL - 65

USA
Peter - 1
Neel - 8
Chris - 51*
John Paul - 0
Peter 2 - 3*
Extras - 4
------------
TOTAL - 67

A Window in the Clouds

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone who showed up for a little training yesterday. We relined the pitch (thanks to Mick's timely paint resupply) and uncovered a new talent in Neel Patel - young, talented and the great Tendulkar visited his school a few years back. Did anything rub off? Watch him casually play a cut shot and decide for yourself!

Mick has graciously smuggled two new training balls through customs and I am about to order some new "Adolphus Cheesegrater Specials", as they have been by far the most durable ball and at $2.50 apiece cannot be beat.

I would also encourage anyone with cricket pads to bring them in next week as we'll try batting with them on now that the competition is heating up. Watch the LBW shouts start to increase!

Young Zak Randall started spraying the ball all over the place after Mick whispered a few secret words of advice in his ear. Anyone interested in hearing what Mick actually said will have to contact him directly as he refuses to share.

If anyone has any pull over at Weather.com, please use it to get us a dry weekend!

Until next time,
Chris

Battle Lines are Drawn!

In an attempt to solidify the sense of teamwork and national pride (ahead of the World Cup matchup tomorrow) I've gone ahead and drawn up two sides for our summer!

I've tried to keep families together (no need to replicate that OTHER war on US soil) and have also tried to balance the two teams as much as possible. Much will, of course, rely on attendance, as there are both potential and infrequent players on the list. But if we try real hard, we can field two sides of 11! Hopefully having a sense of place will encourage people to show up and win one for their teams!

The captains will keep an eye on the balance of the matches, and if one side keeps winning consistently, trades will be made to even things out. Permanent sides will be selected once things feel right!

So check out your team and start sledging right away - the Battle for Bennington has begun!

Mick, captain
Bhima, captain
Kevin
Sarah
Barrie
Maryann
Simon
Tony
Peter 
Irek
Bartek

Chris, captain
Eric, captain
David T-A
John Paul
Michelle
Justin
Dan
Nate

Joe
Max
Zander
Ashley
Zak
David A.

Anyone not on a team will certainly be placed on one once they show up! So spread the word, get your teammates out on the pitch and let's play some cricket!

Some basic points to ponder...

I thought it might be helpful for everyone to look over some of the basics of batting... I know we don't always get a chance to go over this during the weekend, but some simple instructions (via the BBC Cricket site) might help a little or a lot to clear up how and what to do when you get your turn to bat!

So get out your broomsticks and practice these moves in the comfort of your den and we'll see how well you can apply them on Sunday!




The grip principles are the same for right and left-handers.



For a right-hander the left hand should be at the top of the handle - vice versa for a left-hander.

Check both your hands are fairly close together on the bat, towards the top of the handle.

Form a "V" by pointing your thumb and forefinger down between outside edge and centre of back of bat.

The top hand rests comfortably on the inside of the front thigh (left thigh for a right hander).

And the back of the top hand should face towards extra cover (the 2nd Baseman in baseball).

The stance is the "ready" position when the batsman is about to face a delivery.



It is the base to play all your shots, so remember to be comfortable and relaxed.

Points to remember:

The feet should be approximately a foot length apart either side or on the popping crease

The weight of the batsman should be on the balls of their feet, with the knees slightly bent. This means they can transfer quickly to either their front or back foot depending on the length of the ball

The batsman should be side on when the bowler is about to deliver

Some batsmen prefer to open their stance to help them see the ball clearer

Here's how to get the correct backlift and step



Most batsmen will raise their bat as the bowler approaches.

Taking the bat back and stepping to the ball sets the batsman up for playing the correct shot properly.

The bat is taken back towards the stumps and at the top of the backlift the face should open towards second slip.

The front shoulder should roll down as the bat is lifted, with the head kept as still as possible.

Keep the hands close to the back hip, so that toe of the bat is at around shoulder height.

Ensure any movement forward or back is completed before the downswing of the bat begins.

The batsman's job is to score as many runs as possible.



But to build an innings, a batsman needs sound judgement to work out which deliveries to defend, leave or score off.

Even top class batsmen give their wicket away because of poor shot selection, so it's not an easy science.

The batsman has approximately 12 shots to choose from either side of the wicket.

So stroke selection depends on the line, length and speed of a delivery.

There are three main lines, or direction of delivery:

Off stump and outside
Middle stump
Leg stump and outside

And there are six main lengths of delivery, meaning how far the ball travels in the air:

Bouncer/long hop (shortest delivery, ends up head-high) 
Short of a length
Good length
Full length/half volley
Full toss (bounces right at the batsman's feet) 
Yorker (hits stumps without bouncing)      

For the best chance of building an innings, a batsman needs to move their feet backwards or forwards to get into the best position to play a stroke.

BACK FOOT STROKES

A shorter length delivery will usually be played on the back foot.

The main back foot shots are:

Hook shot
Pull shot
Square cut
Back defence

The hook, pull and square cut are cross-batted shots (like a baseball swing) where the arms are fully extended for maximum power.

The hook and pull are usually played to deliveries on middle and leg stump, while the square cut is played to a ball outside off stump.

The leg glance (just nicking a ball behind your legs and past the keeper) and drive can also be played on the back foot.

FRONT FOOT STROKES

A fuller length (closer to the crease) delivery will normally be played on the front foot.

The main front foot shots are:

Off drive (hitting the ball to the opposite field) 
Straight drive (hitting the ball back at the bowler) 
On drive (pulling the ball over the shortstop's head) 
Sweep shot (hitting the ball behind you from one knee) 
Forward defence (Block, block, block!) 

The off and straight drive are played to deliveries which pitch (hit the ground) on off stump and outside, while the on drive is played to a ball pitching (hitting the ground) around leg stump.

The sweep shot is played to a ball from a spinner pitching around leg stump and outside (a slower ball thrown right at you and landing close to the crease).

The leg glance can also be played off the front foot.

England v. USA, part 2...

One of the shortest, most exciting matches in recent memory occurred last weekend when the United States' opening bowler Tony Malikowski removed both of England's openers in his first over. When Maryann fell for a duck in the 4th over, England were in serious trouble at 8/3. Captain Bhima, however, strolled to the crease and marshaled a fightback, scoring 19 runs and getting England to 34 all out in just under 7 overs. The Polish expats of Malikowski and Sobolowski grabbed two wickets apiece for the home side.

The American side liked their chances - needing only 3.4 runs an over - until Kevin "Big Britain" Wright induced John Paul into giving a thick edge back to the keeper on the very first ball of the US's reply. Calamity struck again in the over as Tony, having struck a smart four from the first ball he faced, gave a straightforward caught and bowled back to Wright. Each team had lost two wickets in their first over, and now the game was even.

American captain Chris then took to the crease and tried to keep the home side ahead of the rate, but after adding only 11 runs, the three remaining wickets fell at the other end for the addition of only one run. England won by 16 runs. England leads the series 2-0.

SCORECARD

England
Kevin - 0
Barrie - 0
Maryann - 1
Bhima - 19
Irek - 1
Bartek - 0
EXTRAS - 13
-----------
TOTAL 34

USA
John Paul - 0
Tony - 4
Chris - 12
Michelle - 0
Bartek - 0
EXTRAS - 2
-----------
TOTAL 18


With a record 8 ducks, I think a little defensive work is in order, as well as how to take singles and get off the mark. I'm looking forward to getting together after the Memorial Day weekend for some practice and another match!

A Great Day For Cricket!

Excellent turnout today - 17 people! Thanks to Ashley and Michelle, two new recruits who did well on their first day of cricket, we had all kinds of talent and experience on the pitch...

Here's how the first 'unofficial Official' match played out:

Team USA
Kevin - 1
Nate - 2
Dan - 6
Peter - 4
Justin - 0
Zander - 4
Michelle - 0
Ashley - 1
Bhima - 7
Extras - 10
___________
TOTAL - 35

Team England
John Paul - 2
Max - 12
Barrie - 7
Mary Ann - 0
David - 1
Joe - 10
Eric - 8
Chris - 2
Extras - 15ish
_______________
TOTAL 57


Great energy, enthusiasm and effort by everyone today! With practice everyone will get a feel for the rhythm of the game and greater levels of fun will be had.

I hope you all enjoyed the day and will join us again as we build towards the Battle Day showdown!


Thank you everyone!

Chris