Parent Help

Dear All,

Just a gentle reminder to all parents, that the coaches are going to be coming to you to discuss a tournament roster. We will be looking for roles that cover all skills but, the key ones will be scoring and umpiring.

We cannot do this without you and I know that, whilst you may not be jumping with joy at the chance of scoring/umpiring, you will do your best to help out the coaches who have worked so hard during the pre-tournament and, obviously, the tournament itself.

Don't forget the capping ceremony is on Tuesday 7th December at Takapuna Rugby Club from 7pm. Bring your cameras and cash/cheques (no eftpos facilities) for the gear.

Thank you all for the help and support that you have given so far.

Keys to Success

In the run in to the tournament, you must start focusing on raising your performance levels. I have discussed this in the posts below but, really need you to focus on putting the words in to practice. In particular:

1. Partnerships: Bowling and batting partnerships are key to team performance. You must keep the pressure on when you bowl, sometimes you will need to sacrifice pace for good length and look to bowl dot balls. When batting you must turn the strike over. I will be looking at the scorebooks for evidence of good partnerships. Work together.
   
2. Positivity: As a team and an individual you must remain positive about your performance. Put the poor shot/ball behind you and focus on what you are going to do. Use your imagination to think about how the ball is going to leave your hand or bat. Bowlers, imagine the ball leaving your hand, the seam, the shape of delivery as it pitches and hits the top of offstump. Batsmen, picture the ball leaving the bowlers hand and imagine the sound and the feel of the ball as it is strikes the middle of the bat. As a team, make sure that you keep positive throughout the game - no negative thoughts or words. All positive and all about us!
3. Every ball is an event: When fielding, every run you save by diving or chasing a ball, is one more they have to score and/or one less you do. Every time you back up the stumps and stop and overthrow, is a run saved. When you are batting, every time you push the field and score a single because your partner was backing up or called well or when you play the ball in to the gap instead of smashing it to a fielder is one more to yours and one less to them. At the end of the game, when you add all the little events up, it will make the difference between winning and losing.
   

We all believe in your ability, you need to believe it! Play fair and with respect, play hard and remain positive!

Burgundy A/B v. Manukau A/B (Lloyd Elsmore Park) - This Sunday

Burgundy A
William O'Donnell (Capt)
Cole Briggs (Wk)
Connor Stuart
Donald Coleman
Angus McKenzie
Reid Hastie
Chris Groenink
Bronson Marshall
Max Lewis
Jake Fitzgibbon
Angus Nicoll
Unavailable: Eru Hudson

Burgundy B
Ed Henning
Scott Prentice
Asher Robb
Oliver Cheyne
Sean Reader
Jack Stevenson
Kieran Young
Keegan Russell
Jake Meenhorst
Dylan Stevenson
Liam Brown
Scott Gannaway
Unavailable: Jake Skellern

Both games will start at 10:00am, so be at Lloyd Elsmore Park, Howick for 9:15am latest.

Capping Ceremony and NH Gear

The capping ceremony will confirm all the teams for the tournament. It is also your opportunity to purchase the NH PSB cricket gear:

• The PSB Value Package $95 (Includes 2 playing shirts, warm-up shirt, shorts and vest)
• Vest $55
• Shorts $25
• Warm-up Shirt $30
• Playing Shirts $30 (for two)
• Tracksuit Jacket $60
  

Cheques or cash only on the night (no EFTPOS facilities)

I will also need to make sure that you have paid you subscriptions ($50 non-academy and $85 academy) and that you have paid (if you are having one) for your PSB Tournament photo ($15). Please make sure that you have handed your money to your coach before capping – you have either the 28th November (Burgundy) or 5th December (Black).

PSB 2010 Game Schedule

Games v. Eastern (Update)

I am compiling the scores for a full update but, I think it would be fair to say that all teams were given a "wake up call" to the level they need to be at for the tournament.

In all three games we did not compile enough runs to compete. This is not Saturday cricket; where you can expect to get non-bowlers coming on and serving up some buffet bowling; you need to work hard for your runs. This is a mental struggle and also a realisation that you must know where your scoring areas are ... turning the strike over is absolutely essential at this level and dot-ball strings can kill a batting total. You must learn to run (and call) better and know where the singles are.

I have not had a look at the strike rates but, can guarantee that we did not work the ball around. I saw some very talented boys playing (and admiring) wonderful shots struck directly to fielders for no runs. You must learn to score ugly and the top five batsmen need to score most of the runs at a good rate - you cannot expect the lower order to come in with 15 overs to go and score at 5-6 per over.

Bowling and fielding is always going to be difficult when trying to restrict a team to a small total but, you all need to be more aggressive in the field. Every ball is an event and every run you stop is one less you (or one more they) need to score. I saw some good fielding and catching but, there was not enough desire and anticipation for this level; watch the way that a good fielder moves and makes catches and stops look easy. It is not because they are lucky and are in the right place at the right time - they anticipate the shot from the way the batsmen move their feet and they move before the ball is hit. Bowlers need to be patient and bowl consistently good length balls - wickets are tough to come by and you need to work a batsmen out. Good length bowling is absolutely essential at this level (even at the expense of line), you must be able to maintain pressure; a good length ball that is slightly wide, is still going to get a batsmen thinking about the shot he needs to play, a long hop allows him to hit the ball where he wants, whatever the line!

I am convinced that this is not a technical issue; they are not technically better than we are. We need to step up our levels of intensity and start playing like this means something as opposed to being just another game. You must enjoy your cricket but this does not mean that I will accept poor performances. I am also aware that many of you are new to 50 over cricket; it is tiring and you need to be fitter (physically and mentally). This is only going to get harder (5 days of cricket at the tournament) so make sure that you look after your bodies ... hydrate and eat well before, during and after the game. Do not over play, you are young and developing. Make sure that you rest well and keep your practice to a short high intensity - you need to be fresh for the game.

I challenge you all to make the step up to PSB cricket, you would not be in the sides if we did not believe you can do it. So let's make sure that the next two games against Manukau and Western show a higher intensity and reflect our skills and commitment.

Ten Ways to Get Out (or culture corner)

Careful and clever that batsmen must be
Who wishes to tot up a century.
Ten different dangers to hedge him about
By any of which he may be put out,
First "bowled", second "caught", and third "leg before",
A fate that most batsmen dislike and deplore.
The fourth is "run out", deemed very bad cricket;
The fifth, if he clumsily "hit his own wicket".
"Stumped" is the sixth, the seventh we'll call
Foolishly touching or handling the ball.
Eighth, if the striker "should hit the ball twice"
With malice prepense - a pestilent vice.
Ninth, if he purposely spoils a fair catch
While running - and tenth, the last of the batch,
When jacket or hat, propelled by a gale,
Touches the wicket displacing a bail!
William Outhwaite (c1883)

Partnerships

"One thing our innings in this match underlined was the reality that it is very hard to make good totals in one-day matches without good partnerships. It's something we regularly talk about during team meetings, and I felt that this game showed that we've taken this lesson on board. It was important after Watto was dismissed so early that Tim Paine and I got things back on track, even though the wicket was playing some tricks. Then Mitch and Brett Lee and then Mitch and Nathan Hauritz worked really well together during the final 10 overs of our innings.

Partnerships were a key when we bowled too, especially in the latter stages when we closed the game out in efficient fashion. Those last few overs have been a bit of an Achilles heel for us over the years, so I took a lot of satisfaction from the way we took 6-55 from the final 61 deliveries of the game, to clinch the game by 50 runs with 19 balls to spare."

Ricky Ponting "The Captains Year 2010"
ICC Champions Trophy 2009: Game 5, Group A (September 26) Australia v. South Africa

I read this yesterday and thought of you chaps and how I keep going on about how important partnerships (batting/bowling) are ... good to see that I am supported by Ricky Ponting.

Burgundy A/B v. Hamilton (31 October)

Burgundy A v. Hamilton A
Hamilton A 84/10
Jake Fitzgibbon 0/14, Angus Nicoll 1/21, Max Lewis 1/16, Reid Hastie 3/12, Chris Groenink 1/12, Eru Hudson 1/3, Bronson Marshall 3/3
Burgundy A 85/3
Connor Stuart 17, Donald Coleman 35, Angus McKenzie 10*

A very comprehensive win and good performance across the whole team.

Burgundy B v. Hamilton B
Burgundy B 176/10
Dylan Stevenson 39, Ed Henning 47, Oliver Cheyne 17, Jake Meenhorst
Hamilton B 125/10 (30th Over)
Keegan Russell 4/21, Jack Stevenson 3/28, Kieran Young 1/14, Scott Gannaway 1/6

A very good win, with some key batting partnerships (Dylan/Jake 67 and Ed/Oliver 55) forming a good total. This was followed up by a good all round bowling/fielding performance with catches being taken and a direct hit run out.

Well done to both teams, not quite beating the U18's in speedy getaway but, on the road in good time. Great start to the season.

Tournament dates

PSB Tournament Dates: 27-31 December 2010 @ Lloyd Elsmore Park, Howick