A physics lesson

So after an amazing, incredible, KP rehabilitating, early-rising, table-thumping, cereal-spilling, wife-waking England win in Mumbai its off to Kolkata for the 3rd Test with more momentum than a Higgs bosom particle (I am never sure what momentum is in cricket but the England players think it's good to have, so that's all you need to know - though you should really try to find out more about Higgs boson - that is important). India don't play many Test matches in Kolkata but when they do they seem to know where to find their momentum and what to do with it.

In each of the last three Test matches at Kolkata (against West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan) India have scored over 600 runs in their first innings - whether they batted first or not - and won the last two Tests by an innings. MS Dhoni in particular knows how to get his own batting momentum going in Kolkata - he averages well over 100 there - so maybe it will be his turn to play the important captain's innings. MS is under some pressure from the Indian press for the team's and his own performances, and being a gritty kind of guy, don't be surprised if he doesn't make some commentators eat their words with a gritty innings.

MS says he wants to play on hard, bouncy wickets like the one in Mumbai as he relishes the challenge in playing against 'fast' spinners like Monty and Swanny. Not sure his team mates would agree with this sentiment having been made to look like, well, England batsmen usually look like when playing spin in the sub continent - bemused, befuddled and begone. Surian Botham, who does know a thing or two about winning in India, has bet a night's supply of claret that the Kolkata wicket will have less bounce than a beach. It looks like momentum will be important after all.

Sucess through hard work - naturally

If I had a pound for every time I have heard Sir Ian Botham go on about "letting Kevin Pietersen play his natural game", I could build a new clubhouse at the Valley. Sorry 'Surian' but you are talking baloney. In watching KP's marvellous and game-changing innings of 187 against India today, it was obvious that he wasn't playing his natural game - he was playing his 'Indian spinners on a turning sub continent wicket' game - and doing it rather well. His success was not so much due to natural talent but down to the hours of hard work KP has put in with, amongst others,  Mushy, the England spin coach, to make sure his game is ready for the conditions he will face. Yes, this is the old nature v nurture debate but let's put this debate to bed once and for all.

KP is a worthy example of what can be achieved through sheer hard work, rather than relying upon, perhaps dubious, talent. Growing up in South Africa, KP was an ok spin bowler and and even less ok batsman. But one thing that KP certainly has in his make up is self-belief and he knew he should and could achieve better than 'ok'. So he worked hard, very hard by all accounts, and then fell foul, in his eyes at least, of the SA quota system and so came to England determined to suceed - the rest is a colourful and as yet unfinished story. But the point is that KP's talent, or natural game, was nowhere near good enough by itself to play International cricket - it was sheer hard work and dedicated practice that made him the batsman he is today.

Any serious coach should not be in any doubt that the talent myth should not be perpetuated any longer - it is rather the ability to work hard and learn from all that effort that should be held in high esteem. For students of theory look no further than the research by Carol Dwerk1 who clearly showed that students who believe that talent is a prerequisite to success quickly became demotivated by failures - 'it's not my fault, I'm just not good at this' - whilst students whose mindsets are that ability could be improved through effort saw failure as something to be overcome and an opportunity to learnt from mistakes. So the good coaches don't say 'you have a wonderful natural cover drive' they say 'how can you hit the ball better?' Of course some players are born with better eye-hand-ball coordination or faster reactions than others but hard, specific practice, and lots of it, with a smart coach will quickly achieve better results than a reliance upon God-given talent. So if you are told you don't have the talent to play at the highest level, think yourself lucky and just start practising.

1. Bounce by Matthew Syed.

As night follows day

It should be strange to see Jimmy Anderson coming out to bat when England are only 3 wickets down but unfortunately for us England supporters it is too common a sight. We know what's coming more often than not - another wicket and sometimes two. For this nightwatchman malarkey doesn't work - the stats confirm it doesn't work and more importantly it messes with batsman's minds.

By all accounts Andy Flower leaves it to the incoming batsman to decide if he would prefer to sit out the final overs of day if a wicket falls. What nonsense - who is charge here? What is the logic of
sending in someone whose day job is bowling to bat in, what is usually, the most demanding time of the day. And when he arrives at the crease what is the nightwatchman's job? - to keep off strike to avoid being exposed or to take all the strike to protect the other batsman? The same half baked logic should say that if another wicket falls then another nightwatchman should be sent out - so the batting order is suddenly reversed to get through a few overs.

Meanwhile the man best qualified to bat is sitting in the pavilion with his feet up watching the crazy proceedings out in the middle. This must send out all the wrong signals to the opposition and also plays mind games with the batsman. First he is asking himself if he wants a nightwatchman and whether that is a sign of weakness or fear. Next, at what stage does he call for a nightwatchman - 10 overs to go, 5 overs to go? This is the way that madness lies. If a batsman is due in next then he should go in. It should never be questioned - so the batsman is prepared whenever that wicket falls and he should back his skill and determination to bat in whatever way is the circumstances demand. Jimmy's a great cricketer but let him serve the team by bowling not by trying to do a job he is not qualified to do.

UPDATE: On the first day of the 3rd Test between Australia and South Africa, the second Australian wicket fell with six overs left in the day. Ricky Pointing, playing in his last Test, was next in. Ricky is known for his toughness as well as his talent. So I wonder who decided it was best to send in Lyon as nightwatchman for the last six overs in what was a very tough final session?

2nd UPDATE: The following morning Warner was out first ball of the day. Ponting walked in...and then was back in the pavilon again 7 balls later. Australia collapsed to 163 all out. Did the nighwatchman make a difference? It is difficult to think it could have been any worse if Ponting had gone in a toughed it out and perhaps set the tone for the following day.

When stubborn can be stupid

I am sorry but Mr Flower's number one fan is becoming disillusioned. First I thought that Andy did not cover himself in glory during the KP debacle. I am in the Clive Woodward camp in thinking KP should never play for England again, but I gave the ashes winning and former number one test side coach the benefit of the doubt. However after today's play at Ahmedabad I am becoming seriously wobbly about whether Flower's well signalled stubbornness to stick with a four man bowling attack whatever the conditions is just plain stupid.

You could hear the cries of 'I told you so' from Taunton to Durham as our much vaunted seam attack was shown to be no more than an appetising starter for Sehwag and co. Swanny however did not disappoint and the slow turning wicket was no surprise either. So unless we have convinced the BCCI to let Swann bowl at both ends we are going to desperately miss Panesar. Unfortunataly you didn't hear it it here first. Call me stupid if you like Mr Flower - but not for being just plain stubborn.

The biggest little squad in Surrey

 

A little momento for you all - one of the hottest day's of the season for the club's 6-a-side day. But where's Wally?

The original Whispering Death

You are forgiven for not knowing that today is the birthday of one of the world's most fearsome and destructive bowlers - not Michael Holding - Harold Larwood. Larwood was not a big man (5' 8" and 11 stone) but was quick - seriously quick and frightened most batsmen, but he was also mean. He was mean in not allowing the batsman to score runs off him and he was particularly mean when they did - bowling for Larwood was a bloody affair - both giving and receiving. In the last Test at Sydney in the Ashes winning 'bodyline' series Larwood was bowled into the ground by his captain, Jardine, in an attempt to totally dominate and intimidate Bradman. When the day was over, Larwood, who was wearing new boots, was able to wring the blood out of his socks. Larwood never gave an inch nor expected any in return.

Larwood will always be associated with the bodyline Ashes series of 1932/2 in Australia. Larwood was the X-factor in Jardine's masterly plan to stop Bradman from scoring and the rules of the game were changed as a result. However it wasn't short bowling or even leg side bowling that was the plan - it was to bowl directly at Bradman's body that was the tactic that Jardine employed. This was after a review by Jardine of as much film of Bradman as he could find in attempt to find a weakness (the first video analysis?). It was the look in Braman's eyes after he had faced a short ball that Jardine saw - fear was evident even at long range on black and white grainy film - and the plan to stop Bradman was hatched.



Although Jardine employed other bowlers to bowl short and leg side it was only really Larwood who was able to bowl fast and accurate enough to cause Bradman real problems. Bradman scored less than 400 runs in eight inning in that series - well below his career average and Larwood got his man on four occasions. Larwood finished with 33 wickets in that series at an average of under 20 and economy of under 3. For that performance and dedication to his team and captain he was dropped and made a scapegoat by a weak MCC in the furore that followed England's 4-1 series win.

Cricket is dominated by stats - here are some stats that show the domination by one man:

- Larwood was consistently timed at over 95 mph and once at over 100 mph.
- 1,427 first class wickets (batman friendly pitches remember), 743 of which were bowled.
- 100 wickets in a season eight times and headed the first class average in five summers: no other bowler before or since has equalled this feat.
- He usually broke at least one if not two stumps in very match.
- Larwood's run up was so fast he had a drag of 32 inches after his final stride.

Happy Birthday Harold

PS If you would like to know more about this incredible cricketer - and man - then I can highly recommend Duncan Hamilton's biography.

Curry for Christmas lunch?

At last something useful and interesting from Twitter - Sky tweeted to give us the fantastic news that India v Pakistan T20 match is on Christmas Day at 1.30. Thank goodness for that. Turkey curry in front of the telly watching Kohli smash sixes or Afridi do some strictly dancing moves on a length during the interval, is infinitely preferable to acting out a scene from Downton Abbey for a game of charades with my mother. And with Australia playing South Africa in the boxing day test I should be able to stay up all night watching some great cricket. I will then have the perfect excuse to sleep during boxing day instead of acting out a scene from Coronation Street for a game of charades with my mother-in-law. Then back home in time to see Quins smash L Irish in the Big Game at Twickers. Holiday sorted.

Coaching – a necessity or unaffordable luxury?

The big issue facing the club at the moment is whether the club needs, or can afford, to invest in formal coaching of our players – both youths and seniors. Surely the more important question is can the club afford not to provide coaching for its players?

The constitution of the club (which is also a charity now of course) is very clear about this – the only stated objective in the constitution contains the unequivocal obligation for ‘the provision of …high class coaching facilities’. Perhaps the debate should end there but let’s look at the issues that are generating much angst amongst the great and good at the club.

To be honest it is unlikely that any club member is advocating, in an ideal world, that coaching shouldn’t be provided – it is more likely that real world constraints of money and personnel are the understandable concerns of those responsible for the management of the club – and no wonder given the almost financially ruinous season the club has just, barely, survived. When it comes to the playing side – and those all-important league results – the club did a whole lot better than just survive – it positively flourished. A promotion, a cup win, and good league placings for all sides, in spite of the cancellations due to poor weather, meant that the club’s record in Surrey saw another strong performance. However the danger is that these good playing results are papering over the cracks of concern regarding the club’s coaching provision.

The membership has not been ignored and has been asked for its views on a whole host of issues – a recent survey of youths’ parents identified poor coaching as the number one issue for the club to address and the seniors’ survey results also identify coaching as a big concern. So the management has got the message that it needs to do something about it – but what?

Money of course is the real issue, or rather the lack of it. The club is not cash rich and barely breaks even each season so to provide a paid coach of any kind the club needs to find additional money from somewhere – either by generating new funds or by making savings elsewhere. Let’s not be under any illusion - the club’s financial resources are stretched to the limit with the new facilities coming on stream at Woodlands Lane. The ground staff more than rose to the challenge as the main Woodlands facilities finished top of Surrey Championship’s pitch and ground criteria – but that came at a cost and understandably last season the club management felt the need to prioritise funds in this direction. And that in a nutshell is the issue facing them for next season – priority of funding.

It is easy to pretend that the club can somehow provide adequate coaching for ‘free’. There are after all qualified coaches who are members of the club – surely they can provide the coaching the club needs? Well perhaps, but these guys have their own understandably different personal priorities and unless they are prepared to commit to lots of time to oversee, run and organise a coaching programme then any part time coaching will be just that – only provided part of the time. So probably the club must look externally for such coaching resources.

The ‘overseas’ player is an obvious place to start. The club could take on an overseas player who can add playing strength to the first team and provide coaching as well. Other clubs do this but for our club this option is not so straightforward.  There are two reasons – first, other clubs pay their overseas player a reasonable wage whereas we take overseas players who see it more as experience and almost a gap year project – so we can get these players on the cheap (with, it must be said, significant financial support from some members that provide the player’s accommodation and much more), and that usually means that these players have little or no coaching experience or ability. Second, the club uses the overseas player as additional ground staff. The club’s head grounds man readily admits that preparing the wickets and the grounds at both Woodlands and the old ground would be an impossible task without the work done by the overseas player. So again money and priority are the issues.

Is doing nothing an option? After all the playing results continue to be good so it is understandable that the club management, faced with financial restraints, feels it has other more pressing priorities for funding. But there can be no doubt the club is teetering on the edge of the slippery slope of player and parental disaffection with its lack of proper coaching and player development. The signs are there for all to see: youth membership numbers have fallen for the first time in years; and, at the moment at least, the club does not appear to bringing on many players with the quality of the Youngs, Durandt, Peploe, Nevin and Kingsnorth. So the question remains: can the club afford not to prioritise its funds to improve the provision of coaching and if so what has to give?
The club’s General meeting on 21^st November is your chance to join in the big debate – and influence the future of your club.

We need to talk about....ClubHub

I think it took most people by surprise – all of a sudden there it was, an all dancing, all singing, brand shiny new piece of bespoke software that would make our lives easier…..we were told. But like a child with Attention Deficit Syndrome, ClubHub demands an awful lot of our attention and effort.

The basic idea of ClubHub is simple. Every player is registered on ClubHub and can then log on and mark their availability, or otherwise, against the relevant games, and then bingo – the selection committee has all the information it needs at its finger-tips to select the teams from the available players. The selected teams are entered on ClubHub, the player logs on to see his selection, confirms it and receives instructions for the day. Simples.

Except like any computer application – rubbish in, rubbish out – and that’s what we had last season as the player availability data was rubbish. It was inaccurate and incomplete and therefore almost worse than not having anything at all. Every player availability had to be rechecked as we couldn’t rely upon it and there were an awful lot of players who couldn’t be bothered to even register yet alone use it. So selection required the usual manic texting and phone calls with players to confirm availability before selection could be confirmed. To cap it all the selected teams were posted on the club website so players didn’t even have to use ClubHub to check their selection.

The reason for this mess, in hindsight, is obvious. No one is going to make any effort to do anything unless they can see the benefit of it. And a lot of players could not see the point of putting their availability on ClubHub when the old system of telling the captain worked ok as they got their game of cricket each week as always.

But for us captains it doesn’t stop there. We have to enter our selected side on ClubHub, then confirm whether they played or not and finally enter the result. We were asked to do all this to make it easier for the data to be collected for the Club Mark accreditation. Fair enough, because this is vital to the club for grants – except that players are not buying into this importance.

So what will happen next season? To my mind either players see the value of it and use it, or we ‘make’ the players use it, or we drop it (and just use for youths which generally works apparently). Whatever happens I hope it is soon discussed and agreed by the membership for I have better things to do with my time – like writing blogs.

Playing the odds

Speaking of captaincy skills, deciding upon the batting order is always one job that is more of an art than skill. The art being to keep most of the players happy most of the time. No doubt the players believe that there is not much to this art but the science (or rather the maths) doesn't agree.

There are, believe it or not, around 40 million different batting orders that can be selected using a team of 11 players (that is calculated as 11 factorial for those that care or understand (represented as 11! by us oldies) ). So cut us captains some slack if you think we get it wrong from time to time.

As far as the Socials are concerned, I am working my way steadily through the batting order options trying to find that magic formula that will eliminate that ever present likelihood of a batting collapse. But you will now understand that the odds of Marcus and Ed opening the batting one day are pretty remote - which I guess is a relief to everyone else at least.

Social vices

The Edict has been handed down....all teams must have a vice captain. For the Socials this causes an obvious dilema - who on earth would want the job? It is well known that the Socials are ... well, an independant lot. Being skip is more like being an on-field agony aunt:

'My foot really hurts, but don't take me off now'
'I will field anywhere skip, but not by the hut'
'I am not late, I thought it was a 2 o'clock start'
'I am available on Sunday, but not as a bowler'
'I would prefer not to open, I want to have a big tea'
'I am a bowler who bats but my back hurts at the moment'
'I am happy to umpire but I am not very good'
'I have collected the money. It's all there but it doesn't add up'

So get your applications in now - in fact go for the top job - you will have my support.

Update: Ray Ferris was voted in as Socials vice skip - which is poetic justice as many of the quotes above are his.