Wickman hasn't been to nets for a while. A combination of a life threatening thigh muscle injury and laser eye treatment last week has meant that his cricket has been limited to howling maniacally at poor England performances and a couple of liveners on the balcony with the President and other injured Wick members.
What Wickman has seen and heard is that finally the standard of cricket we're getting to play is what we wanted when we joined the Surrey system. The 2s have not had it their own way this season for the first year in three. The 3s are coming up against some strong clubs in their league too. In fact it's not surprising is it?
Most weeks we are now coming across clubs that field a minimum of three xis, who pay players, who train and who are just as professional in their attitudes to club cricket as we are. Any thought that promoted teams were on some sort of procession to the higher leagues should be firmly filed away.
But this is good surely for individuals and for the club? The progress in recent years has been marked. The recruitment of many new players. The successful creation of a league 3xi. The four promotions in three years including one championship. But this was all about being organised and well drilled. The next step - improving the club again and rising up another level - will be more challenging and should actually be more stimulating than turning up and annihilating some village side who can't get 22 out on a Saturday.
Which is why nets were encouraging last night. There was a very strong group of 1xi players down there to more than adequately test Wickman's new laser enhanced vision. If, as he padded up, he was slightly concerned about a bit of blurriness, Wickman's esyesight was good enough to get an edge on Tongy's phenomenal leg cutter and Immers' brisk away swing. The 1xi skipper ran individual coaching sessions in the far cage. Chris P, Vaider, Kashuypa and others were holding a spin clinic. A colt we haven't seen before, George, bowled with real rhythma and good line and length. There was real encouragement out there and a sense of cameraderie.
That's what you need on a beautiful Tuesday evening in the middle of June. Anyone that couldn't make it missed a great session... and the opportunity to skittle a half blind Wickman into the bargain...
Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club * 1863 - 2013 * 150 Glorious Seasons
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Tuesday Nets
Wickman hasn't been to nets for a while. A combination of a life threatening thigh muscle injury and laser eye treatment last week has meant that his cricket has been limited to howling maniacally at poor England performances and a couple of liveners on the balcony with the President and other injured Wick members.
What Wickman has seen and heard is that finally the standard of cricket we're getting to play is what we wanted when we joined the Surrey system. The 2s have not had it their own way this season for the first year in three. The 3s are coming up against some strong clubs in their league too. In fact it's not surprising is it?
Most weeks we are now coming across clubs that field a minimum of three xis, who pay players, who train and who are just as professional in their attitudes to club cricket as we are. Any thought that promoted teams were on some sort of procession to the higher leagues should be firmly filed away.
But this is good surely for individuals and for the club? The progress in recent years has been marked. The recruitment of many new players. The successful creation of a league 3xi. The four promotions in three years including one championship. But this was all about being organised and well drilled. The next step - improving the club again and rising up another level - will be more challenging and should actually be more stimulating than turning up and annihilating some village side who can't get 22 out on a Saturday.
Which is why nets were encouraging last night. There was a very strong group of 1xi players down there to more than adequately test Wickman's new laser enhanced vision. If, as he padded up, he was slightly concerned about a bit of blurriness, Wickman's esyesight was good enough to get an edge on Tongy's phenomenal leg cutter and Immers' brisk away swing. The 1xi skipper ran individual coaching sessions in the far cage. Chris P, Vaider, Kashuypa and others were holding a spin clinic. A colt we haven't seen before, George, bowled with real rhythma and good line and length. There was real encouragement out there and a sense of cameraderie.
That's what you need on a beautiful Tuesday evening in the middle of June. Anyone that couldn't make it missed a great session... and the opportunity to skittle a half blind Wickman into the bargain...
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