Poznan celebrations, supersoppers and a mangle…The new cricket!

I am writing this article three days into a hectic school cricket tour in Lancashire. While it has been very tiring trying to keep up with the boundless energy of the kids, it has been ultimately rewarding and continues to remind me of the importance of tours and educational visits in developing not only young cricketers, but good young people.

On Monday night we took the boy’s to the revamped Old Trafford in Manchester. Yes, as expected it rained, and by 8 o’clock it looked like the two and half overs managed at 6pm were all we were going to see. The umpires preserved (maybe with a bit of arm twisting from the present Sky Sports producers), and so did we, and our boys were rewarded with an entertaining 16 over match in which Lancashire, the side batting second, prevailed. Admittedly, the focus of our 12 and 13 year olds lads was less on the techniques of Shazad or Croft, and more on how much silly dancing, and an impromptu impersonation of the Manchester City fans Poznan celebration, could draw the attention of the TV cameras. However, it did demonstrate the importance that getting a game of cricket on at all costs can be worth it, particularly in the professional game when crowds have paid to be entertained.

Kimberley can be extremely proud of the way in which the ground staff and players come together to get a cricket match on. Once again on Saturday, the rain looked like it may intervene, just as our run chase was starting to get into gear. However, with a little help from some sponges, a mangle, various pieces of astroturf, a supersopper, a roll of coconut matting, and the work of about 20 people, the game restarted and Akhil Patel superbly guided us to victory.

It was also pleasing to see Paldeep Sidhu play a crucial supporting role to Akhil in knocking off the runs. Sidhu has worked very hard on his game this year to get himself into form, and his requests for specific preparation on Thursday at nets clearly paid off. It was nice to see a young player, thinking about his game, and the likely threats faced at the weekend, and preparing accordingly. I have also done this for this Saturday. I have been to ASDA to buy an umbrella and a pair of wellies. See you at Caythorpe!