With only 24 hours rest between my Delhi assignment and the Loughborough Wrist spin Programme I can tell you the mild weather made life pretty easy. The first two days of the four day spin programme were devoted to finger spinners, batsmen and wicketkeepers. The finger spin was run by Jack Birkenshaw and he was supported by Peter Such and me. A net session each day was followed by a "scenario" session against the batsmen for around 50-60 overs.
Paul Johnson and David Houghton looked after the batsmen whilst Bruce French attended to the keepers needs.
Jack and Peter stayed on and supported me with the wrist spin which was great. Also there for the four days was Paul Lawrence from Somerset. Paul has come a long way as a coach since the days at Taunton when he would stand at the back of the net too shy to speak.
He now shows the ability to spot areas of concern and offer advice on how to improve those areas.
During the finger spinners camp, two leg spinners were in attendance. One was Jordon Capel the son of former England player David Capel. I especially mention Jordon because the reason he attended on the Monday and Tuesday was because he was to have a serious heart operation on the Thursday. A big thing for anyone let alone a 15 year old boy. When you think about the number of boys who make weak excuses to not attend some training sessions it say's something for Jordon's desire. When I tell you the operation was cancelled at the last minute due to lack of beds in Intensive Care I hope it gives you an idea of what he has been through. It starts again this coming week. Good luck cobber.
Back to the camp. It went well and I believe I saw the most talented 13 year old of all.
He has been bowling for less than a year and he has learned it all via You tube and Shane Warne's King of Spin DVD.
More on him later.
We will announce the two leggies to travel to Adelaide in October in the next two weeks.
Showing posts with label Elite Wrist Spin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elite Wrist Spin. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Where to for Stuart MacGill
If I was shocked when Stuart MacGill retired from Test Cricket during the current Australian tour of the West Indies then I was astonished when he announced he would like to represent New South Wales this coming summer.
MacGill has nothing to prove. More than 200 Test wickets speaks for itself.
So what is the point in going on?
He said it would have been more embarrassing for him to play in the 3rd Test in the Windies than the decision he made to pull the pin.
Does that mean he feels he can find improvement somehow between now and the start of the new season? Or does it mean that less than his best is good enough for Sheffield Shield cricket?
Stuart is a proud man so the answer to the latter must be no.
The bigger problem facing MacGill is the double whammy in the contract stakes.
Having retired from Australian cricket one assumes his 2008/9 contract has or will be withdrawn.
All states have finalised their contract lists so unless there is a special clause covering retired CA contracted players I don't think Cricket NSW can offer him one. I don't know that for a fact, it is more a guess on my part.
When the dust settles my guess is he will come to a decision that will suit all parties.
As I said earlier, he has nothing to prove so why play on?
MacGill has nothing to prove. More than 200 Test wickets speaks for itself.
So what is the point in going on?
He said it would have been more embarrassing for him to play in the 3rd Test in the Windies than the decision he made to pull the pin.
Does that mean he feels he can find improvement somehow between now and the start of the new season? Or does it mean that less than his best is good enough for Sheffield Shield cricket?
Stuart is a proud man so the answer to the latter must be no.
The bigger problem facing MacGill is the double whammy in the contract stakes.
Having retired from Australian cricket one assumes his 2008/9 contract has or will be withdrawn.
All states have finalised their contract lists so unless there is a special clause covering retired CA contracted players I don't think Cricket NSW can offer him one. I don't know that for a fact, it is more a guess on my part.
When the dust settles my guess is he will come to a decision that will suit all parties.
As I said earlier, he has nothing to prove so why play on?
spinner matures
I mentioned last month that I would tell the Matthew Gitsham story.
Who is Matthew Gitsham you ask?
In 1999 he was chosen as the very first leg spinner to travel to Adelaide as part of the Elite Wrist Spin Program co-sponsored by the ECB and Brian Johnston Memorial Trust.
Matthew, from Somerset was joined on that trip by Geraint Bowers from Glamorgan.
As far as cricketers go Matthew showed heaps of promise and was rewarded with selection in England under 17 and under 19 squads.
Because he was so gifted he never really worked hard at either his bowling or batting and so drifted along without purpose for four or five years, stacking on the weight as he cruised along . We never left him out of any of the spin programs I conducted in England during that time in the hope that one day the penny would drop.
Out of the blue he contacted Ann and I in Adelaide and asked if he could spend a summer out here playing club cricket. With one proviso we said yes. He had to lose weight.
He arrived still too heavy but we couldn't send him home.
Cullen Bailey arranged for him to play at his club, Sturt.
First night at training the coach sent him on a lap of the oval whilst he was preparing others for a net.
It was reportedy the slowest lap ever.
Chosen in the C Grade for round one he scored 6 not out before injuring his knee at training the following Tuesday.
An operation followed and his summer ended right there.
Twelve months later Matthew returned for a 3 month stint with Sturt.
It was a different cricketer who arrived in Adelaide. He had lost about 10 kilograms and increased that to 15 before he headed back to the UK.
His luck then changed thanks to a meeting with Owen Dawkins who took a shine to him. Owen worked at Lords with the Young England program until an opportunity arose at Gloucestershire.
He kept in touch with Matthew and ultimately encouraged him to try out in the County second team where he spent most of 2007.
Recently he was chosen in the Gloucestershire County first team as THE spinner and managed to take his first first class wicket.
This story is special because it gives hope to all the young spinners out there who have been discarded by counties around the age of 17-19.
I feel it is naive to think a spinner will mature in his teens. Shane Warne certainly didn't.
If Matthew Gitsham doesn't end up as a leg spinner with a 100 or more first class wickets it will not mean he has failed.
Getting there makes him a success and an inspiration to others.
Who is Matthew Gitsham you ask?
In 1999 he was chosen as the very first leg spinner to travel to Adelaide as part of the Elite Wrist Spin Program co-sponsored by the ECB and Brian Johnston Memorial Trust.
Matthew, from Somerset was joined on that trip by Geraint Bowers from Glamorgan.
As far as cricketers go Matthew showed heaps of promise and was rewarded with selection in England under 17 and under 19 squads.
Because he was so gifted he never really worked hard at either his bowling or batting and so drifted along without purpose for four or five years, stacking on the weight as he cruised along . We never left him out of any of the spin programs I conducted in England during that time in the hope that one day the penny would drop.
Out of the blue he contacted Ann and I in Adelaide and asked if he could spend a summer out here playing club cricket. With one proviso we said yes. He had to lose weight.
He arrived still too heavy but we couldn't send him home.
Cullen Bailey arranged for him to play at his club, Sturt.
First night at training the coach sent him on a lap of the oval whilst he was preparing others for a net.
It was reportedy the slowest lap ever.
Chosen in the C Grade for round one he scored 6 not out before injuring his knee at training the following Tuesday.
An operation followed and his summer ended right there.
Twelve months later Matthew returned for a 3 month stint with Sturt.
It was a different cricketer who arrived in Adelaide. He had lost about 10 kilograms and increased that to 15 before he headed back to the UK.
His luck then changed thanks to a meeting with Owen Dawkins who took a shine to him. Owen worked at Lords with the Young England program until an opportunity arose at Gloucestershire.
He kept in touch with Matthew and ultimately encouraged him to try out in the County second team where he spent most of 2007.
Recently he was chosen in the Gloucestershire County first team as THE spinner and managed to take his first first class wicket.
This story is special because it gives hope to all the young spinners out there who have been discarded by counties around the age of 17-19.
I feel it is naive to think a spinner will mature in his teens. Shane Warne certainly didn't.
If Matthew Gitsham doesn't end up as a leg spinner with a 100 or more first class wickets it will not mean he has failed.
Getting there makes him a success and an inspiration to others.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
ECB/BJMT
In 1999 I was invited by Hugh Morris of the England and Wales Cricket Board to develop a wrist spin programme in England. The Brian Johnston Memorial Trust (BJMT) immediately became partners with the ECB and have remained as a major supporter ever since.
The programme continues this year for the 10th year, something "Johnners" , a lover of wrist spin, would have been be proud . Wrist spin was never that popular with English County teams but they have embraced the concept by supporting the boys who have been BJMT Scholars over the years.
Yorkshire has given First Class experience to Adil Rashid and Mark Lawson. Michael Munday has represented Oxford University and Somerset and the most recent debutante has been Matthew Gitsham for Gloucestershire. Each of these leg spinners has been to Adelaide on more than one occasion as part of the ECB/BJMT wrist spin programme.
The Matthew Gitsham story is one which will occupy a Blog space later.
In July this year we will conduct trials at Loughborough University to decide the next two boys to attend the Elite Spin Programme in Adelaide during October.
Along with the spinners four coaches will attend the programme to continue the development of both spinner and coach.
The programme continues this year for the 10th year, something "Johnners" , a lover of wrist spin, would have been be proud . Wrist spin was never that popular with English County teams but they have embraced the concept by supporting the boys who have been BJMT Scholars over the years.
Yorkshire has given First Class experience to Adil Rashid and Mark Lawson. Michael Munday has represented Oxford University and Somerset and the most recent debutante has been Matthew Gitsham for Gloucestershire. Each of these leg spinners has been to Adelaide on more than one occasion as part of the ECB/BJMT wrist spin programme.
The Matthew Gitsham story is one which will occupy a Blog space later.
In July this year we will conduct trials at Loughborough University to decide the next two boys to attend the Elite Spin Programme in Adelaide during October.
Along with the spinners four coaches will attend the programme to continue the development of both spinner and coach.
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