As an U13 team we have had a good year up until this time. We have played some decent cricket and the things I wanted the team to get better at, they did, yet at no point in time did we truly dominate any game. We played a lot of scrappy cricket yet managed to win some games.
First off, the grounds in Pennsylvania are way better than most grounds in New Jersey. The outfields at the Alfred Reeves Youth Tournament were cut short and were well curated. The field was fast. The pitch was an Astro Turf. Meaning scoring was going to be a lot easier than the typical grounds in New Jersey.
Day 1 | Bowling First, then Batting First
We lost the toss… wanted to bat first. After 4 overs the opposition were going at 8 an over. Knowing how this team can panic under higher run rates I was initially a bit concerned by the scoring rate as we don’t play on this kind of field or wicket often so I was not sure what to expect. It took the boys a few overs to figure things out. The lengths we bowled were too short and angles of fielders on the faster wicket and outfield was not spot on. We quickly adjusted after a few observations were shared from the outside.
We ended up restricting the opposition to 90 odd. After their openers the opposition didn’t have much more batting… We chased the score down in 8 overs.
Here was where, from a coaching point of view, the fun started.
It was fascinating to see these boys change right in front of my eyes. They became over the top with their behavior very quickly. Being way more boisterous and animated than normal. Some of this behavior was directed towards the opposition. I made a point of reminding the team that I want us to always respect the opposition and that we do not disrespect others by laughing at or making fun of them. much in the same way that we would want to be treated should we be on the loosing end of such a one sided contest.
The second game of the day started with a sense of confidence from the boys as they just came off a thumping win. Not wanting to bowl first, we duly won the toss and batted. what was interesting to observe was again how the team acted like never before… when they heard that we had won the toss and chose to bat the team came running out from underneath the dugout like they had just won the tournament. Clearly the message from just moments before had not yet settled into their bones.
We ended up scoring 200 plus and won by a comfortable margin of more than 100 runs.
Day 2 - 4 | Domination
We ended up winning the tournament comfortably. Scored more than 200 runs every game and restricted the opposition to less than 150 in every game.
Individuals performed really well over the course of the weekend. In particular we had two players score their first ever 100’s and one get his second ever 50 and two others added more 50’s
Lessons
They say give a person power and see them change. This was clearly evident at the start of this weekend. It was great to see the boys walk away by the end of the tournament learning how to act and be the same whether winning or loosing.
When some are succeeding there are always those that don’t. We had one player who simply struggled with the bat while the rest of his team mates were hugely successful. Yet within his struggles we had a bit of success. Pretournament we have been working on the sweep and reverse sweep for a few weeks. On the last day… in the final he was next in to bat with only two or three overs left. I urged him to go and play the reverse sweep. I said, “If your parents want to be angry, should it fail, put it on me.” He went in to bat, hit his first ball over cover for 6. A few balls later, executed the perfect reverse sweep off a fast bowler for 4 and then on the last ball of the match, hit another reverse sweep for 4. Even though the weekend was not as successful for him, he still managed to achieve some growth.
Further to the above, when there is no pressure to perform or to win. It is a great time to experiment. When there is freedom to fail, it allows players to express themselves more.
Treat the game right… “Mother Cricket will take care of you.” When you play the game in the right spirit, the game will give back to you. I am a bigger believer of this and this weekend was a great opportunity to teach these boys about this. Whether you are winning or loosing play the game in the way that you want to. If you can do this… good things tend to follow you around.
In part 8 I will share more about some lessons from the fall league.
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