State Victoria - The Mighty Bushrangers

[Voice of the G]

That's the weird thing for me,the juniors I've had come through my side this year have been more talented than any other year for me.

Similar thoughts with my club as well.

 

[eddiesmith]

Sadly this has been coming for a very long time and the chickens are starting to come home to roost. The explosion in junior cricket at the expense of teaching kids how to actually play the game has a cost and this is it. I played senior cricket for roughly 38 years, I’ve played one game in the past two seasons (opened with my 16 year old lad and put on 100+…but that’s another story) last week I watched a lower grade game where blokes my age toyed and destroyed a group of kids who were at best D Grade country standard. It wasn’t competitive and it certainly wasn’t cricket. If the base is weak, then how can the top be any good? The answer is it cannot. Standards are declining at every level except the elite…sound familiar? Yes they have followed the AFL Model.

Unfortunately there is a bit of older blokes who all played higher up getting a lot of enjoyment in putting together strong teams in the lowest grade and just beating up on kids. Not sure what they get out of it? But it does succeed in turning kids off cricket.

One team was so bad after a couple of years they even got run out of their own club and they weren’t exactly playing at a club with very high moral standards anyway!!!

 

[eddiesmith]

That's the weird thing for me,the juniors I've had come through my side this year have been more talented than any other year for me.

We had a 12 year old debut in A grade and get a few wickets on the weekend! But there’s not much depth.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

It rates and it gives people some cricket to watch every night

It is utter rubbish. Worst thing CA has done is sully our great game with turgid hit n giggle filled with two but hacks.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It is utter rubbish. Worst thing CA has done is sully our great game with turgid hit n giggle filled with two but hacks.

There's a middle ground. Look it goes too long but the concept is fine, needs to be condensed badly. Take 2 weeks off the running.

 

[Drunkcat]

A Victorian is in the Aussie team about bloody time, Should be the captain this game give Cummins and Smith back there VC....To be fair there should be a rule must always have at least one Victorian in the side........only victorians will understand this post..

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

Sadly this has been coming for a very long time and the chickens are starting to come home to roost. The explosion in junior cricket at the expense of teaching kids how to actually play the game has a cost and this is it. I played senior cricket for roughly 38 years, I’ve played one game in the past two seasons (opened with my 16 year old lad and put on 100+…but that’s another story) last week I watched a lower grade game where blokes my age toyed and destroyed a group of kids who were at best D Grade country standard. It wasn’t competitive and it certainly wasn’t cricket. If the base is weak, then how can the top be any good? The answer is it cannot. Standards are declining at every level except the elite…sound familiar? Yes they have followed the AFL Model.

I know where you are coming from mate. The kids coming through our junior program who are naturals (good hand eye, would be good at any sport) dominate the junior grades and generally adapt pretty well to senior cricket, in fact, some of them do even better in a decent senior grade with the ball coming on to the bat properly. But it's these kids dominating due to their natural ability and nothing else.

The pick of these kids that are good enough and motivated enough end up in the pathways program and from there get access to some proper skills coaching if they want it, but even a lot of these kids are giving the game up by 16.

The other kids, the ones not so good with their hand eye, due to the condensed nature of the junior game these days (mostly 20 over games) and the focus on basic junior coaching on slogging and useless drills, never get the chance to develop their skills and as a result begin to resent the game. Almost none of these kids are going on to senior cricket and I couldn't blame them.

There is no reason that terrible junior cricketers can't be moulded into decent local senior cricketers if motivated enough to practice the basics often enough. I'm 38, still play A grade in a local metro Melbourne comp. Not the best standard, not the worst. I was a shocking junior cricketer, no hand eye whatsoever. But I've played at this level for 15 years averaging mid-high 20s. As a junior our games were 45 overs a side 2 day games. My coaches hammered it into me that if I wanted to spend more time batting, I needed to develop my defence. So I did, religiously. I became very hard to get out and lo and behold found that if I keep enough balls out to get my eye in, even a shittruck like me eventually got enough bad balls to clip away without risk and the runs came eventually.

I look at half of my teammates and half the blokes I play against, and they'd fit in the same category. Plenty of medium pacers, offies and 'keepers developed along similar principles to the ones I did. Do the basics in your chosen field well, be patient and eventually you will get there.

The way junior cricket is structured and coached doesn't allow for that anymore.

 

[western royboy]

I know where you are coming from mate. The kids coming through our junior program who are naturals (good hand eye, would be good at any sport) dominate the junior grades and generally adapt pretty well to senior cricket, in fact, some of them do even better in a decent senior grade with the ball coming on to the bat properly. But it's these kids dominating due to their natural ability and nothing else.

The pick of these kids that are good enough and motivated enough end up in the pathways program and from there get access to some proper skills coaching if they want it, but even a lot of these kids are giving the game up by 16.

The other kids, the ones not so good with their hand eye, due to the condensed nature of the junior game these days (mostly 20 over games) and the focus on basic junior coaching on slogging and useless drills, never get the chance to develop their skills and as a result begin to resent the game. Almost none of these kids are going on to senior cricket and I couldn't blame them.

There is no reason that terrible junior cricketers can't be moulded into decent local senior cricketers if motivated enough to practice the basics often enough. I'm 38, still play A grade in a local metro Melbourne comp. Not the best standard, not the worst. I was a shocking junior cricketer, no hand eye whatsoever. But I've played at this level for 15 years averaging mid-high 20s. As a junior our games were 45 overs a side 2 day games. My coaches hammered it into me that if I wanted to spend more time batting, I needed to develop my defence. So I did, religiously. I became very hard to get out and lo and behold found that if I keep enough balls out to get my eye in, even a shittruck like me eventually got enough bad balls to clip away without risk and the runs came eventually.

I look at half of my teammates and half the blokes I play against, and they'd fit in the same category. Plenty of medium pacers, offies and 'keepers developed along similar principles to the ones I did. Do the basics in your chosen field well, be patient and eventually you will get there.

The way junior cricket is structured and coached doesn't allow for that anymore.

Senior Community Cricket standard in sharp decline, particularly in the country, Grade Cricket in Sydney standard is also dropping. You’ve accurately stated precisely why. I was no different to you, I loved the game and got to a relatively high level through hard work and focus on my technique. Most kids don’t even get the basics now which is disappointing.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[Drunkcat]

I miss Victoria playing cricket, so sick of T20 cricket get shield going again

 

[Voice of the G]

I miss Victoria playing cricket, so sick of T20 cricket get shield going again

T20 is not cricket.

 

[eth-dog]

It'll be interesting to see who's available after the Pakistan squad. Puck should play second half of the year but we'll be missing Boland, as well as possibly Maddinson, Harris, Handscomb and Maxwell. If we have none of the above we probably go with:

Pucovski
Seymour
Finch
Merlo
Fraser-McGurk
Harper (+)
Pattinson (c)
Sutherland
Perry
Parker
Holland

Play the two spinners and have Merlo chip in with his seamers.

 

[eddiesmith]

Boland and maybe Maddinson should be the only ones missing. No reason they should drag Harris to carry drinks after dropping him.

 

[Drunkcat]

We don't even have a fixture for any more shield games yet, and we have only played 3 games

 

[eth-dog]

Boland and maybe Maddinson should be the only ones missing. No reason they should drag Harris to carry drinks after dropping him.

He's the next opener in line.

 

[ROOTA#6]

It'll be interesting to see who's available after the Pakistan squad. Puck should play second half of the year but we'll be missing Boland, as well as possibly Maddinson, Harris, Handscomb and Maxwell. If we have none of the above we probably go with:

Pucovski
Seymour
Finch
Merlo
Fraser-McGurk
Harper (+)
Pattinson (c)
Sutherland
Perry
Parker
Holland

Play the two spinners and have Merlo chip in with his seamers.

Where will Maddinson be?

 

[eth-dog]

Where will Maddinson be?

He's a chance at going to Pakistan.

 

[ROOTA#6]

He's a chance at going to Pakistan.

Can’t see it myself

 

[eth-dog]

Can’t see it myself

He was the second back up in the Ashes. It's very possible

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

With the NZ white ball stuff called off, there will be a full list available if CA remember to restart the Shield. Selection will be interesting.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Puk
Harris
Maddinson
Seymour (know he is an opener, but needs to be played)
Sneaky Pete (hanscomb) c
Merlo
Harper
Pattinson vc
Sutherland
Boland
Holland (fit again and taking wickets)

I think there is no place for white ball specialists in Maxi or Fink.

 

[Drunkcat]

Shield cricket this year we have only played NSW, i can not get my head around this how the hell will we finish the shield season? will we even play against every state?....T20 goes too long

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Shield cricket this year we have only played NSW, i can not get my head around this how the hell will we finish the shield season? will we even play against every state?....T20 goes too long

Spot on like an inebriated leopard.

With the NZ white ball tour cancelled, there is no reason why the Shield season cannot be brought forward.

 

[eth-dog]

Of course I forgot about Matt Short. He gets a game. And anyone who thinks Maxy isn't in our best XI is kidding themselves

 

[Cleavy]

Spot on like an inebriated leopard.

With the NZ white ball tour cancelled, there is no reason why the Shield season cannot be brought forward.

CA incompetence is the reason