End of the season

Well there you go. Another season done and dusted. A season where
- Steve found his batting mojo again
- I suddenly thought that I might have a batting mojo somewhere in the house
- I hardly managed double figures in wickets taken
- But our 1st XI nearly got promoted, and ...
- We finally got to see Australia play in Edinburgh

Here in Edinburgh it suddenly feels like winter has arrived. As the nights draw in and the rain sets in for good, what better time to post this?

A GOOD INNINGS
Was it all about yourself
and what you could make;
"decent" totals,
disregarding
abuse hurled from the boundary?

Were you just the supporting man,
anchor, weight, security;
ballast for
brighter lights
who couldn't shine without you?

Was it all grim survival,
leaving what you could;
dead-bat,
half-chance,
the grinding out of time?

Were you in complete control,
dictating and conducting;
self-assured,
upright in
your own time and space?

Did you blaze away
and thrash the gathering gloom?

Did you see THAT ball?
Did you play across the line;
fail to pick it,
too quick?
Did you find the track untrue?

Study of a team in crisis?

Yesterday our 1st XI managed a rare feat. A loss. And ZERO points from the game (our league has 20 points for a win, but the loser can get up 12 points, depending on wickets taken and runs scored). You don't get points from a game when you are bowled out for 57 and then fail to take a wicket.

We've got some photographic evidence from earlier in the week. Our camera captured 3 senior players in mid-week action and displaying all the signs of pent up frustration, and misplaced aggression - A TEAM ABOUT TO IMPLODE!!!??

Firstly - K-man (centre) moves towards Cow Corner's Steve, on the right. This could be a congratulory embrace. But there seems to be more in it, as Dave (left) moves to calm things down.
Dave (left) is no longer neutral. K-man clearly has said something.

Dave and Steve look like they are going to teach him a lesson. (Or take his trousers off?)

He's down ...

... so Steve lays the boot in.

Dave starts to lay some punches ...

The opposition can't let this continue and finally move to intervene.
K-dog didn't score any runs on Saturday.

Injury Update

Over winter we anticipated a bit more carnage in winter nets. As it happens .... er.... nothing much happened. So we got to the first game of the season in fine fettle.

Something was up on Saturday though. The Netherlands had just beaten England. There was definitely something in the air as we drove over to Alloa for our ESCA Division 4 game ...

1. When we kicked off, the skipper wasn't on the park 'cause he was running late on the trip from Edinburgh.

2. Third ball - our keeper gets a lifter in the mush and is off to A&E for some stitches in the face.

3. After 4 overs, our opening bowler pulls up with a muscle strain and is limping through slips for the rest of the game.

4. In about the 15th over - one of our key all-rounders attempts a catch in the covers, and splits the skin on his right hand. Off to A&E for some stitches.

5. Two overs later - the skipper staves his thumb in the covers. He'll be unable to open the batting.

6. In the 30th over - our stand-in w/k (and other opening bat) staves the middle finger of his left hand. He'll also be unable to open.

We don't have subs.

As it happens - we very nearly chased down the 250 they put on. We got to 243 all out (8 wickets). Cow Corner's very own Steve Colvin got 102 not out.

I survived unscathed, though there's still that terrible chafing on my left heel ... And what's left of my dignity took a battering in my 1-over bowling spell.

Sunshine?

As usual, April is a tease: we've played both of our scheduled matches!

OK, our first pre-season friendly (18th April) was a bit chilly, but it was dry and we even got a BBQ going. And we actually got a bit of sunshine last Saturday. Here's photographic evidence.




I've got a new camera, so this may turn out to be a well documented season ...

Budget 2009: Cricket authorities to offer "old-player" subsidy

Cricketing authorities are offering up to £2000 for old players when traded in for newer, shinier versions.

The committee of one local team, Kirk Brae CC based in Liberton, has expressed caution, saying the scheme may result in many serviceable members being scrapped. "There's no doubt that new members would greatly improve efficiency both on and off the pitch, reducing carbon emissions" said one government spokesman.

Anthony Nuttella, Chairman of a local "green" Rapid Response Action Group, disputed the evidence behind government claims. His group suggests that the plan is a thinly disguised ploy to boost spending on cricket-related items and would actually increase total emissions of hot air. Nutella claims that huge amounts of resources are used in the creation of single new member of a cricket club and it is therefore much more efficient to use aged, decrepit or generally unenthusiastic players "until they can't see the ball".

The subsidy will be available from the end of the current season.

Injury Diary 2009 - Update 31 January

Saturday 31/01/2009
This Saturday's session saw a staggering 37.5% of badgers (KirkBrae players) get injured!

The highlight has to be Ben: he got hit by the ball in his privates...not whilst batting though! Oh no, a particularly crazy Raja passed the ball back to an unaware Ben, resulting in a grown man rolling around the deck. We also saw a bowler hurt his back whilst batting and Colin once again enjoyed repeatedly mentioning how sore his foot still was...this time resulting from 'slippage' within the shoe!!!!

Injury Diary 2009

Imagine the setting if you will. Quality indoor cricket academy with fast bouncy rubbered flooring and several lanes of netting full to the brim with talented aspiring cricketers perfecting their individual trades. Now wipe that thought and replace it with my cricket team, Kirkbrae CC, an Edinburgh side more used to seeing down a pint glass than a cricket net. Maybe that explains why in the 2008 winter net sessions we saw more injuries than most Premiership football clubs see all season. Due to last year's spate of wrists, fingers, toes and face breakages I thought it may be of interest to keep an ‘injury diary’ in 2009 to see if we fare any better!

Saturday 24/01/2009
Not long after starting, our newly recruited South African fast bowler pulls up with a hamstring problem. Like a brave soldier he carries on…bowling spin and getting tonked. Mr Morely turns up towards the end despite pulling his calf muscle the previous week, and Colin (co-owner of Cow Corner) battles on bravely with his ever so slightly bruised foot. Colin was hit on the foot whilst batting before Christmas and it has remained tender ever since, hence his latest potty invention…which incidentally we will most certainly NOT be selling at Cow Corner. An arm guard strapped to the top of his foot!

Kack-Handed Bowling: the great £1 challenge

Pre-season training, hey? What better time to launch Cow Corner's legendary £1 Kack-Handed Bowling Challenge? The princely sum of £1 will go to the first kack-handed bowler to hit the stumps.

COW had the camera running, but unfortunately the batteries ran out after only 5 attempts. Other Kirk Brae challengers will have to wait. Saturday's efforts were mostly pitiful and more dedication is clearly needed.

First up, setting the bar at a very low level - me:




Azzy had one of the better attempts, showing that Kirk Brae's junior policy is already paying dividends:




Steve Colvinates those stumps big time:




Ben shows us how it is done:




And, last but not least - Ross, who (like the rest of us) turned out to be all talk and no trousers on this occasion:




Please send video evidence of kack-handed excellence to mail@cowcc.com