Cricket Diary: Waiting!

Rejoice the cricket season is here, although it hasn’t really started for me. The pre season game on the 12th (today) that I was scheduled to guest in was cancelled, and as I am still clubless I have no club nets to attend. Weather prevented the Monday night training and practice nights with a couple of the Staffordshire Seniors and my situation with them is still unresolved! I managed one day at Edgbaston but it really was too cold even though sun was out, but the second day was affected by rain so gave it a miss.

I have been to the Osteopath for the first time since he looked at me at the end of the season which was always the plan and he is really pleased with what I have achieved. He tweaked a few bits and gave me some specific exercises for hip/glutes/hamstring and the physio blitzed them for me as they remain the only really problematic area. The plan is to get these areas to the same level as the other areas and then develop and consistent all round maintenance and strengthening programme.

It feels strange after working so hard over the winter to be watching teams be announced for the opening weekend and to have no plans to start my own league season but I am not 100% ready and my focus must be on enjoying the games I do play and getting the level of involvement I need. It is the right decision and if I now work on strengthening the problematic areas, play a few practice games, I should be ready for competitive cricket in May.

In addition to the strength training, and hopefully the Monday practise and training, I will be starting a weekly skills and fitness session, and have roped Sands in as she wants to do some running and she is happy to hit some balls with the Gray-Nicolls Cloud Catcher bat for me to try and chase/catch/throw – and wag my tail!

Fingers crossed it will start to pick up next week. We have the pre season (a little ironic as the club season starts on the 15th) No Boundaries game on the 16th which I am looking forward to. There is a Staffordshire Seniors squad game on the 19th which I will play in, so two games, two training sessions and the rehab and strengthening will keep me busy and give me an indication of how far off being ready I am.

Staffordshire start their season on 25th April, which is my mother’s birthday, but I am not expecting to be ready or selected by then, by which time it will be May, with Staffs second game on our wedding anniversary so if not selected for the first two I at least avoid ‘the discussions!’

Good luck to all those starting this weekend. Hopefully the weather holds up for you but already a lot of games have been called off.