Brooke Cricket Club
- Cromer away; we batted first and looked dead and buried, being all out for 160-odd. We showed real fight and teamwork to bowl them out and win the game.
- Swardeston away; we batted first, found ourselves 40-6! Ed and SP smashed the alliance record, with Ed finishing 100 not out and being sworn at by Pritty no less than 75 times (according to the Umpires report). Monkey bowled brilliantly to turn the screw and we won the game comfortably.
- Topcroft away; we batted first and hit our highest team total of 316-9. Vinay hitting a sublime hundred and backed up by some great hitting by Sheehy.
- Cromer at home; we bowled them out for 185 and knocked them off comfortably. Vinay taking 6 wickets, Habby bowling a brilliant opening spell. Sheehy batting very well again.
- Topcroft at home; the day JR destroyed Topcroft. Enough said.
- Swardeston at home; Shearer hit his maiden hundred and batted very, very well.
- Mallards at home; Shearer and Vinay both batted brilliantly, Pritty bowled well.
- Mallards away; Ed was dismissed by a 6 year old.
In addition to the above, I have been really pleased with the way Ben Prentice has come on, his game has improved week by week. Rob Borges has joined the Club and whilst he's been hampered by injury has shown us all what a good player he is - at fit Borg in 2010 will destroy the opposition! Monkey has settled in at Brooke and is a true legend, his bowling is great and his banter even better. Habby's batting has improved (he'll tell you it was brilliant anyway!), he's done a great job opening the innings and his 90 at Acle in the Cup was well deserved. Hoody's keeping has been first class all year. Everyone who has come into the first team has impressed me, the dedication and attitude within the Club is just brilliant.
Next Sunday (6th) is the Presidents, team below.
Parikh
Sturman
Reynolds
Shearer
Sheehy
Prentice
Habershon
Borges
Pritty
Panter
Key
If you can't play, can you please let me know asap!!?
The game will start at 12pm, so please arrive at the ground 11-11.15am.
For info, the President's side will be:
Barney Goodrum (Hardingham)
I'll see you all on Sunday, it should be a good game of cricket and a great way to sign off another cricket season.
Cheers,
Rob.
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Dear all,
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Evening guys,
- Our preparation was awful. Most of us were late, we got changed and started our warm up at 1230pm, just as Downham were finishing their's.
- We missed a lot of singles in our innings. Downham were excellent at running between the wickets, much better than us.
- We could have applied ourselves much better to build our innings.
Still, its been a fantastic season and we've won more than we've lost, so don't beat yourselves up too much. We need to keep working hard at training and improving our game week by week. The last three games will be tough, but we can win them all if we play to our potential and enjoy ourselves.
Great result today in the Cup against Acle - well done to Vinay on leading the guys, and special congrats to Habby for hitting 90. Well done Jon.
I'll see you all on Thursday for training, 6pm start.
Cheers,
Rob.
Evening all,
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Evening all,
Saturday was quite simply fantastic. We were lucky to play, given the torrential downpour on Friday, but thanks yet again to Godfrey and Ray, who worked tirelessly to prepare a good pitch which played well, we managed to complete a game reduced to 30 overs per side.
Topcroft are not a great side by any means, but they do have a few good players. We showed our professionalism and skill levels by thoroughly hammering them. I thought our bowling was tight and controlled, our fielding was brilliant (the best it has been all year). SP bowled very well, and was well supported by Ed Sturman and Vinay. The real 'star' with the ball was Habershon, who bowled with brilliant control and aggression. Whilst we only took 4 wickets, a 30 over game is more about run restrictions and forcing mistakes, which is exactly what we did.
With the bat, Reynolds played as we all know he can. He smashed the Topcroft bowling to all parts of the ground, they had no answer to his batting, which was great to see. JR is a true Brooke lad, it has been a pleasure having him back in the side this year and we are all so pleased for John that his big runs are now starting to come. Habershon joined JR in opening the batting, and carried his bat seeing us home. Well played John, a mature innings.
Talking of mature, what a brilliant night on Saturday. Big thanks to Hoody and Vinay for organising the fancy dress party, those who came along enjoyed the night immensely. Those who didn't missed out. We'll hopefully have another party at the end of the season, and if you want to see the skipper dressing up as a woman you should really come along. Its good to make a fool of yourself, shows character. My vote for the costume of the night goes to Mr & Mrs Smith, who came as Elvis and Vicky Pollard. Brilliant.
Sunday started a little limp. With most of the team nursing a considerable hangover it took a while to get going, and with several dropped catches the Witchingham innings soon raced along. They got 290-odd, which was 70 too many. Oli Stamp and Ben Nolan opened the bowling and showed promise. The highlight was undoubtedly Sheehy's last over, which was truly amazing.
With the bat, we started off pretty well. Their opening bowlers kept feeding half volley's and our score raced along, but quick wickets and some questionable LBW decisions meant that we fell short by some way. I was really pleased with the way Ben Prentice batted, positive and aggressive.
Just one negative point about the way we played yesterday. We all play for fun and want to enjoy our cricket, but it is never funny to lose or to fail on the pitch. Yes, we had a hangover, but we really must buck up our ideas if we want to continue building our team success. If we were switched on we would have beaten GW yesterday, they are no world beaters. Rant over.
This week we will net on Thursday, starting with a 20-20 game against Hemsby at the ground. The game starts at 6pm, please arrive 545pm at the latest. All 1stXI players to be at training to play in the game. Immediately following the game (which I'm hoping we can wrap up pretty quickly) we will train in the nets and do lots of fielding / fitness.
Team.
Parikh
Pritty
Sheehy
Shearer
Habershon
Prentice
Hood
Andrews
Sturman
Key
Stamp
I shall umpire, if there are more guys turning up, we can use the nets / bowling machine whilst the game is on. Important that we make the most of training.
If Parikh / Shearer / Habershon / Sheehy cite a Krakow hangover as an excuse for either not turning up or being 'tired', selection of a suitable punishment rests with Monkey, so start thinking of something really painful Simon! I know Monkey finds excuses and laziness even more infuriating than me, so he is now official team master of discipline and pain.
We're now up to 4th in the Premier, which is a superb achievement for the Club. This has only been achieved by the hard work of the players and the support we get from the rest of the club. If we are to sustain this position and even move higher, we need to keep up the work rate, work at our own skills and fitness, and stay together as a team. What pleased me most over the weekend was the camaraderie and enjoyment.
Onwards and upwards, well done again.
Rob.
Morning guys,
Yesterday was a fantastic team effort, lots of positives to take from the game.
We lost the toss and diss made the most of the bowler friendly conditions, their opener getting 4 wickets. Habby was very unlucky to get an unplayable delivery first ball. Vinay came to the crease and as he does so often, made batting look very easy! Panter played on which brought the special one to the crease. Ali looked in great form again, playing some fine shots.
Both vinay and ali were caught out by the ball which 'stopped', really unfortunate, but unlucky. I thought JR batted well, and looked to build an innings until he picked the fielder with a sweep. Sheehy looked mature and controlled [!] at the crease and was bowled by a very good delivery.
This brought the prentice-sturman partnership together. Both batted brilliantly, playing attacking shots when necessary and defending with excellent technique. Ed went on to score a fine 50, well done to both.
Whilst our score of 183 was under-par again we showed our strength in depth.
We showed brilliant teamwork and skill with the ball to keep diss from scoring freely. I thought ed sturman bowled very well, as did SP who bowled 14 overs straight off without a bad ball and 4 wickets. Brilliant. Special mention to Monkey, who bowled 11 overs in tandem with SP which set the tone for their innings.
Vinay bowled very well, taking three wickets and moving the ball sideways! Habby came back for his second spell and bowled brilliantly, well done jon. Sturman and Panter bowled well at the end.
Dissapointing that they got to 90%, but we were one wicket away from the win, which could have easily been taken with a little luck.
The spirit and encouragement yesterday was as good as it has been. If we all enjoy our cricket we will keep getting better!
As you know, training is on thursday, all to attend. its really important that the training does not tail off, it needs to get harder so that we get more from each session. The harder you train, the better you will play.
See you all on Thursday, and well done again.
Rob.
Ps. Well done to rik and the boys. Particular mention to oli stamp and ben nolan - you two [along with mike warner] have improved so much because you work at your game. Well done.
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Evening all,
- If you get a start, make the most of the opportunity and build an innings! So frustrating to get to 20, and not to get a big 50.
- It's never forgivable to get out, but criminal to give your wicket away. I thought Parikh and Sheehy lost concentration and discipline to give their wickets away. You two have been our most successful batsman this year because your shot selection has generally been good, but not on Saturday.
- Our middle order crumbled. Sometimes you just have to play out the odd maiden and dig in, to get through a difficult patch in the innings. This is something we're not that good at.
- Bowling one side of the wickets! We've bowled really well this year, and whilst Umar did play very well the control that we've been so good at disappeared on Saturday.
Training is on Thursday, 6pm start. If you can't make it, please let me know. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there - we need to work hard, lots of fitness again (I though last week's training was excellent) and try to iron out a few of the negatives from Runcton.
Finally, please don't be too disappointed. We all love to win but you can't win them all! Let's learn from the game, and be stronger for it.
See you all on Thursday, if not before.
Rob.
Evening all,
I thought Habershon batted patiently and with lots of skill on a difficult wicket to get 38, and Ali followed up with a fine 41, full of good shots and confidence (well we wouldn't expect anything else!). We thought that a score of 180 would be competitive on such a poor wicket, and for us to get 186-9 was a gutsy effort.
With the ball we were again disciplined and aggressive. SP bowled miserly again and without much luck, Monkey bowled some unplayable deliveries, Habby bowled well in his first spell, and excellently in his second, and Vinay bowled as well as I have seen him. All this backed up by some good fielding, excellent wicket keeping again by Hoody, and most importantly lots of encouragement and teamwork from you all.
- I know that we have lots of 'attacking' players, and occasionally we play on wickets which allow you to hit through the line with complete freedom. But we all need to be a little more controlled, and try to drive on the ground rather than lean back and try to hit the ball to the next village! This is not a critisism, as I love to see you guys playing attacking cricket, there are just times when the situation calls for a little more control.
- Our fielding has dropped off a little in recent weeks; we've set ourselves such high standards the only way to keep this level up is to practise harder.
So, training this week is on Thursday. Please all try to arrive at 6pm so that we can make the most of the session, this week will be structured and good fun, but also hard work with plenty of fitness.
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Morning all,
I really do believe that our top 10 could bat in any order (no disrespect intended to Monkey, who is a fine number 11). This showed on Saturday when we again slumped to 5 wickets down. I thought SP batted excellently again, and was unlucky to be ran out by the premature Shearer. Having said that, Ali showed real maturity to guide us to a great score, and Habershon's batting at the end was just superb! His maiden Alliance 50 and what an innings it was, not a false shot and plenty of guts. Well done Habby.
For those of you playing on Wednesday, please be at Manor Park at 530pm for warm up. If you're not playing, please try to come along and support us, it should be a great evening. We need to keep the training going and possibly up the intensity a little, so Thursday is again important that we all make the effort.
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Evening all,
Great performance by the 1stXI, well played to all.
We started our innings well, thanks to some pretty awful fielding by Topcroft and some positive batting from John Reynolds. When Rik Timm was bowled our favourite Aussie came to the crease and did what he does best; bat expertly and play some cracking shots. Vinay has worked really hard at his game over the past week and he thoroughly deserved his ton. He was supported well by Chris Sheehy, who played some great shots and should have gone on to hit a ton also, again looked in great form.
Rob Borges again threatened with some huge boundaries, Sturman was unlucky to be given out LBW and the Panter/Habershon/Hood combination ensured our innings finished on a positive note. In truth we absolutely battered Topcroft by scoring 314-9 in our 50 overs, but it could have been many more if our middle order went on between 30-40 overs.
With the ball we were disciplined and aggressive. Habershon again bowled excellently - great movement and a top line consistently outside offstump. With golden-hands Sheehy in the slips we should take plenty of wickets. Pritty bowled well and gave nothing away. Simon Key also was disciplined and controlled. I thought Vinay's spell at the end was great, fantastic aggression and commitment.
To take 8 wickets on a very flat track, when they decided to 'shut up shop' after about 20 overs, was a good effort. But I think we should have wrapped up all 10 by taking the half chances that came.
Great effort guys, really proud of you all. We need to work hard and practise - the more you practise the better you will play.
Training for all 1stXI squad is on Thursday, 6pm start.
Cheers,
Rob.
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Evening,
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Evening all,
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Evening all,
---------------------------------
Evening all,
- We let Acle get away a little in the middle of their innings. I think we could have kept them down to 180 or less with more disciplined bowling. We still bowled a bad ball in most overs, which we have to cut out. A bad ball at this level is a half volley or a slightly wide ball outside off stump; this delivery would probably have been a dot ball last year in Division 1.
- Our ground fielding was sloppy, which is unusual for us. The outfield was rubbish, and made picking up the ball cleanly difficult. But they probably took at least 10 quick singles to fielders in the ring when the ball didn't leave the square!
- We dropped / refused catches. Good batsman just don't give many chances, and when they come we must take them.
But, to keep them to 210 (and bowl them out) was a good effort. I think we have to set ourselves high standards and I hope you all agree with me that we could and should have restricted a lower total.
With the bat, we got ourselves into a great position on several occasions. 210 was not a big score, and whilst the wicket was difficult at first the longer you spent at the crease the easier it became. Five of our batters (Vinay, Chris, JR, SP and Ed) got themselves in, played some great shots, and were all caught playing big shots, when all we needed were 1's and 2's.
Here's the positives.
- I thought Habershon's opening and death spells were excellent, much improved from last year and the hard work has really paid off. Keep working hard Habby, you will only get better still.
- Hoody's keeping was tidy and well organised, and he kept the team going with encouragement every ball. Brilliant.
- SP and Monkey bowled well together; I'm looking forward to the two of you bowling in tandem throughout the season.
- Chris Sheehy's batting was sublime, as was JR's. The two of you looked the best batsmen on either side by a country mile, you made the difficult conditions which troubled most disappear.
- Great teamwork and attitude throughout the day. As you all know, all I ask of you all is 100% effort. I can't fault any of you for the effort you put in to the game.
Training this week is back to Thursday evening, 6pm. We can't train on Wednesday as Mills and Reeve have a game, and we need to make use of the outfield for fielding drills. This week will involve lots of ground fielding and catching, and hopefully we can make good use of the new nets and bowling machine.
Don't be too despondent about Saturday guys, we've a long season ahead and if we keep the effort up (at training and matchdays) we'll be fine.
Look forward to seeing all 1st XI squad on Thursday, please be ready to start at 6pm.
Cheers,
Rob.
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Dear all,
Just a quick note regarding team selections, and what is expected of you all.
We’ll be picking the teams by Tuesday evening at the latest, so you’ll all know early in the week where you’ll be playing at the weekend.
There really is no limit this year to the 1st team squad; I see the 1’s and 2’s being one squad from which the 1st team is picked.
If you’ve been picked to play in the 2nd team and you have aspirations to play 1st team, I’ll be looking for match winning performances. Scoring a big 50 or preferably a hundred or taking 4-5 wickets from a 10 over spell.
Flashy 20’s or 1-40 won’t get you in to the 1st team, and if you’re good enough to get the flashy 20 you should be going onto get a bigger score!
Likewise if you’ve been picked to play in the 1st team, I’ll be looking for significant contributions. I am not going to chop and change the team for the sake of it, based on a couple of bad weeks, but I will be looking very closely at the 2nd team stats so that we can pick the best team each week based on current form (together with training etc…).
This weekend marks the start of the serious stuff guys, so all get your heads down and make mine and Rik’s job a difficult one by performing to your potential.
All the best, and good luck!
Rob.
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Morning all,
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Evening all,
- A few soft wickets. Not much you can do about a good ball, but plenty you can do with a crap one.
- Bowling - complete lack of discipline, notably Panter and Parikh, who went for 105 runs off 13 overs!
- Wides - 30 runs is just not good enough.
- Generally dead in the field.
- Poor warm-up and preparation.
Good
- Richard Timm batted very well, rotated the strike expertly.
- Panter batted ok.
- Habershon's opening spell was excellent; I can see a real improvement from last year, in pace and control.
- Prentice, Warner and Stamp all showed lots of promise with the ball.
- Pritty didn't bowl a bad ball in 9 overs. The blokes a robot.
To improve
- Again batters got a start and didn't go on. This week Parikh and Sheehy got to 20-odd, and played loose shots. Both should have gone on and built an innings. We must apply ourselves when we're in the middle and build partnerships.
- We need to work on tight lines, bowling with discipline. Applies to Panter and Parikh particularly.
- The warm up and preparation before the game starts is so important. We must turn up an hour before, we must warm up as a team. Hopefully you all noticed how well Old Bucks warmed up, they were much better prepared than us.
- Our team spirit needs to be lifted again, to how it was last season. I need all of the team to help with this!
- You all have my support in calling yours truly a complete plonker for getting out - I should have gone on to build a big innings.
Training
- Nets will be on Wednesday evening this week guys, starting promptly at 6pm.
- We'll do lots with the bowling machine in the nets and bowlers bowling off the square. Also, some agility / fielding work, which we seem a little rusty with.
If you can't make training, please let Vinay or me know. I've changed it to Wednesday for this week to help those of you who can't make Thursday.
Saturday will be a new challenge for us, our first game in the Premier for a couple of years. If we play to our potential we'll do well, but we must do the little things well, like train as a team, wear the correct kit, all work at team discipline, warm up together, support each other and most importantly, we must PLAY WITH A SMILE ON OUR FACES!!
So lets all start enjoying our cricket again and supporting each other 100%. I shall see you all on Wednesday at 6pm.
Cheers,
Rob.
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Evening all,
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Brooke Cricket Club Winter Nets & Season Preparation
After a thoroughly enjoyable and successful 2008 season, the time has come to plan for
winter cricket and training.
Once again, we will benefit from Chris Brown’s coaching. Hopefully you all agree that he
helped our cricket immensely last winter, which was one of many factors in us being so
successful as a Club this season.
Our nets are booked for Hellesdon High School, dates given below.
Date Time
Wed 10 Dec 2008 18:00-20:00
Wed 17 Dec 2008 18:00-20:00
Wed 14 Jan 2009 18:00-20:00
Wed 28 Jan 2009 18:00-20:00
Wed 11 Feb 2009 18:00-20:00
Wed 25 Feb 2009 18:00-20:00
Wed 11 Mar 2009 18:00-20:00
Fri 20 Mar 2009 20:00-22:00
Fri 27 Mar 2009 20:00-22:00
Fri 03 Apr 2009 20:00-22:00
Fri 17 Apr 2009 20:00-22:00
We have chosen Hellesdon, as their new sports hall has four nets (most halls have two). This
means that the entire Club can attend, and make best use of Chris’ coaching. It’s also hugely
beneficial for the teams to train together and develop as a Club, in preparation for next
season, which promises to be a challenging one for the 1st and 2nd teams.
Before nets get underway, we have once again entered a team in the Samouri Indoor
League. Jon Habershon is organising the team, so if you would like to play please email him
on j.habershon@hotmail.co.uk
The fixtures are listed below. All games are to be played at Taverham Hall School, with the
early games played at 7.30pm, the later games at 9pm.
Tuesday 30th September
9pm Vauxhall Mallards v Brooke
Tuesday 7th October
9pm Brooke v Great Witchingham
Tuesday 14th October
7.30pm Brooke v Old Buckenham
Tuesday 28th October
7.30pm Mattishall v Brooke
Tuesday 4th November
9pm Brooke v Vauxhall Mallards
Tuesday 18th November
9pm Great Witchingham v Brooke
Tuesday 25th November
7.30pm Old Buckenham v Brooke
Tuesday 16th December
7.30pm Brooke v Mattishall
As you all know, I believe in hard work to prepare for cricket. The Premier Division (and
Alliance Div 5 for the 2nd team) will be tough, and we will need to play at our best to be
competitive and successful. We will give ourselves the best possible chance to be successful
if we train with intensity over the winter.
I look forward to seeing you all on the 10th December at Hellesdon High School, if not before.
All the best,
Rob.
