Free Minded Approach

 One weekend down and dusted, and what an exciting one it was! 

The 2015 BCA season commenced with the very popular T20 format. First, let me take you back to my pre-season;- the many hours in gym per week, long distant runs, and, basic batting drills all begun in the beginning of the year, with my team mate and good pal Nikolai Charles, who was our leading wicket taker last season. 

Nikolai and I after a 5k run

We both love to put in the necessary hard work which is required to take our careers to the next level. By the time our club nets were open, we had shaken off the rust from the off-season. So we were a bit ahead of most of the other guys, but within two weeks or so, everyone were hitting there straps. 

Putting in some hard-work in the gym

We had three warms up matches, we won the first two but lost the final one...but it was good for guys to get comfortable with their roles in the team before the tourney started. I scored a total of 29 runs in those games, with 27 came in the last game. I didn't have such a good time with the bat but, I was batting well, but my scores wasn't showing that. Regardless, I wasn't worried about going into the season without any decent performances under my belt. 

Sharing some views with my good friend Chris Jordan

Our first game was at the Trents ground, against MapleCC. One of the worst places to play any kind of cricket! Let me explain that with more detail. First, the ground is so small they play 3's & 4's, so a boundary is 3 runs and a maximum is just 4 runs. Second, the ground has about 3 to 4 grown trees on the field on one side. All the best to the fielder on that side. The wicket general keeps low, for example. Kemar Roach plays for Maple, I've never seen him get the ball above waist height, and the keeper always collects the ball dying. Yup! A batsman nightmare. 

Guys coming together after take a wicket in our first match of the season

Our starting XI was star stuck! Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, and Kirk Edwards were all in, but it's never easy playing cricket at Maple, ever! We lost the toss and were sent in to bat, not surprisingly as the wicket was slow and not too great for stroke play. Kraigg and I opened the innings, and before you knew it, both of us were back in the dressing room with the score at 10. We were bowled out for 85! Not really the start we were looking for at the beginning of our 2015 campaign. But, we have an awesome self belief within our team thats remarkable. To make a long story short, the game came down to 1 ball, 1 wicket, with Maple needing 1 run to win. 

Our ‘go to’ spinner Chad Reifer almost did the unmanageable again like he did last season in the semi finals. Imagine this for a bit, 6 balls, 2 runs, 4 wickets in hand. The first ball they got a single, the rest was, a team panicking at it's best! The next four balls went like this ww.w, (I wasn't one bit nervous on the field. I actually had a sense of enjoyment that we had a great chance of winning this game). The last ball got smacked to the boundary from Reifer’s  miss delivered ball, but no one would blame him for that after such a amazing over. We lost our first game of the season but we showed great fight and character. 

Our second game brought us back home to Dayrells road, our first home game of the season, against Wildey. We were quick to bounce back from our first defeat, and we did that with some serious vengeance! Our new captain this season Deigo Stuart lost the toss again, and the opposition sent us to have first knock. We ended on 198-6. No issue with the batting this time. Kraigg and I had an opening partnership of 91, I lost my wicket in the 13th over for 44. Kraigg went 5 runs after for a well played 43. But we had set the foundation for our middle order, and our most senior batsman, Kirk Edwards did what the team needed. He made a quick fire 42 from 16 balls. And they say- he's not a T20 batsman!? RIGHT!  His innings was such a joy to watch-in two separate overs 17th and 18th from Carlos Brathwaite, he did the bulk of the destruction with each over going for 16 runs. 

I must also mention our overseas pro this season a fast bowler who can do a bit with the bat also, Fanie DeVillers Jr., son of the former Proteas fast bowler Fanie DeVillers. In his first game for Wanderers he smacked his first ball back over the bowlers head for a maximum!! It was fitting for the large crowd of spectators at hand. Fanie also went on to grab his first wicket for the club.

Great guy! Fanie DeVillers Jr.

We won the game by 56 runs. That's a huge margin in T20 cricket. It would have been great winning both our games but we were all happy at the end of the weekend. We lost the first but we came back stronger next game. That's what's it's all about! 

We have great momentum going into the next game. Another week at the training ground to sharpen our skills and fine tune our weaknesses. 

However, I am currently enjoying my day off, with my feet up, while watching a few movies. So I'll catch up with you guys next week. Cheers!"

A Great Beginning

A Great Start

Our 2014 campaign begun as we expected it to. First, it was good to have some new faces in our squad , the likes of Shayne Moseley, Johnathan Drakes, and my good friend Nikolai Charles.

We had some early success in our pre-season warm up games winning all 3 of our matches, and winning them convincingly! So with regards to having good preparation going into the Sagicor T20 tournament, everyone was match ready. I also benefited from the warm up games getting a couple scores in the 40's, so I was in good form and was ready to execute.

In the qualifying rounds, we won each and every one of our games to top our group and getting a spot into the knock out stages. Last season, I performed the role of opening the innings, but this time around I was selected to bat in the middle order in at number 5 or 6. So basically, I was the man to finish the innings. I did that pretty well getting scores of 34, 22*,11*. I wasn’t required to bat in two games as our top order was doing extremely well, with guys like Shayne who got four scores above 50.

 We had a flawless run in the preliminary stages

Time For The Mecca

We're now into the knock out stages, where all the games from here on will be staged at the famous Kensington Oval under lights. Not too sure about the other teams, but most of our guys had experience playing under these conditions, so it wasn't a new feeling for us.

 

My pano shot of the Oval from the dug out with my iPhone

I was extremely geared up to step out in the arena in front a slightly bigger crowd, not like the IPL but it would be a bit more than we were accustomed to. Only a bit! I must commend the BCA for having the games played there, it was a good move to be placed in that professional setting. A move which hopefully will allow more club matches to be played at the Oval.

In our quarterfinal match, it was a close call to some, but, to the level headed spectators and players, it was an easy victory by us. We won by six wickets. Yes! Six wickets!! Winning a T20 game by that margin to me; is a very comprehensive win. Although it came down to the final over for us to score the 113 runs to defeat Yorkshire CC, we remained the favorites to win the game. The wicket was slow in nature so the big shots weren’t that easy to play, so getting our singles and pushing hard for two's in the deep were required. We kept up with the run rate required throughout our innings so it was no need for panicking. Although you could have fried an egg on our replacement captain Diego Stuart, who's a bit of a panic button by his nature. Eventually myself and Stuart saw us over the line, with me getting the opportunity of hitting the winning runs, and ending on 5*.

Game Of The Tournament

If you were present at our semi final match against our rival neighbors YMPC, then you witnessed a game that was worth your $5! Let me get straight to the exciting part! We batted first, only mustering 129 in our allotted 20 overs, the one game I failed to scored, only getting one run. While going about our defense, at one stage, Ryan Wiggins and Shane Dowrich pretty much had the YMPC fans planning their schedule so they could make it down to the finals the Sunday night, but it wasn't to be!

Joining the rest of my team mates in celebration after the miracle over by  Chad

It came down to this. Five runs to win, 8 wickets in hand, six balls to face, and a batsman in on 30 odd, the odds were entirely against us. But the fight to overcome the odds was always with us until the final ball. Our captain, Jason Holder back from the IPL gave Chad Reifer the duty of bowling the over of the century! The first ball went for 3 runs! A waist high full toss and the batsman picking up 2 runs in the process. All over? Not just yet! They got a sharp single to mid-off with 4 balls to go. The rest was a bit of madness from the tensed YMPC batsmen, an a bit of brilliance from captain Holder who executed the  run out of Dowrich with a direct hit; who tried to take a non existent single to short mid-on, after that was a consecutive string of run outs done by the bowler Reifer himself, the batsman could only find the ball back to him as they tried their best to muscle the ball out of the park! We kept our nerves and took the game into a super over. Six runs were needed for Wanderers CC to take their unbeaten tally to the Sagicor finals, the furthest we have ever reached in this format. The mass celebrations begun after the other half of Chad Reifer, Ramon Reifer launched a big six over midwicket from the fourth ball in our super over. Easily, the game of the tournament!

Finals Time

The big stage, one last hurdle to cross, it was so unfamiliar to our team, but we were playing like champions already. I had myself a spring bath the morning of the finals down at Pot House spring in St.John with my girlfriend, just to relax my mind and to have my body feeling fresh until it was time to battle come the night time.

Team photo at the finals

We were lucky to have Kirk Edwards coming back in the squad, after being released from the WICB training camp for the on going test series verses New Zealand. Which meant someone from the previous 11 would be left out. Unfortunately that person was me. I probably felt gutted for about 2 mins not to be on show in the finals which was being televised live on channel 8 and an expected large crowd at hand. But I’m not one to sulk, so I did my 12^th man duties in a pro manner and supported the guys 100% from the dug out. To my surprise we won the toss and decided to bat. I honestly would have liked if we had put the opposition in to bat first considering the slow nature in which the Oval pitches have been playing over the knock out stages, but first let me mention who our opponents were, Spartan; a team also like us, first time in the T20 finals. So by all means there was going to be a new club lifting the Sagicor T20 cup.

We had a bad start and never really recovered. 92 all out! Yet again another slow wicket making it hard to get the ball away. Spartan's batsmen weren’t under any pressure going about the run chase. Another 25-30 runs would have definitely made the game a lot more interesting. They got to the target with 2 overs and two balls to spare.

Much credit to all the WCC fans that came out in their numbers, we got a huge applause while making our way into the dressing room, which to say, we were disappointed we could not cross that final hurdle, but we did extremely well to get to that point. And please note that the loss in the finals was our first defeat for the year, that alone is a great achievement by the boys and coaching staff. 

Loved the support from all the WanderersCC fans

Reset And Go Again

I play with a great bunch of guys

Up comes the three day format, the complete opposite of the T20. Requiring patience, consistency, and a hell lot of mental strength. We won the Division One title in 2013 which gave us the promotion back into the Elite Division, and we'll be aiming to dominate also.

It's been over two and half years now since I’ve been around the national set up. An I ain't getting no younger! I have my personal goals set and I plan to enjoy this season, put in some outstanding performances, then leave it all to the selectors to do their bit.

The entire team, coaching staff and management is in good spirit, and once we continue to carry that unity and team spirit on and off the field, we'll definitely be one of the top teams this season.

Preperation Time

It’s time to take off those extra pounds and burn the calories from the Christmas holidays, … but first, let me wish everyone a late, but none the less a 'Happy New Year!' Hope 2014 is a great one for you!
 
I plan to have a great year this season, so am already putting in the work to bring that to reality. After not being around the national setup in the last two years due to weak performances, I'm even more motivated and pumped to make 2014 the year I make a statement. Hoping to play in the top division this season; it's not another better time to do so!

I'm about 3 weeks now into my pre-season training. With programs given by the coach and also my own personal plans, it's been fun thus far, but it's hard work also. It's mostly on fitness, strength, endurance, and the best part....having that good looking athletic body!

One of my distant runs

What work have I been doing thus far? Well, long runs...want to get fit mentally, physically, build stamina? Long distance runs are to me one of the best ways. I like to go for around 2.41 miles which is just under 4k's, 3.87k's to be exact. What I'll do in future runs is to improve my times, each run! Never settle for a slower time than your previous run, always look to improve.
For my cardio/strength I have a few routines I do. Guess I’ll share a bit- My free hand routines  I sometimes do includes "20 jumping jacks, 20 mountain climbers, 10 push-ups, 10 jump squats, 5 sets. One minute or 45 seconds between each set. Afterwards it'll be "20 squats, 30 lunges, 40 high knees, 50 second wall sit, and round it of with 100 jumping jacks). That'll give you a nice burn! For my weights routines I follow work-outs to fit my needs from the famous Mike Chang. He really has some good strength and mass building videos on his YouTube account. (That was me telling you how to look him up!)

Going through one of my early morning gym session

 



I'll be getting down to my technical stuff in the up-coming week. Improving on my batting skills, from technique back down the stroke play. Improving on my weak areas an also my strengths...in other words, it's going to be a back to the basics program in that area. In my opinion preparation is a very important key as a cricketer, also in life. "fail to prepare, prepare to fail'. I don't plan to have any of that quote in my game.

Overall I’m excited about the new season, to come as we're  (WanderersCC); back up in the top flight division (Elite Division). And I know when we come together as a team in a few weeks time to begin our training, it's going to be a great vibe among the boys for sure.

In a huddle with a few of my Wanderers team mates

So with that said, I've begun the training and the blogs, all there is left to be done is to accomplish those performances I set to achieve, those my good wishes would love for me to do. This season I'll definitely look to complete that list.

So until my next post, stay safe and I hope you'll continue to have an enjoyable 2014!!





Champions

It took me a week to gather my thoughts after such a remarkable achievement.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that we are the BCA division 1 champions!! That's right, the persistent teamwork and diligence invested from the beginning of the calendar has indeed reaped its  benefits. Credit is due to each and everyone who has been a part of wanderers' success.

This means a lot to me. why? I've been representing the Wanderers club from the year 2005, and this is my first championship cup in my career at the club. Let me tell you, it's a fantastic feeling! I know for my teams mates, the feeling is mutual.

WanderersCC team photo- 2013 BCA division one champions 

The key to our success this year wasn't attributed to one or two players, it was an entire team effort. When it wasn't Kraigg scoring a ton, it was Diego making 5 consecutive fifties, or Jason only taking 2 wickets, Chad was with his left arm orthodox taking 6 or 7, while Sean and I were in the slips taking some sharp catches "late & low". Didn't have a good season with the bat but, with the 50 over

format starting in a couple weeks, I'm anticipating some good performances there.

'kudos' must be handed to our coach Ricky Clarke. Pretty much the orchestrator of it all. This man has worked 24/7 just to make this a reality, although at times, he could activate the "panic button" a bit too early, that just shows his passion for the club and also for the players he manages.

Many thanks to our supporters who've been present at each and every single match this season, absolutely loved the off-field passion they showed towards us, now as a reward,they have something to be proud of since 1984, the last year Wanderers won the first division title. They could go to their 9-5's and have a little something to boast about, after all, we've been stereo-typed as a club that won't make it up to the Elite Division. Let's hope the critics don't eat  their words now.

We have a 3 week break before competitive cricket resumes, which are the one days. I'll be taking a much needed week of rest but we come together again for a two week preparation leading up to the start of the tournament, which we'll be looking to end the year with some more silverware! And i'm also looking forward to having some good personal performances After all, a few of our supporters came and said to me "you owe us something". And indeed I do!

Close Battle

This season has to be one of the closest and most intriguing for Wanderers: with only one and a half games remaining, currently in second position, just a mere point from the leaders (Banks). This is going to be a close finish....but of course we anticipate being the happier squad at the end.

After playing LIME in round 7 and convincingly defeating them by 10 wickets, we were assertive in our play against Police in round 8.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not work in our favor which resulted in a ‘no decision’ due to rain fall on days two and three. Turning up on day one to see an outfield more suitable for the feeding of livestock was unbelievable. Grass on some parts of the ground up to your ankles, a pitch that was on the soft and slowish side.....classic example of the poor standard in our club structure. Furthermore, they sent us in to bat on the horror. At the end of day one we ended on 196-6, four runs short of two valuable batting points.

That was led by a well constructed innings by Kraigg Brathwaite, which to mention has been his standard this season, 105 to his name. Other significant scores came from our overseas player Craigg Emmanuel and myself 23 and 20 respectively.

No value for your shots at all. What would be a 4 at any other well prepared ground, was a very painful 1 or 2. Not a day for playing a cover drive and staying in the shot for the cameras.

Our upcoming match away from home-grounds, we head down to the Pine Basin Oval to play MTW. Maximum points would be just what the doctor ordered, but the weather will more than likely have a say in this round of games. Let's pray that our game isn't interrupted.

It has been a very exciting season thus far, but the way we have been playing lately are some great signs of fight and determination to be Div 1 champs. I'm still determined to produce something big, so now would be a perfect time to execute

Double Up

Not one but two consecutive wins in the league, taking us to 3rd position and two points away from the leaders. We couldn't ask for a better position just before the Crop Over break. A dominating win over YMPC is only the beginning of better things to come.

Arriving at Beckles Road to find a wicket that would guarantee a result after the 3 days of cricket. We won the toss and decided to have a bowl at our hosts. "Spinners paradise" would have been the perfect description of the wicket, so when I state that our left arm orthodox, Chad Reifer took 11 wickets in the match, don't be appalled. We bowled them out for 163 in their first innings, we replied with 209, led by a masterful knock by Diego Stuart, getting 90* on a difficult batting surface and about 60% of his runs coming with some delightful over cover six hitting. It was a gem to watch.

We had the advantage in their second innings, 165 all out leaving us with 120 to win. But the challenge came from Mother Nature, with a few interruptions by some inclement showers, and the fading light, we knew our run chase required some urgency in order to reach our target. We executed very well with just the loss of 4 wickets. Stuart again in the runs with a quick fire 23.

We returned to our home ground for the next match against Carlton. We are all aware of the benefits of playing on your home ground. You have every chance of gaining maximum batting points as we have one of the best batting wickets around the island. So I couldn't comprehend why the captain of Carlton would win the toss but choose to put us in to bat. 326 in our first and only innings of the match proved to be enough. Half centuries by Kraigg, Kirk, and the man that can't do any wrong this season, Diego who led our charge. Let's all fail to remember that I didn't even bother the scorers this time.

I think the highlight of our success this season is due to players taking great initiative to step up when it wasn't another guy’s day. This time it was one of our seasonal players Gary Belle with his off-breaks, taking his first 5'fer of the season, ending with 8 in the game. Great to see different players coming up with top performances.

1 hour & 49 minutes was all the time needed on day 3 to win by an innings and 103 runs. Enough time for myself and a few of our batters to get an afternoon net session and an early Sunday victory brew....I could taste the Guinness all over again.

Our next game will be after the Crop Over break against LIME at Dayrells Road on the 10th of August. Not like I take part in any of the events, but I do have my 26th birthday coming up. But I'll take this time away from the game to work on some weak areas in my game and be ready time our next match. It's never a break in this career for me, always work to be done!

My cuppa is on the verge of getting cold, so this is where I'll send my thanks to all reading and I'll catch you guys later!

Only A Matter Of Time

I am rather tardy with my blog this time around, but I’ll put the blame on the tennis action displayed at Wimbledon. I am also sad to affirm that we’re still seeking our first winafter our 4th 3−day match against BCL.

We got off to a relatively good start playing on our home ground with our guests winning the toss, also deciding to have first hit on the wicket which appeared to have plenty of runs. They were bowled out for 266 far under what was a decent score on that wicket.

Our openers saw the few overs for the remainder of day one, taking us into day two on a pitch flatter than a pancake after being compressed by a steam roller. We declared at 410-9, which was led by a top knock by Kraigg Brathwaite, who made 121, who always seem to score a hundred every time he plays this season. Diego Stuart and Craigg Holder supported well with half centuries to their name. I got a decent start but fell short for 29.

The highlight for us was our bowling performance in the second innings on day 3 with Jamar Layne, one of our seam bowlers, who came back into the squad after injuries kept him out since last season, and took 5 for 35.What a tremendous effort on such a good batting wicket.

We bowled them out late on day 3 but they passed our lead on first innings and added an extra 80 or so, by the time we had the chance to chase down the runs it was after 6pm, and if possible had 6 overs to get that total. Only one ball was bowled in our second innings leaving us with a draw in the bag with valuable bonus points.

We play away in our next fixture against our neighbors YMPC. One of the best teams in the tournament, so we'll have to play exceptional as anticipated in order to excel!