Bowling tonight

Thought I'd pop to the club for a bowl this evening. The under-17s were there so I asked the coaches if they minded me bowling in the vacant net and they said they'd rather I bowled at their batsmen. I bowled one ball which sprayed wide into the side-netting, and they said I'd better go in the empty net after all... I didn't bowl it wide to make a point, but that was why I wanted the empty net in the first place!

I was working on two things - firstly where I focus my attention during my run-up, and secondly how I pivot round my front foot. Overall the results were encouraging, and almost every ball where I felt I was properly concentrated landed roughly on the right line and length with a fair amount of turn. If I can bowl like that in a match I'd certainly have nothing to be ashamed about. I bowled for about an hour in the end before running out of steam.

The issue of where I look during my run-up puzzles me, but it's clear to see what works. My run-up now works as a left foot skip, then two paces where I get low and push back up to jump into the final two delivery strides, and if I keep looking at my target throughout my accuracy just goes. If instead I look decide on my target as I prepare to bowl, then glance down at where I want my front to land during the little skip, then focus back on my target during the final four steps I can land the ball on a good line and length at least 90% of the time.

I suppose what I'm doing is first anchoring the direction of my run-up so that I arrive in the same place in the same way, then determining where to channel that movement as I release the ball. On one occasion I forgot to look at where I was planting my foot and got my my legs tangled slightly on the third step, resulting in a ball sprayed wide to the left. Anyway, I feel I'm now back to the same level of bowling I was at before my lay-off, if not slightly better, even if the ball doesn't seem to be coming out of my hand quite as well.

Again I'll have to wait a bit before I know whether I'm playing on Saturday. I was offered a game on Sunday but it's not really convenient for me so I had to turn it down. To earn some brownie points I've agreed to do the scorebook for the Barmy Army charity match on Friday afternoon. I'd better remember to take a propelling pencil with me this time as using a Biro last week was less than ideal.