TNCA Under 19 - Quarter Finals

At Nagapattinam:

Nagapattinam 192 in 84.2 overs (S. Siddarth 46, S. Syed Aziz 37, J. Ernest Aaron 33, Ranjith Kumar three for 37) & 51 for four in 25 overs

drew with

Salem 171 in 73.2 overs (Jayaseelan 33, S. Syed Aziz four for 36, Aiyappan three for 42).

Nagapattinam won on first innings lead .

At Hosur:

Krishnagiri 174 in 81 overs (R. Sanjay Yadav 44 n.o., M. Suriyah 41, Y. Surya 31, R. Sonu Yadav 26, S. Dinesh Kumar six for 41) & eight for one in two overs

drew with

Coimbatore 343 for eight in 90 overs (J. Kousik 131, S. Sujay 61, C. Hari Nishanth 32, N. Jagadeesan 28, M. Abhinav 26, T.K. Gowthamraj 25, R. Sonu Yadav five for 63).

Coimbatore won on first innings lead.

At Tirunelveli:

Tirunelveli 298 for eight in 90 overs (K. Aravinth 160, K. Stephen 64 n.o., M. Vijay three for 59, S. Dheenadhayalu three for 79) and 177 for three in 40 overs (K. Aravinth 92 n.o., M. Gowtham 39, K. Stephen 33)

drew with

Erode 126 in 49.1 overs (P. Sri Ramkumar 57, L. Praveen Joshua three for 7, M. Gowtham three for 16, S. Ramesh three for 21) and 125 for three in 21 overs (M. Vijay 58, S. Prithviraja 37).

Tirunelveli won on first innings lead .

At Kancheepuram :

Kancheepuram 252 in 89.2 overs (S. Swaminathan 62, B. Roop Prasad 51, G. Vikram 30, Selvaganapathy four for 60) vs. Tiruvannamalai.

TNCA Under 14 - Round 1 : Day 3

At Pudukottai:

Salem 189 for six in 50 overs (R.R. Nishanth 81 n.o., I. Mushraf Shariff 30) bt Tiruvarur 18 in 9.4 overs (I. Mushraf Shariff five for five, P. Gokulraj three for 13).

Pudukottai 218 in 48.1 overs (S. Sanjay Anand 58, B. Amal 26, K.S. Murrugappa 28, A.E. Naveen four for 33) bt Erode 42 in 26.3 overs (K.S. Murrugappa four for 16).

Salem and Pudukottai qualify .

At Perambalur:

Nilgiris 68 in 24 overs (S. Venkatesan seven for 31) lost to Perambalur 69 for six in 24.3 overs (Utkarsh Singh four for 15).

Kanyakumari 192 for nine in 50 overs (D. Ben David 79) bt Puducherry 107 for eight in 50 overs (Shri Siva Gunal 31, A. Aathil Meeran four for 14).

Kanyakumari & Perambalur qualify.

At Tiruchi:

Tirupur 272 for two in 50 overs (P. Pradosh Ranjan Paul 119 n.o., N. Gokul Raj 105 n.o.) bt Dharmapuri 31 in 27.1 overs (A. Harish seven for seven).

Tiruchi 190 in 45 overs (A. Gary Nicholson 35, M. Koushik Ram 34, M. Muhil Adithyan 32, M.S. Sakthikumar three for 28) bt Cuddalore 125 for nine in 50 overs (A. Arivumani 39, A. Lewinsam three for 15).

Tirupur & Tiruchi qualify.

At Tuticorin:

Kancheepuram 414 for six in 50 overs (Nidhish S. Rajagopal 129, Y.K. Sudharshan 61, R.S. Mokithariharan 58, S. Arun 51, G.A. Shravan 45 n.o.) bt Tiruvannamalai 52 in 31.5 overs (M. Nithish Bharath five for 10, including a hat-trick).

Tuticorin 106 in 31.5 overs (R. Oswin Roy Vijayaraj 36, K. Meganathan three for 17) bt Karur 94 in 37.5 overs (K. Mukil Sachin 31, M. Marimuthu three for 21).

Kancheepuram and Tuticorin qualify .

At Madurai:

Villupuram 41 in 22.5 overs (R. Ajith five for 17) lost to Madurai 42 for two in 9.1 overs.

Coimbatore 231 for eight in 50 overs (A.R. Karthick 59, A. Jerish 32, P. Mithun 26 n.o.) bt Tirunelveli 135 in 38.5 overs (G. Sriram 76 n.o., A.R. Karthick five for 29, Nayanth Shah three for 34).

Madurai and Coimbatore qualify .

At Theni:

Theni 121 in 41.1 overs (K.J. Ashwath three for 15, T.K. Kavin Bharathi three for 28) bt Namakkal 61 in 32.1 overs (B.C. Gokul four for 13, R. Vijayaraj three for 7).

Dindigul 94 in 37.4 overs bt Virudhunagar 91 in 40.3 overs (Aashiq four for 16).

Dindigul and Theni qualify .

At Ramanathapuram:

Ramnathapuram 83 in 37.3 overs (J. Krishnakumar five for 20) lost to Nagapattinam 87 for three in 17 overs (Ragul 50 n.o.).

Krishnagiri and Nagapattinam qualify .

TNCA Under 14 - Round 1 : Day 2

At Pudukottai:
Erode 33 in 12.3 overs (I. Mushraf Shariff seven for nine, Gokulraj three for 21) lost to Salem 35 for no loss in 3.1 overs.

Tiruvarur 124 for nine in 50 overs (K.S. Murrugappa four for 33) lost to Pudukottai 125 for five in 42.2 overs (K.S. Murrugappa 35 n.o.).

At Tiruchi: Tiruchi 327 for five in 50 overs (M. Muhil Adithyan 118, R. Hariharan 65, M. Koushik Ram 56) bt Dharmapuri 117 in 42.4 overs (T. Udhayanithi 25, M. Muhil Adithyan four for eight, K. Kesavan three for 26).

Tirupur 186 for seven in 50 overs (S. Kushal Singh 35, P. Pradosh Ranjan Paul 58, B. Sandeep three for 38) bt Cuddalore 45 in 29.4 overs (A. Harish six for 14).

At Perambalur: Perambalur 97 in 35.4 overs (S. Rajasekaran 41, Sohail Anwar three for 17, Abbas Mohammed three for nine) bt Puducherry 52 in 31 overs (S. Venkatesan four for 17, S. Mohammed Shathick three for four).

Kanyakumari 178 for nine in 50 overs (D. Ben David 61 n.o., S.C. Ashek Milton 36, Utkarsh Singh three for 31) lost to Nilgiris 179 for five in 48.5 overs (K. Saran 31, A. Shivendra 38, A. Mohamed Faraz three for 30).

At Chennai: Thanjavur DCA 120 in 40.5 overs (J. Peter Calab 35, J. Naveen four for 32, M.E. Yazh Arunmozhi three for 20) lost to Vellore DCA 123 for two in 33.2 overs (S. Risheek Kumar 50 n.o., T.S. Sathya Moorthy 27).

Tiruvallur DCA 278 for four in 50 overs (P. Jeya Krishna 123, M. Santhosh Pandian 40, S. Santhosh Kumar 33) bt Sivagangai DCA 46 in 25.2 overs (N. Harish three for six, V. Hemanth Ram three for 18).

At Ramanathapuram: Nagapattinam 91 in 45.1 overs (Aravind 28, Kamalesh three for eight, Dravid Rajan three for 19) lost to Krishnagiri 92 for one in 21.3 overs (Ganesh 41).

At Madurai: Coimbatore 257 for seven in 50 overs (Sathyanarayanan 73, Jerish 57, P. Mithun 31) bt Villupuram 49 in 13.5 overs (S. Surya Prakash three for seven, A.R. Karthick three for 22).

Tirunelveli 115 for seven in 50 overs (S. Kirankauda 28) lost to Madurai 116 for seven in 32 overs (N. Nikhin 51, Jai Sriram four for 25).

At Theni: Namakkal 143 for five in 50 overs (T.K. Kavin Bharathi 45) lost to Dindigul 144 for one in 30.4 overs (N. Sushil Kumar 72).

Virudhunagar 71 (D. Pranav four for 12) lost to Theni 72 for nine in 26.4 overs (Akshay Kumar three for 16, Naren Bharath three for 25).

At Tuticorin: Tiruvannamalai 94 in 34.3 overs (K. Meganathan seven for 17) lost to Karur 96 without loss in 18.5 overs (K. Meganathan 58 n.o.).

Tuticorin 102 in 37.3 overs (J. Oswin Roy Vijayaraj 29, R.S. Mokith Hariharan three for 14) lost to Kancheepuram 104 for nine in 35.4 overs (Marimuthu four for 37).

At Thiruvallur :

Thanjavur DCA 120 in 40.5 overs (J. Peter Calab 35, J. Naveen four for 32, M.E. Yazh Arunmozhi three for 20) lost to Vellore DCA 123 for two in 33.2 overs (S. Risheek Kumar 50 n.o., T.S. Sathya Moorthy 27).

Tiruvallur DCA 278 for four in 50 overs (P. Jeya Krishna 123, M. Santhosh Pandian 40, S. Santhosh Kumar 33) bt Sivagangai DCA 46 in 25.2 overs (N. Harish three for six, V. Hemanth Ram three for 18).

TNCA Under 14 - Round 1 : Day 1

At Pudukottai: Salem 113 in 43.2 overs (Nishanth 40, Murugappa four for 19) bt Pudukottai 57 in 34.2 overs (I. Mushraf Shariff six for eight).

Tiruvarur 163 in 36.4 overs (Ashwath Narayanan 46, Akilan four for 32) bt Erode 92 in 32.2 overs (T.R. Sri Pragadhirr six for 16, Prasath three for 15).

At Tiruchi: Tiruchi 192 for six in 50 overs (R. Hariharan 49, C. Ashwanth Valthappa 33 n.o., M. Mukil Adithyan 25) lost to Tirupur 193 for two in 48.1 overs (P. Pradosh Ranjan Paul 71 n.o., M. Gokulraj 55 n.o., N.S. Yuvanshankar 31).

Dharmapuri 123 in 33.5 overs (J. Kishore Karthik 70, P. Sanjay six for 46) lost to Cuddalore 124 for two in 31.2 overs (N.M. Arjun 25, A. Ahriv Mani 33, P. Mohan 26 n.o.).

At Perambalur: Kanyakumari 115 in 40 overs (D. Ben David 39 n.o., Mohammed Shathick four for 25) bt Perambalur 80 in 27.5 overs (S. Rajasekaran 25, A. Mohammed Faraz four for 26, Paul J. Samuel three for 22).

Puducherry 108 in 45.4 overs (S. Shrisivagunal 39 n.o., R.K. Ramnikesh three for 13) lost to Nilgiris 109 for three in 29.1 overs (Armaan Mathew 38).

At Ramanathapuram: Krishnagiri 234 for three in 50 overs (S. Laxman 40, K. Deeban Lingesh 86, S. Mohamed Shafeeqddin 53) bt Ramanathapuram 75 in 30.1 overs (Radhakrishnan 28, Dravid Rajan six for six).

At Tuticorin: Kancheepuram 262 in 43.4 overs (R.S. Mokith Hariharan 58, Nithish S. Rajagopal 40, S. Arun 35, A. Saravanan 34 n.o., M. Ragul five for 59) bt Karur 153 in 47 overs (N.P. Kalimuthu 28).

Tuticorin 236 for seven in 50 overs (Joel Jacob Jop 62, R. Oswin Roy Vijayaraj 49, M. Barath Kannan 26, J. Stephen Jack 26) bt Thiruvannamalai 84 in 25.1 overs (R. Oswin Roy Vijayaraj three for seven).

At Theni: Viriudhunagar 165 in 49.2 overs (S. Venkatesh 35) bt Namakkal 85 in 38.3 overs (N. Arun three for nine).

Dindigul 192 for eight in 50 overs (K. Aashiq 57, S. Thamarai Selvan 38, P. Surya three for 31) bt Theni 165 for six in 50 overs (P. Surya 61, B.C. Gokul 32).

At Madurai: Tirunelveli 218 in 47.5 overs (S. Siva Namasivayam 68, G.T.M. Maharajan 29, P. Deepa Arasu four for 36) bt Villupuram 73 in 21 overs (V. Thiru Vikram 25, A.S. Amarnath six for 21).

Madurai 87 in 37.3 overs (A.R. Karthick four for 12, Niyant Shah four for 17) lost to Coimbatore 88 for four in 36.1 overs (A.R. Karthick 25).

At Chennai: Tiruvallur 244 for five in 50 overs (P. Jeya Krishna 92 n.o., M. Santhosh Pandian 44, S. Santhosh Kumar 36) bt Tanjore 87 in 33.3 overs (N. Venkatae Krishna Prasath four for 21, S. Santhosh Kumar three for four).

Vellore 250 for seven in 50 overs (S. Risheek Kumar 29, A. Mubashir Ali 27, J. Naveen 76, A. Prakash Nathan 45, R. Saravana Kumar three for 52) bt Sivagangai 76 in 19 overs (A. Mohammed Tibiyan three for 10).

TNCA Under 16 - Round 2 - 19th & 20th July 2013

ROUND 2 : 19^th & 20^th July 2013

At Nagapattinam:

Tiruchi 213 in 71.3 overs (V. Shibi Jawahar 84, N. Shrikanth 39, R. Aravind four for 29) & 78 for eight in 40 overs (J. Krishnakumar three for 20)

drew with

Nagapattinam 159 in 86 overs (S. Syed Aziz 41, D. Rahul 36, Saran Balaji 30, V. Shibi Jawahar five for 25) & 40 for eight in 11 overs (V. Shibi Jawahar four for seven).

Tiruchi won on first innings lead .

At Tuticorin:

Tuticorin 137 in 49 overs (S. Sivaram Sundar 37, Mirza Mohammed Hussain Namazi five for 47, M.A. Atheeq-ur-Rehman three for 43) & 89 for seven decl. in 20.5 overs (J. Jonty Rhodes 31, P. Vishanth 27)

Lost to

Vellore 152 (M.A. Atheeq-ur-Rehman 43, E. Tamil Thiliphan 39, J. Naveen 32, J. Jonty Rhodes five for 46) and 75 for three in 26.3 overs (E. Tamil Thiliphan 57 n.o., J. Jonty Rhodes three for 31).

At Dindigul:

Dindigul 199 in 70.2 overs (A.R. Sivamurugan 90, C. Keerthivasan four for 39) and 156 for seven in 40 overs (S. Suraj Anton 53, A.R. Sivamurugan 45, N. Naren Kumar 29, N.S. Anirudh three for 31)

bt

Thanjavur 110 in 59.5 overs (A. Sesu Arun Kumar 26, G. Panu Valatti four for 35) and 69 in 27.3 overs (S. Vishwa 36, G. Panu Valatti four for 16).

At Thiruvallur:

Karur 100 in 70.2 overs (R. Gowri Shankar 37 n.o., R. Adhitya Rishi three for eight, M. Thiyagarajan four for 32)

drew with

Thiruvallur 234 for eight decl. in 74 overs (R.M. Seshan Muthu 100 n.o., M. Thiyagarajan 98, C.K. Harish five for 82).

At Coimbatore:

Tirunelveli 132 in 60.3 overs (T. Essaki Raja 40, B.U. Thirumurugan five for 25, Koushik Saboo three for 26) & 29 for one in seven overs

vs

Coimbatore 202 for six in 90 overs (S.R. Surya Prakash 64, M.J. Aran Nash 56 n.o., T. Essaki Raja four for 74).

Coimbatore qualified on first innings lead .

At Salem:

PUDHUCHERRY 87/10  37.3  (SHARUN KUMAR 4/15 . PRAVAHAN 3/24 . & 84/10   OVER 34.1  VIGNESH 3/16 

Lost to

SALEM 85/10 37.3  (SURIYA 30. SANTHOSH KUMARAAN 5/43) & 87/1  21.5  (GURU RAGAVENDHAR 38* SHARUNKUMAR 27)

At Erode

Erode 175/10 75.2overs (s.gokulbharathi76*) & 4 no loss in 0.1 Overs

Drew With

kancheepuram dca 161/6in 40overs (r.sukinsaravanan33*)

At Thiruvannamalai

Thiruvannamalai qualified over Krishnagiri

TNCA Under 19 - Round 2 - 22nd & 23rd July 2013

At Coimbatore:

Coimbatore 304 for eight decl. in 87.2 overs (C. Hari Nishanth 51, N. Jagadeesan 118, S. Dinesh Kumar 45, M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman three for 72)  & Coimbatore 117 for four in 40 overs

Vs

Vellore 96 in 49.3 overs (M. Abhinav six for 44) & 83 for four in 10 overs.

Coimbatore qualifies on first innings lead .

At Namakkal:

Nagapattinam 165 in 79.3 overs (S. Sitharth 32, G. Vinod Kumar five for 38) & 161 for two in 38 overs (S. Syath Aziz 83, K. Stefen Plix 56)

Vs

Namakkal 135 in 54.3 overs (S. Sitharth six for 40).

Nagapattinam qualifies on first innings lead .

At Dindigul:

Salem 277 for eight in 90 overs (P. Deepak Siddarth 67, S. Nikhil Sharma 65, A. Bharath 39, J. Jayaseelan 31, M.S. Promoth 32, J. Naresh Khanna three for 52) & 55 for one in 13 overs (Deepak 25)

Vs

Dindigul 223 in 88.1 overs (R. Vishwanathan 81, A. Lakshmi Narayanan 76, S. Ranjith Kumar four for 64).

Salem qualifies on first innings lead .

At Tiruvarur:

Tiruvarur 149 in 60.2 overs (T. Mahendran 53, K. Balaji 27, G. Gowthaman 25, Sanjay Yadav six for 36, G. Abhilesh three for 18) & 149 for eight in 34 overs (T. Mahendran 45, K. Balaji 34, G. Abhilesh four for 55, R. Sanjay Yadav three for 38)

Vs

Krishnagiri 275 for nine in 90 overs (Y. Surya 81, M. Suriyah 74, R. Sanjay Yadav 39, G. Ashok four for 67, G. Gowthaman three for 77).

Krishnagiri won on first innings lead .

At Tiruchi:

Tiruchi 61 in 38.4 overs (R. Sachith Roy three for three, S. Swaminathan three for 17) 58 in 29.3 overs (R. Sachith Roy five for 15)

Vs

Kancheepuram 134 in 56.4 overs (S. Santhosh Shiv 49, S. Swaminathan 30, V. Varun Kalyanaraman three for 13).

Kancheepuram won.

At Pudukottai:

Pudukottai 153 in 58 overs (J. Prabhakaran 29, J. Maheswaran 27, J.R. Jeffrin Marshall 25, P. Karthikeyan five for 32, S. Deenadayalan four for 38) & 101 in 34 overs (M. Balaji 66, Deenadayalan four for 48, M. Vijay five for 41)

vs

Erode 118 in 47.4 overs (S. Piruthiviraj 25, J. Prabhakaran three for 24, S. Sharath five for 19) & 140 for five in 37.5 overs (Dileep 43, Sriram Kumar 38).

Erode won.

At Udhagamandalam:

Nilgiris vs. Tirunelveli — match washed out due to rain.

Tirunelveli qualifies by spin of coin .

Thiruvallur vs Thiruvannamalai 

BATTING : Playing straight with a checked drive in the 'V'

Playing straight with a checked drive in the 'V' from both front and back foot is something that all the great players have done well, and still do well today. The full blooded drive looks good, but if you want to be an effective batsman you must learn to play the checked drive. As you know, a check drive is a straight bat shot on the front or back foot that finishes with the toe of the bat pointing down the wicket. Your wrists don't break as they do with the full follow through:

Why check your drives?

The downside of using a full swing is that the wrists and leading elbow collapse too early during the shot. When this happens the full face of the bat is not presented towards the ball all the way through the shot:

incorrect technique: closed face of bat

To play straight you need to have a well aligned backswing and more importantly a pronounced high leading elbow position on completion of your shots. This is only possible using a check swing rather than a full swing:

Once you have these elements in your game, the check drive becomes the best option, even when trying to score quickly, for example in Twenty20 cricket:

* It's easier to hit length ball 'on the up' successfully down the ground for boundaries.

* It's easier to turn a length ball in to a scoring shot along the ground.

* It lengthens your hitting zone when driving straight.

* When improvising on the off side, you can open the face of the bat on contact with the ball when playing off drives. This opens up a large scoring are on the off side with a lower risk of getting out.

* When improvising on the leg side you can close the face slightly on impact with the ball thus opening a wide scoring area on the leg side while again keeping risk low.

The high leading elbow allows you to have good control over where you are trying to place the ball while maintaining efficient technique. The elbow act like a sort of steering wheel which directs the ball where you want it to go while swinging the bat in as straight a line as possible to the target area.

Key technical points of the check drive

The diamond shape created in the backswing with the forearms must be maintained through to the completion of the shot where the hand and leading elbow finish as high as possible to form biomechanically perfect technique:

The higher the hands and leading elbow finish on completion of the shot the easier it is to play straight: The top hand needs to dominate the shot.

The bottom hand needs to be a hinge grip. This means the only the fingers and thumb remain on the handle of the bat but the palm is not in contact with it.

With the top hand firm and the bottom hand loose it is easier to complete your straight batted shots with high hands and leading elbow.

This allows you to swing the full face of the bat through the line of the ball for the maximum amount of time to positive effect.

TNCA Under 19 - Round 1 : Day 3 - 17.07.2013

At Coimbatore: Madurai 127 in 45 overs (J. Prasanna Venkatesh 55 not out, M. Abhinav six for 35) lost to Coimbatore 128 for three in 27.5 overs (T.K. Gowtham Raj 57).
Sivagangai 97 in 36.1 overs (S. Krishna Kumar three for 36) lost to Tiruvannamalai 98 for two in 25.5 overs (M. Deepan Chakravarthi 45 not out).
(Coimbatore & Tiruvannamalai qualify).
At Tirupur: Tirupur 188 for seven in 50 overs (B. Kiri Sudan 64, Saran Prethum 36) lost to Erode 189 for five in 39.1 overs (V. Sankara Pandian 37, M. Vijay 58, P. Sriram Kumar 46).
Nagapattinam 213 for six in 50 overs (K. Muthukumar 55, G.V. Pritviraj 37, R. Arun Nivas 36) bt Kanyakumari 155 in 38.5 overs (K. Anis Gowtham 33, G.V. Pritviraj four for 28.
(Nagapattinam & Erode qualify).
At Udhagamandalam: Villupuram 151 (A. Jaffarullag 41, N. Madhu three for 20) lost to Nilgiris 154 for three in 40.4 overs (J. Monish 74 not out, M.S. Karthik 50).
(Salem & Nilgiris qualify).
At Krishnagiri: Krishnagiri 194 in 41.5 overs (R. Sanjay Yadav 55, M. Suriyah 36, M. Sakthivel four for 45) bt Dharmapuri 57 in 21.3 overs (R. Sanjay Yadav six for 19, Y. Surya four for 18).
Tiruchi 246 in 49 overs (B. Jayanth 45, N. Hanoosh Vijayan 39, V. Varun Kalyanaraman 36, K. Navaneetha Krishnan three for 21) bt Perambalur 50 in 19 overs (U. Manikandan six for 18).
(Krishnagiri & Tiruchi qualify).
At Pudukottai: Karur 133 in 40.3 overs (C.K. Harish 28, R. Pavithran 25, J. Prabhakaran five for 30) lost to Pudukottai 134 for five in 34 overs (J. Maheshwaran 37, J.R. Jeffrin Marshal 25, R. Prabhakaran three for 17).
Namakkal 178 in 46.5 overs (G. Vinoth Kumar 61, P. Mohan Kumar 39, E. Parthiban 38, R. Aarudhra Simhadev five for 25) tied with Tuticorin 178 for nine in 50 overs (B. Suresh Kumar 100 n.o., E. Parthiban four for 25).
Pudukottai & Namakkal qualify .
At Tiruvarur: Kancheepuram 283 for six in 50 overs (S. Santosh Shiv 104, G. Vikram 53, Swaminathan 40, R. Naveen 25, Bharath three for 61) bt Cuddalore 156 in 31.3 overs (Bharath 39, Swaminathan four for 35, Vigneshwar three for 17).
Puducherry 117 in 32.2 overs (T. Mahendran four for 24) lost to Tiruvarur 118 for eight in 45.2 overs (B. Arun three for 23, S. Sukumar three for 24).
Kancheepuram & Tiruvarur qualify .
At Dindigul: Tirunelveli 117 in 48.2 overs (C. Venkatesh 33 n.o., M. Gowtham 27, M. Prasanth five for 24) tied with Ramanathapuram 117 in 32.3 overs (S. Chinnamarudhu 35, M. Gowtham three for 23).
Virudhunagar 156 in 50 overs (K. Suriya Prakash 34, B. Lingarajan 34, C. Gokul Pandian 29, T. Ramkumar three for 44) lost to Dindigul 144 or five in 38.2 overs (A. Lakshminarayanan 69 n.o., R. Viswanathan 26). (Target revised to 139 in 39 overs).
Tirunelveli & Dindigul qualify .
At Theni: Theni 188 in 48.1 overs (Sujith Kannan 34, Yogeshwaran 25, Atheeq-ur-Rahman three for 27) lost to Vellore 192 for six in 40.4 overs (Atheeq-ur-Rehman 48, Immoadullah 42).
Tiruvallur 241 in 49.2 overs (A. Deepak 77, A. Jerome 41, G. Vignesh 38, C. Ajeeth four for 50) bt Thanjavur 78 in 24 overs (B. Aditya four for 24, G. Vignesh three for 23).
(Thiruvallur & Vellore qualify).

TNCA Under 19 - Round 1 : Day 2 - 16.07.2013

At Udhagamandalam: Niligiris 169 (M.S. Karthick 42, R. Ranjith Kumar five for 36) lost to Salem 170 for three in 42 overs (M.S. Pramoth 78).

At Coimbatore: Sivagangai 183 for seven in 50 overs (A.S. Vineeth 34, M. Sivakumar 37 not out) lost to Madurai 184 for six in 47.3 overs (J. Prasanna Venkatesh 49, A.L. Hari Haran 40).

Tiruvannamalai 74 in 28 overs (M. Abhinav three for 10, M. Atul three for 16) lost to Coimbatore 76 for two in 15.5 overs.

At Tirupur: Kanyakumari 198 in 46.3 overs (K. Divakar Pandian 40, S.T. Natarajan 49, P. Sri Ram Kumar four for 18) lost to Erode 202 for eight in 48.1 overs (K. Padma Pooshan 65).

Nagapattinam, 168 in 50 overs (S. Siddharth 71, V. Sanjay three for 36, A. Santhosh Kumar three for 16) bt Tirupur 147 for nine in 50 overs (B. Kiri Sudhan 80 not out).

At Krishnagiri: Krishnagiri 205 in 47.5 overs (Y. Surya 61, R. Sonu Yadav 36, R. Sanjay Yadav 35, S. Sriram three for 11) bt Tiruchi 162 in 45.2 overs (B. Antony Regan 30, N. Mugilan three for 16, Y. Surya three for 30).

Dhamapuri 92 in 44.2 overs (M. Saravana Kumar 45, F. Kennedy four for 12) lost to Perambalur 93 for four in 23.4 overs.

At Dindigul: Dindigul 185 for seven in 50 overs (A.R. Sivamurugan 52, A. Lakshminarayanan 49, M.A.B. Mohammed Abdullah 35, G.T. Vel Venkatesh three for 34) lost to Tirunelveli 186 for two in 45.3 overs (K. Aravinth 100 n.o., G.T. Vel Venkatesh 33).

Virudhunagar 118 in 36.1 overs (S. Babu Raj 30, S. Chinnamarudhu three for 20, S. Kalidoss three for 32) lost to Ramanathapuram 121 for seven in 37.5 overs (M. Prasanth 29 n.o., R. Ajith five for 34).

At Theni: Vellore 159 in 37.1 overs (M.E. Tamil Dilipan 27, M.N. Atheeq-ur-Rahman 68, K. Vignesh three for 27) lost to Thiruvallur 160 for two in 34.3 overs (A. Jerome 63, A. Deepak 44).

Theni 164 in 40 overs (Anbu Kannan 48, Venkatesan 34) lost to Thanjavur 165 for five in 39.2 overs (M.P. Manoj Kumar 67 n.o., N. Aravinth 30 n.o., Subash Nathan three for 37).

At Tiruvarur: Tiruvarur 241 for seven in 50 overs (J. Karthick Nathan 76, V. Barathwaj 41, G. Gowthaman 53) bt Cuddalore 130 in 32.3 overs (A. Sabarinathan 37, N. Venkatesh three for 25).

Kancheepuram 273 for six in 50 overs (U. Vishal 107, G. Vikram 48, R. Naveen 38, S. Santosh Shiv 32) bt Puducherry 93 in 33.3 overs (K. Vigneshwar five for 18, R. Sachit Rai three for 36).

At Pudukottai: Pudukottai 163 in 44.4 overs (S. Arjuna 29, M. Balaji 26, J. Maria Sahaya Sandhiya four for 35, R. Aarudhra Simhadev three for 28, R. Jeyalingam three for 29) bt Tuticorin 104 in 27.5 overs (M. Balaji three for 18).

Namakkal 207 for nine in 47 overs (V. Vinoth Kumar 40, E. Parthiban 35, K. Karthik Raja 27, S. Manirathnam three for 25, R. Pavithran three for 32) bt Karur 127 in 40.1 overs (S. Vignesh 25, M. Naveen three for 24).

TNCA Under 19 - Round 1 : Day 1 - 15.07.2013

At Nilgiris: Villupuram 97 in 35 overs (S. Pravahan five for 30) lost to Salem 98 for five in 17.1 overs (K. Manoj Kumar 43, R. Vishnu Priyan three for 47).

At Coimbatore: Coimbatore 257 for two in 50 overs (C. Hari Nishanth 35, S. Sujay 100 not out, N. Jagadeesan 74 not out) bt Sivagangai 85 in 38.2 overs (M. Abhinav three for 22, R. Mithun five for 14).

Tiruvannamalai 198 in 49.5 overs (S. Krishna Kumar 46, R. Thilagar 35, V. Chockalingam 35, A. Vijay 39 not out) bt Madurai 131 for nine in 50 overs (A.L. Hariharan 41).

At Tirupur: Kanyakumari 142 in 42 overs (Joel Christus 44, Atham Sabi six for 31) lost to Tirupur 143 for six in 37 overs (B. Kiri Sudan 59).

Nagapattinam 289 for seven in 50 overs (S. Siddharth 136, J.V. Prithviraj 47, S. Dheenadhayalu three for 51) bt Erode 166 in 34.5 overs (P. Dileep 41, B. Aiyappan three for 27, J. Earnest Aaron four for 35).

At Krishnagiri: Perambalur 90 in 26.4 overs (N. Mugilan four for 9, R. Sanjay Yadav four for 18) lost to Krishnagiri 92 for no loss in 18.1 overs (M. Suriyah 53 not out).

Tiruchi 317 for six in 50 overs (B. Jayanth 86, M. Gokulakrishnan 67, R. Jekhadeeswarauthra 35, S. Sriram 35 not out) bt Dharmapuri 42 in 25 overs (U. Manikandan six for 6)

At Pudukottai: Pudukottai 199 in 50 overs (M. Balaji 56, J. Maheshwaran 40, K. Karthikeyan three for 39, P. Mohankumar four for 47) bt Namakkal 145 in 43.4 overs (D. Surendar three for 29, M. Balaji three for 33).

Karur vs. Tuticorin (match abandoned due to wet ground conditions following overnight rain).

At Tiruvarur: Kancheepuram 232 in 50 overs (Roop Prasad 53, U. Vishal 49, S. Swaminathan 38, G. Ashok four for 59) bt Tiruvarur 65 in 27.5 overs (R. Sai Kishore four for nine, Dixit four for 14, incl. a hat-trick).

Puducherry 235 in 45 overs (Logesh 60, G. Arjun 29, K. Gokulan three for 36) bt Cuddalore 187 in 41.4 overs (T. Bharath 35, J. Aravindan 27, Sohaz Ahmed 25, D. Srimeenakshisundaram 25, Sheik Arafat three for 44, Jaganathan three for 48).

At Theni : Theni 96 in 29.1 overs (P. Venkatesan 28 n.o., M.R. Prahalad three for 19, B. Aditya three for 21) lost to Thiruvallur 97 for one in 18.1 overs (A. Jerome 51 n.o., S. Harish Babu 31).

Thanjavur 124 in 41.4 overs (D. Deepan Raj five for 34) lost to Vellore 125 for four in 39.4 overs (M. Sanjeev 42, C. Imadullah 25 n.o.).

At Dindigul : Dindigul 209 for nine in 50 overs (A. Lakshminarayanan 92 n.o., S. Saravanan 31, Kalidas three for 31, Chinnamarudhu three for 50) bt Ramanathapuram 117 in 35.4 overs (M. Sanjeev Kumar 39, P. Anandha Manikandan 31, J. Naresh Kanna four for 26).

Virudhunagar 101 in 30.2 overs (Joshua Samraj three or 16) lost to Tirunelveli 105 for five in 32.4 overs (R. Sibi 25 n.o., T. Udhayan three for 13).

TNCA Under 16 - Round 1 : Day 3 - 13.07.2013

At Salem: Theni 50 in 16.3 overs (S. Sharun Kumar eight for 23, including hat-trick) lost to Salem 51 for one in 10 overs.

Nagapattinam 213 for four in 5o overs (S. Syed Aziz 80, K. Sharan Balaji 43 not out, D. Raghul 32) bt Nilgiris 140 in 35.4 overs (Muhamed Rafees 58, T. Sathyakrishna 35, J. Krishnakumar four for 43). Salem & Nagapattinam qualify.

At Coimbatore: Tiruvannamalai 70 in 26 overs (S. Mohan Prasath four for 12, Kaushik Saboo five for 24) lost to Coimbatore 71 for one in 13.5 overs (S.R. Surya Prassanna 33 n.o.).

Perambalur 120 for nine in 50 overs (K. Palanisamy 57) lost to Pudukottai 121 for three in 21.4 overs (X. Yacob Selvaraj 38 n.o.). Coimbatore & Tiruvannamalai qualify.

At Tirupur: Thiruvallur 294 in 49.5 overs (D. Prashant Prabhu 72, S. Arun Eshwar 64) bt Cuddalore 150 in 39.3 overs (A. Mohammed Rafeek 51).

Tirupur 85 in 43.3 overs (R.S. Jaganath Srinivas three for 12, S. Laxmi Kanth three for 18) lost to Kancheepuram 88 for no loss in 12.5 overs (T. Selvakumar 40 not out, A. Ashwath 31 not out). Kancheepuram & Thiruvallur qualify.

At Namakkal: Tirunelveli 185 in 49.2 overs (K. Arunachalam 58, R. Sibi 35, Mangalanathan three for 54, Prabudeva three for 42) bt Namakkal 119 in 44.4 overs (S. Deepak Raj 37, Boothalingam three for 18). Krishnagiri & Tirunelveli qualify.

At Thanjavur: Dharmapuri 90 in 30.5 overs (R. Ranjith three for 31) lost to Thanjavur 94 for four in 19.5 overs (J. Mohammed Fazil 32, C. Saran Kumar three for 31).

Virudhunagar 67 in 33.5 overs (S. Mirza Mohammed Hussan four for 19, M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman three for 17) lost to Vellore 68 for four in 12.1 overs (M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman 35 n.o.). Vellore & Thanjavur qualify .

At Villupuram: Villupuram DCA 129 in 27.5 overs (R.S.K. Vikram 26, Sameer Marmu three for 35, V. Shibi Jawahar four for seven) lost to Tiruchi DCA 132 for four in 24.1 overs (J. Yokesh Krishnan 61 n.o., A. Santhia Mario 25.n.o.).

Pondicherry DCA 143 in 46.2 overs (K. Santhoshkumar 33, S. Arumugam 26, A. Rahul 29, T. Ayyannar five for 15) bt Madurai DCA 97 in 35.2 overs. Tiruchi & Pondicherry qualify .

At Tuticorin: Kanyakumari 108 in 28.3 overs (R.S. Rahul 30, E. Samson Messagein 29, G. Panuvalatti four for 26, R. Rajesh three for 34) lost to Dindigul 109 for one in 18.4 overs (S. Suraj Anton 42, A.R. Sivamurugan 38).

Ramanathapuram 134 in 48.2 overs (R. Arudhra Simhadev four for 25, G. Balasubramanian three for 10) lost to Tuticorin 136 for three in 41.4 overs (R. Arudhra Simhadev 66). Dindigul & Tuticorin qualify .

At Karikudi: Erode 211 for seven in 50 overs (Kishore 59, Hariprasath three for 44) bt Sivagangai 168 for six in 50 overs (S. Vignesh 59).

Tiruvarur 63 in 34.3 overs (Harish four for 12, Rajesh three for 14) lost to Karur 64 for four in 12.2 overs (Surya three for 28). Erode & Karur qualify .

TNCA Under 16 - Round 1 : Day 1 - 11.07.2013

At Salem: Salem 263 for eight in 50 overs (S. Guru Ragavendar 59, N. Rikesh Kumar Sharma 46, R. Aravind three for 37) bt Nagapattinam 70 in 33.4 overs (S. Sharun Kumar five for 16, S.S. Jasvanth three for 14).

Theni 134 in 45.3 overs (A. Jeeva 40) lost to Nilgiris 136 for seven in 32.1 overs (Muhamed Rafees 64 not out, Karthikeyan three for 27).

********************

At Coimbatore: Coimbatore 303 for five in 47 overs (N. Mohammed Ashiq 165) bt Pudukottai 82 in 30.5 overs (B.U. Thirumurugan three for 17).

Tiruvannamalai 153 in 31.1 overs (J. Carol Clinton Jerome 33, P. Tamil Alagan 31, K.J. Mahesh three for 26) bt Perambalur 131 in 43 overs (E. Ilaya Raja 32, P. Tamil Alagan three for 28).
********************

At Namakkal: Namakkal 123 in 44.3 overs (R. Aravind six for 43, Nirmal Joshra three for 24) lost to Krishnagiri 124 for five in 39.1 overs (S. Ganesh 35).
********************

At Thanjavur: Virudhunagar 160 in 45.5 overs (K. Rohit Kumar 34, P. Vishnu 28) lost to Thanjavur 161 for five in 41 overs (S. Vishwa 68, J. Baranidaran 53, J. Sudhanraj three for 25).

Dharmapuri 113 in 33.4 overs (V. Akash Isravel 25, S. Mirza Mohammed Hussan five for 25) lost to Vellore 117 for one in 17.4 overs (E. Tamil Dhileepan 66 n.o.).
********************

At Tirupur: Tirupur 176 for nine in 50 overs (V. Pon Vivek 44) lost to Thiruvallur 178 for two in 36.3 overs (R.M. Seshan Muthu 92, B. Ashwin 66 not out).

Cuddalore 200 in 49.3 overs (Mohan Prasanna 52, Pradarsan Jain 44, R.S. Jagan Srinivas three for 34) lost to Kancheepuram 201 for three in 36.3 overs (T. Selvakumar 90, S. Akshay 43).
********************

At Karaikudi: Zone-E: Sivaganga 89 in 37.1 overs (N. Arun 27, Pavithran four for 19) lost to Karur 90 for one in 28.2 overs (K. Meghanathan 32 n.o.).

Erode 138 in 44.4 overs (Madan three for 32) bt Tiruvarur 48 in 17.5 overs (Naveen Kumar five for 27, Chelron D’ Silva four for 12). (Erode 5, Tiruvarur 0).
********************

At Tuticorin: Zone-F: Kanyakumari 118 in 46.4 overs (R.S. Rahul 25, M. Mohammed Ijrudeen three for 13) lost to Ramanathapuram 119 for two in 21.3 overs (K. Guhan 59) (Ramanathapuram 5, Kanyakumari 0).

Dindigal 133 for eight in 50 overs (Siraj Anton 41) bt Tuticorin 65 in 27.5 overs (Panuvalatti three for 12, P. Karthikeyan three for 13).

TNCA Under 16 - Round 1 : Day 2 - 12.07.2013

At Salem : Nilgiris 149 in 48.2 overs (K. Sowarash 53, S. Sharun Kumar three for 22) lost to Salem 150 for no loss in 23.1 overs (S. Sharun Kumar 79 not out, N. Rikesh Kumar Sharma 54 not out).

Theni 162 in 41.3 overs (N. Karthikeyan 61, J. Krishna Kumar five for 32) lost to Nagapattinam 163 for two in 35.4 overs (T. Maathesh 57 not out, D. Raghul 46).

At Coimbatore: Perambalur 51 in 24.3 overs (S. Sudarsan three for 21, Kaushik Saboo four for 7) lost to Coimbatore 52 for no loss in 8.3 overs (N. Mohammed Ashiq 30 not out).

Tiruvannamalai 208 in 44 overs (V. Chokkalingam 96, S. Sathyamoorthy 51, V. Vetri Kathir four for 47) bt Pudukottai 130 in 41.2 overs (J.R. Jeffrin Marshall 45, P. Tamil Alagan three for 30, A. Rajeshwaran three for 18).

At Tiruppur: Cuddalore 188 in 47.4 overs (Prem Kumar 36, Mohammed Rafiq 40, Dharmaraj 32, S. Raghunandan four for 32, S.K. Nithesh Kumar three for 38) bt Tirupur 178 in 48.3 overs (N. Gokul Raj 37, P. Pradosh Rajan Paul 35, A. Syed three for 35).

Thiruvallur 233 in 49.3 overs (V. Dinesh Kumar 59, D. Prasanth Prabhu 47, R.S. Jaganath Srinivas three for 27, U. Mukilesh three for 43) bt Kancheepuram 158 in 41.2 overs (G. Selvakumar 47, M. Thiagarajan four for 30).

At Namakkal: Krishnagiri 173 for five in 50 overs (S. Sakthivel 54 not out, R. Arivind 36, Yessaki Raja three for 41) bt Tirunelveli 162 for seven in 50 overs (M. Surya 36, R. Sibi 56).

At Thanjavur: Dharmapuri 125 in 34 overs (M. Anandan 27) lost to Virudhunagar 126 for six in 34.3 overs (J. Sudhanraj 31 n.o., S. Naresh Kannan 26, T. Udhayanithi three for 23).

Vellore 187 in 44.2 overs (E. Tamil Dhileepan 68, M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman 51, N.S. Anirudh six for 48) bt Thanjavur 186 in 49.5 overs (J. Baranidharan 47, R. Ashwin Raghav 29, S. Vishwa 31, M.A. Atheeq Ur Rahman four for 34).

At Karaikudi: Erode 78 in 31.1 overs (Pavithran six for 19, C.K. Harish three for 17) bt Karur 68 in 27.2 overs (Naveen Kumar four for 23).

Tiruvarur 125 in 49.3 overs (M. Arun 30) lost to Sivagangai 126 for eight in 46.1 overs (N. Arun 34, S. Vignesh 32, Raj Bharathi three for 17, Prasad three for 26).

At Tuticorin: Ramanathapuram 189 for seven in 50 overs (R. Sandeep Roshan 51 n.o., S. Vigneshwaran 45, K. Guhan 41) lost to Dindigul 190 for eight in 46.1 overs (A.R. Sivamurugan 88 n.o., K. Aashiq 31, B. Anbu Manikandan four for 38).

Tuticorin 177 in 43.2 overs (J. Jonty Rhodes 72, Vishanth 31, Joel Jacob 26, J. Alilal four for 38) bt Kanyakumari 121 in 44.2 overs (Samson 63, Balasubramanian four for 27).

FITNESS : How to Win a Cricket Match Consistently

1. A good team of selectors, accompanied by consistent policies of selection, are prerequisites to select good teams.

2. Each selected individual must perform their expected role.

3. Desire and hunger to win matches should be a prime motivating force.
4. Each batsman should complement other batsmen to put up a decent score on the board.
5. Batsmen and bowlers must acclimatize themselves to the conditions expected on tour. This is essential to prevent the team becoming backyard bullies. A great cricket team is one that can win matches consistently both at home and away.
6. Each bowler should strive to get wickets in his spell(aggression is the best form of defense) without giving away too many runs.
7. The team should place good close-in fielders to apply pressure on the batsman's psyches and make them think twice before every shot played.

BATTING : Improved Running Between the Wickets

Can you imagine this at Manchester United's training ground:

Sir Alex Ferguson: "Robin! What are you doing?"

Robin van Persie: "Practicing my free-kicks Boss"

Sir Alex Ferguson: "Are you mad? You know that we don’t allow that! You're only allowed to take free kicks in matches. But make sure you don’t miss."

Of course no football coach (let alone the greatest ever) would stop a player from practicing something so important.

Yet this is precisely what cricket coaches all round the world do on a daily basis with running between the wickets.

Running requires several skills to be developed, all of which are significant in their own right and need to be developed in order to maximise individual and team performance:

a) Judgement of ball pace, direction and angle

b) Spatial awareness

c) Fielder's mobility, pace, throwing accuracy and throwing power

d) Verbal and non-verbal communication

e) Line and speed of running

f) Stopping, turning and restarting technique

To develop these skills, I have encouraged the development of 3 patterns every time that they execute a shot in nets.

We do this even if working 1 to 1 with only the bowling machine or my sidearm delivering the ball.

1. Motor Pattern

Hit and look to run always.

A couple of colleagues of mine are experts in body and mind connections in sport. They have a saying that we need to "move to think". Not only that, they can prove it too.

So, I have taken this on board and we now ask each batter to move after contact to aid their Judgement which informs their decision making.

This comes in the form of a step through after each shot (even defending) and goes all the way through to net sessions where full singles, 2s and 3s are run just as they would in the game.

2. Cognitive Pattern

Now, the players are combining their understanding of where fielders are with the development of their motor patterns post-strike with stunning results.

Decisions are made quicker, the incidence of the players making poor decisions is lessening and the connection between movement and decision making is highly evident in the number of times that "stolen single" is being hit on our match analysis system.

3. Verbal Pattern

Players are encouraged to call with the same tone and volume in nets as they do in matches.

Every ball.

They may feel silly the first time they do it yet as the culture develops, they start of feel the odd one out if they are not calling loudly.

Consequence training

In net sessions with 1 player (1 to 1) we have 60 ball practices.

Every time a batter fails to move post-strike or call effectively the balls remaining total number drops by 10. The session ends at 0 balls irrespective of time left in the session.

In scenarios or nets with 2 batters any failure to move and call means the loss of the strikers wicket.

This increases the chances of the scenario being lost. Scenarios always start with only 3 wickets remaining so the loss of a silly run out through lack of engagement is often fatal.

These consequence sessions train the brain and boy to work optimally on a part of the game that we all do, every time we bat.

 

BATTING : How to Bat Aggressively

Hold the bat the way you get a full powered swing. That is hold the bat either from the bottom of the handle (like Virender Sehwag) or from the top of the handle (like Adam Gilchrist) or anywhere so that you comfortably get a full outstretched swing of the bat.

Take a strong Batting Stance. For aggressive batting, your stance should be strong and composed. A high back lift stance helps in improving your batting reflexes and gives extra power to the shots played.

Get your feet moving while playing hard shots. If you move your feet towards the pitch of the ball you'll be able to transfer the weight of your back leg to the shot you'll play. This adds on as some extra power to your shots and also increases your chances of hitting the ball from the middle of the bat.

Position your head. Head should be in the right position while playing shots. With a steady head you'll have more control on your shots and you'll improve your shot selection and placement.

Finish your shot with a clean follow through. A good shot follow through gives perfect lift to the ball and prevents you from injuries.

 

Practice a lot! Practicing is the only key to be a successful hard hitting batsman.

Hitting a huge six pumps adrenalin so take a single and get to the other end to control the rush of blood.

Before playing big shots on each delivery defend 4-6 deliveries to get the feel of the pitch and the bounce.

Remember, there are a lot of ways to hit 6's and 4's, not just by slogging. Being an aggressive batsman doesn't mean you have to be strong.

BATTING : Bat Against Fast Bowlers

1 Be Psychologically prepared. Cricket, like many other sports is highly reliant on mental attitudes. Being mentally ready includes: getting all your gear ready the night before, and waking up well rested, eating well etc...

2 Have your batting gear ready (have the right size bat, pads that fit etc.)

3 Before the match, get a bowler to bowl to you. Tell him/her to start off at a medium pace, then work his/her way up to a faster pace, until he is bowling as fast as (s)he can.

4 If the option is available, you may want to bat, fifth or sixth, so you'll be more likely to face spinners or medium pacers.

5 Once you are called up to bat, walk out with confidence and looking up towards the pitch. After saying 'well done' to the batsman who got out. Go over to your teammate and ask him how this bowler bowls.

6 Take your stance after checking the fielders positions and setting up your own.

7 when the bowler runs in, keep your head still and focus on the ball (or the hand with the ball in it).

8 As he bowls, don't play to aggressively (unless the situation needs you to hit out or get out).

9 After he bowls, keep your head up, check the pitch for the hardness and get ready to face again, until your comfortable with playing an attacking shot.

 

 

    Don't think of bouncers as scary or bad, they aren't aiming at the stumps so there is no way that he can get you out easily.

    Don't get down when you get out, show good sportsmanship and stay positive. (positive players tend to improve the most, especially at a young age (10 - 18 is considered young)

    Don't pay attention to the keeper, if the opportunity arises, you can even sledge against him.

    Fast balls at the ribs hurt, but if you do get hit, don't show the bowler. Don't rub it, just keep playing. The bowler gets unnerved by this and thinks that you have a solid batting style.

    Train before the season to get a head start on your opposition.

    The same thing rarely happens twice, don't get bogged down if you miss a delivery and it just misses the stumps.

    Walk around the pitch after every dot ball or so, it gives you a chance to recuperate and relax before the next bowl.

    The biggest sledgers in the game are (i no particular order):1) The keeper, 2) The slips, 3) the bowler, 4) the batsmen, 5) the fielders close in (especially the fielders at silly mid on, or silly point etc.)

FIELDING : How to Be a Slip Fielder

Get Rid of Fear. As we all know, the season ball is probably one of the hardest balls in sports. In slip fielding, the ball comes very fast to you, it may even reach speeds of over 100 m.p.h. It's quite easy to eliminate your fear of the season ball. As you gradually continue to play cricket, your fear of the ball will go down less and less. This really is not a big issue to worry about.

Strengthen Legs. Slip fielders will always be crouching down and they have very strong knees. Slip fielders need to spring whenever the ball is up in the air. They rely on their knees a lot.

Focus on Reflexes and Hand-Eye Coordination. Improving hand-eye coordination and reflexes is the most important of aspect of being a slip fielder. With the ball coming at you at great speeds, you literally have a split second before the ball comes to you. Training for this can be done with much practice

Keep Practicing. Even when you do reach the goal of becoming of a skilled slip fielder, you must continue practicing to make sure your skills are always sharp.

When practicing have someone throw the ball at you hard to allow you to get used to the speed .

Practice diving catches.

Give with the ball. This means when you catch the ball, bring your hands into your waist or next to your hips, this cushions the ball which helps especially when the ball is coming fast and could bounce out.

BATTING : Basics of Batting

1st Batting Tip – Keep your eyes level, it’s been shown that having your eyes level helps speed up your reaction time, as it makes it easier for the brain to process the incoming information.

2nd Batting Tip – Your first movement should be from the shoulders towards the line of the ball. The rest of your body will follow naturally and will help ensure you get correctly inline with the ball.

3rd Batting Tip – Play the delivery based on its length, if it’s short; even if it’s in line with the wickets it should be ‘tonked away’ to the boundary. The same principle applies with full deliveries and half volleys.

4th Batting Tip – One of the most important things is to watch the ball from bowlers hand in run up all the way to the bat. By watching the ball in the bowler’s hand you can see what the bowler may be trying to do with the ball. Try to identify which is the shiny side or rough side, so you can determine which way they may be trying to swing the ball. The same applies with spinners; but also make sure you closely watch the wrist movement to determine the type and direction of spin.

5th Batting Tip – When batting against spinners, try doing an initial ‘forward press’, making an initial half-step on to the front foot as the bowler bowls. This will give you good base to play from and help give you quicker feet.

6th Batting Tip – It is essential to maintain a solid base when batting and to be in a solid position when you play the ball. If you watch for example Brain Lara play a cover drive, he has a solid base from which he plays the stroke, he is perfectly balanced.

BOWLING : How to Bowl Reverse Swing

REVERSE SWING : Normal swing occurs mostly when the ball is fairly new. As it wears more, the aerodynamics of the asymmetry change and it is more difficult to extract a large amount of swing. When the ball becomes very old—around 40 or more overs old—it begins to swing towards the shine. This is known as reverse swing—meaning a natural outswinger will become an inswinger and vice versa.The result is always a swing to the side with the later separation, so the swing is away from the seam.

1. Take a 20-30 over-old ball that is still shiny. Such a ball is usually better through the air on the side of shine because of natural sedatives put on it to shine, whereas the other side has gone through wear and tear without any repairs. This weight difference is what bowlers take advantage of.

2. Hold the ball along the seam, with shiny side towards leg side and rough side towards the slips.

3. Flex your wrist along with the cricket ball such that the shining side is about 30 degrees downwards.

4. Bowl with your hands angled. The angle between your head and bowling hand at shoulder should be about 50-60 degrees. Bowl with your hand as much away from your head as possible.

5. Make sure that in the follow-through, your bowling hand goes between your body and the stumps (on either side of your body.)