Two weeks off, but no let up...

Over two weeks off work I managed to play a number of games for club and county but only managed to score an unbeaten 70 and a handful of 30s as I continued to be unable to reach those three figures.

My bowling has continued to be impressive as I am finding some rhythm. Probably the pick of my spells was a 2-16 off seven overs for my club side where I ran in up the hill and against the wind and took the two big wickets in consecutive overs. I feel as if I have now definitely decided to be a medium/medium-fast bowler. Time in the gym should help me add a few miles an hour on as I look to become that genuine all-rounder that could get me noticed over the next few years.

I am still young, so I believe I still have a few more years yet until I have to give up my dream of being a professional cricketer.

When batting, a little more responsibility has to be taken as I am not fully valuing my wicket…playing that horrific shot to get myself out to after all the hard work has been done. I need to be a lot more patient; as runs do not always come quickly so taking my time and playing straight will inevitably produce runs as my innings progresses.

Now when I go into games, I have to back myself one hundred percent….and that is what I am going to do!

Next I shall play against Bourne CC for my club Lindum CC as we try to get out of the bottom half of the table. Last year Lindum finished third, but this year we seem to be struggling for runs from the batsman as we again collapse trying to play these silly shots that are not needed. I am really enjoying my time at my new club, but I am really wanting that one innings in the Premier League to show them what I can do as it has been a pretty poor season for my standards so far.

Finally, with all the fuss surrounding the Stanford Twenty20, maybe there will be a role for youngsters coming through as specialist Twenty20 players in a county squad. Maybe this is a possibility to look at and try to adapt my game to the shorter format to break into the county scene.