Liphook 1st XI

Busy day today!

The boys have most definitely got the cricket bug big time and this morning we hit the shops to buy some new bats and accessories. It takes a good few hours to prepare a new cricket bat before it can be used. This involves 2 stages. Firstly, many bats need oiling. This is a pain-free process involving spreading linseed oil over the bat. Easy. Sadly, the second part of the process is a bit more painful, as it involves "knocking" in the new bat. What this means is hitting the bat with a wooden knocking in mallet for at least 3 hours. It's a rare form of torture having 2 14 year old boys hitting a wooden mallet against a wooden bat for 3 hours!

It got to a stage where I couldn't take it any more, so I took them down the nets to practice (with their old bats). The First team were playing, so we watched a few overs - including watching Derek Kenway, the ex Hampshire cricketer playing for the opposition. I'm still waiting for my call up. Did I mention I got 35 not out for the thirds last weekend?