Paying the penalty…

My sporting week has been one distinctly influenced by penalties. A last minute (97th minute!) winner for Cardiff City midweek, followed by a last minute penalty miss by Stephen Jones against Ireland on Saturday and then a penalty conceded by City in the first 25 minutes of the Sheffield United game, with an associated sending off, that basically destroyed our chances for the match (the fact that I thought Gyepes won the ball fairly with a great tackle is here nor there).

I suppose this reminded me that sport and sporting success can exist on the thinnest of margins at times. It means that when the chances are presented for you, you need to take them with both hands. Though it helps if you’ve got an incompetent ref presenting chances for you, doesn’t it Sheffield? (Bitter? Me? No!!).

Inevitably we look at the what ifs. If Ross McCormack had missed on Wednesday then City would have a disappointing draw with Watford and another waste of one of our games in hand. Instead of the thrilling victory that meant I barely slept on Wednesday night because I was so hyper after the match.

If Jones had slotted that admittedly very difficult penalty on Saturday then Irish eyes wouldn’t have been smiling and Wales would have come 2nd in the 6 nations instead of 4th. And we’d have got to play pantomime villain for denying the Irish a grand slam, maintaining their reputation as bottlers on a par with the South African cricket team.

Had Cotterill missed for Sheffield United yesterday then City would have had the option of playing a backs to the wall rearguard action to hold out for a 0-0 draw, rather than having to chase an equaliser leaving gaps all over the pitch. Though this would not have been helped by Ross McCormack getting sent off (I’m not entirely sure what for, the angle was bad from the Grange End where I was standing, and have decided to write this before reading the match reports).

As I said, thin margins indeed.

The family man…

So I was discussing cricket with one of my mates, and he mentioned about the renewed possibility (I think it’s now agreed) of there being a ‘super-league’ for South Wales cricket. This would involve teams from east and west, stretching from Chepstow to Ammanford, all playing each other in a competition to see who’s the best team in the whole of South Wales.

Initially I thought great: a stronger league playing a higher standard of cricket that would be a better feeder league for Glamorgan to call upon. And provide a clear pyramid for younger players and clubs to aspire to climb.

Then I thought about the impact it could have on that much overlooked component of the game, the family man.

If you’ve played senior cricket at any level, then you will know the sort. It’s the guy who’s been there done that. Possibly not in the shape of his life and possibly on a downward curve in terms of his cricketing abilities, but who has plenty of nous and experience to bring to the table.

It’s the family man who casually eases the young tyro quick behind square for effortless boundaries, or hops onto wide-uns to punish inaccuracy.

It’s the family man who trundles round the field, then plucks an awesome catch out of the air.

It’s the family man who bowls the military medium, on target balls that keep a hot-headed flashy batsman tied down, and who then gets slated for being crap in the dressing room once that batsman has got out slogging his wicket away in frustration.

It’s the guy with the experienced head on his shoulders who’ll dish out advice and who the skipper turns to when he’s in a jam.

Vital to the game, and hugely annoying to play against.

But is the family man going to be phased out as the new premier league puts extra demands on the levels of time and dedication that players have to give? While the league will be ‘amateur’, how many established club cricketers who have partners and kids are going to be forced out of playing at the highest amateur levels? Some could regard it as progress, showing that cricket is a ‘serious’ sport that requires a certain level of fitness.

My problem is that young cricketers can learn a lot from playing with and against these guys. It makes them learn the mental side of the game and learn it quickly before they get embarrassed at being found out. Judging by Glamorgan’s performances over the last 2 or 3 years, especially against battle hardened county sides full of old pros, surely we want our youngsters learning those tricks of the trade as they rise through the ranks? Surely the leagues should consider their actions before an important part of the amateur game is potentially forced out.

Ok, so I just found out that I have this blog, apparently from like 5 years ago (when blogging was uber-cool and not fairly standard) but I never got round to publishing anything on it (thereby negating my potential uber-coolness). This time I swear it will be different. Honest. Seriously. I’m going to post once a month. Minimum.

Now I just need to go off and think of something to write about…