Updated June 2025
Philip Wolff 7th XI batter
Played against this bloke 14/6/25 on the 3rd ground at Wickford memorial park. He batted down the order at No.7 and from the outset looked like a bloke that could hold a bat.
Looking at his data on Playcricket which goes back to 1980, he looks like decent batter and with my first over being as usual a bit ropey and the field up, I went for 13, but then settled. Once settled and getting the line and length sorted he was then reduced to singles and watched from both ends realising I was potentially a threat.
In this game, he was the linchpin to any chance of a win or resistance and so had to go. As I got through my overs and took the wickets of two of his partners; One caught at square leg and one LBW, he could see that I had a couple of variations. In the end I got him bat/pad caught by the keeper in a silly point position. Not a dismissal I've had before. In my first ropey over Wolff hit me for 13. Thereafter a cover drive for 4 that should have been fielded.
On reflection, I had the field up on the first over that I didn't bowl well in, but could have easily reduced the impact setting a deep legside field with blokes on the boundary, so this is something I might look into doing in future with my first over, then adapt the field as I settle. I think it's also useful to see if the batter see themselves as strong on the leg-side and possibly sets them up to be caught if they get it wrong? Definitely something to consider going forwards? *Not Steve Lynch though (See below).
Steven Lynch 1st XI batter
I've not been keeping up with this of late as the means to record the wagon wheels has changed and its not as efficient, but felt that this one needed to be done.
This was a game during Rayleigh's cricket week and the 3rd time in succession that I'd been involved and I came up against this bloke again (Steven Lynch 1st team bat see details below), having faced him last year and got the same treatment again this year.
So I was brought on around the 20th over after drinks with both players batting well nearing their 50's at which point they'd have to retire. The wicket was either the end wicket or '2nd in' over to one side meaning one side was very short and the other big. I was brought on to bowl from the northern end meaning the off-side was short and the leg-side big.
My first over was eventful, opting to try and bowl at the stumps, the first few balls were decent and singles were had and a dot ball. Then I bowled at Lynch... leg-stump line-pretty full and got his pads, went up for it and the umpire... a kid - looked flummoxed as though he new it was out, but was more than aware that this was their best player and the consequences of giving him out were the game would probably be gone, after a few seconds of going over it he said 'Not out'. I don't bother questioning these decision, it happens so often and there's not point.
That kind of threw me...what am I supposed to do I thought? The decision seemed to be that he was susceptible to a ball on the leg-stump and that I should continue, completely ignoring what happened last year. The next one was fuller - too full in fact - a full toss on leg-stump and he thumped it for 4. I persisted with this same line as the other bloke Same Keene looked lost as what to do. But Lynch was in my head and I couldn't seem to bowl at him and eventually in the 3rd over he hit me for a massive 6 over the leg-side and Michael Gray pulled me out of the attack, which I was fine about.
The game progressed and both of these blokes reached their 50's and retired and I said I'd come back on if needed. But in the time, the rest of the team were bowled out, I was able to reflect on what had happened and decided that if I bowled at him again I'd bowl a mixture of Flippers and Leg-Breaks on an off-stump or just outside line. Which seemed risky with the short boundary. The last wickets fell and coincided with coming back with these two batting again and it worked. For Lynch everything was either off-stump and just outside and he was seemingly only able to hit singles down to deep mid off and to covers on the boundary, which was fine as it meant I was then able to bowl a more attacking line to Keene and he was lost as to what to do and eventually a ball on a good length targeting middle was edged as he defended and Keagan too his 8th catch behind the stumps to finish the game.
In conclusion, for next year, or if I'm in the return match at our ground in August during our cricket week the key points are (1). Just don't bowl anywhere near a leg-stump or wide of leg-stump line. Otherwise its going for 4 or 6. What worked today even with the small boundary was to bowl a channel or off-stump line. (2). Vary your deliveries; I just bowled Flippers and Leg-Breaks, but I've got a top-spinner which I had tried earlier that didn't work out - that would be an effective delivery. One of the other players I was speaking to about how relaxed he looked while they were retrieving one of his 4's said that if he was going to get out it would be to a slow spinning ball and that what I was doing was what normally got him out.
On the off-side, the shots weren't expansive, he seemed to have a lot of time and played the ball late well within the crease. Looking at his records he has never been stumped, so that's not an option!
This is an approximation of Steven Lynch's wagon wheel from this game - all bowlers. TBH the majority of the leg-side in front of square were mine, but anyone who strayed legside was hit. He hit 10 x 4's and 3 6's and scored 84 off 50 balls for a not out.
The ariel photograph shows the position of the wicket/strip and the shortness of the boundary. Once I'd figured out that it was a lost cause trying to bowl at the stumps with leg-breaks I then went for the off-side line as mentioned and this then restricted his shots to the green zone. The field set is a suggestion and not one that I used. The field I bowled to had 9 and 10 on the boundaries on the leg-side deep mid wicket. Maybe someone also in conventional mid-wicket.
This is based on a vague memory of last years game and this game. It could well need modifying, but my analysis was that he didn't look to place the ball short leg-side in order to rotate the strike, it was either 4's or 6's.
Some of his data...
_______________________________________________
S.Harwood - Opening Batsman R/H
I'm writing this up 7 months later in the winter, so only have basic notes to work with. Bowled Joe Thompson (18) caught Sam Good. Joe Thompson Medium/Fast see here
Notes on Harwood- "No front foot defense, hardly moves his feet, slashes at the ball which appeared to be his main shot - top-edged Joe down to long off. No record of how many times he played and missed, but looking at Joe's bowling data and knowing how Joe bowled I'd have guessed a good few times.
M.Walker - R/H - No2
M.Walker - This game I watched rather than played in, my son was the opening bowler. As I recall I was experimenting with different ways of recording the data and may have also been trying to video the action as well. Having seen both the openers playing and missing it wasn't until Harwood was dismissed that I started to record the play and misses. He struggled against my son Joe Thompson with Joe going for 6-2-9-1. It wasn't until Hayton came on that I got into that aspect of the analysis. From that analysis the initial impression is that he plays and misses against the slower bowlers Hayton and Debond, with his wicket being taken by Hayton on 46.
S.Gosling - R/H - No,3 Bat
Very static - slashes at the ball outside of off, played a supporting role allowing the other players to take the strike. Bowled Debond (SLA) mixed with LA wrist-spin.
Owen Davies - R/H - No,4 Bat ______________________________
Played and missed against Chris Debond and willing to leave the ball outside of off. Doesn't move around the crease and looks susceptible to a good off-cutter. The balls on the on-side where hit off of a shorter length.
Bowled LBW A.Hayton who bowls R/A finger-spin varying length, speed and mixes arm balls with balls that break.
B.Walker - R/H - No,5 Bat ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
J.Wright - R/H - No,6 Bat
J. Wright was the most destructive coming in at No.6. He seemed able to hit the ball pretty much where he wanted. Uses his feet well to both the fast and slow bowlers - of our bowlers he struggled the most against A.Hayton who bowls off-spin mixed with arm balls accurately, varying his speed and bowling generally a good full length. Despite all the positives on his part he was recorded as playing and missing against all of the bowlers - but especially A.Hayton.
________________________________________
Updated Aug 22.
S.Harmonsworth - R/H - Bat No.3
Bowled against this bloke today 2/8/22 Three years after the initial wagon wheel and he's three years older and considerably better I'd say. I was brought on to bowl early bowling against Sam batting at No.3 along with an aggressive big hitting No.2. Sam himself is an assertive and aggressive bat walking down the wicket to bowlers if the keeper is back, looks to hit the ball hard, no deft shots, don't recall any late cuts, just sees the ball and hits it hard. In 2022 if you look at his data on Playcricket he's scored 100 + in a first XI game. The *blue lines on the updated wagon wheel are representative of his shots today. He played with a 59 off 52 balls not out; having retired and come back on at the end of the game. Strike rate of 113.
*Most of the data has been recalled from memory rather than notes made, but I reckon that's about right or thereabouts.
_________________________________________________________________________________
M.Patel - R/H - No,8 Bat
_________________________________________________________________________________
Richard Virrender - 6th XI Bat No.2
The following batsmen I have very little notes on and the wagon wheels are lacking in detail as the records were made using a different format. I've not made any notes on whether they're right or left handed, so if just guessed based on the wagon wheel records. What I do remember was that this was a close match that we lost and they were good bunch of blokes.
Richard Virrender batted at No.2 and was not out for 57 off of 104 balls. Predominantly a leg-side player from this first look... Pull-shots primarily, not always aggressive ones, sometimes a deft one just to steer the ball down to fine-leg for a single. The other shot was the on-drive to the position I was fielding at (7), but this was easily dealt with. The impression I've got was that he was far more susceptible to getting out playing shots on the off-side. Shots on the stumps on a threatening length he gets behind with a straight bat. Actively looking to make runs all the time - a busy player. His data on play cricket is pretty impressive... He's recorded as having played since 2005. In that time he's scored 651 x 4's, he's scored 50 on 40 occasions, 1 x 100. On average he's scored 15.73% of teams runs, one year he contributed 30% of the teams runs and averages 30.92% runs per game. Only had 9 ducks and gets out by being caught 32.71% of the time and gets bowled 35.51% of the time. Hardly ever has been stumped 0.47% of the time. A solid player.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Dan Athol No.6
Athol didn't hang around 29 runs off of 36 balls. Strike rate of 80.56. Match data here
Bowled LBW Rob Brooks (Off-spinner).
On the play cricket website his records suggest that he doesn't play all season (8 games over 2 years). Athol accounts for 4.73% of team runs (2019) and average 8.83. The data suggests that he's most likely to be either bowled or caught as both record around 28% of dismissals. Looks to be a potential candidate for a run-out as he's been dismissed that way 14% of the time. Get your fast younger players in the game if they're looking to run singles? Athol's play cricket batting data can be accessed by this link here
________________________________________________________________________________
Sean Treweek No.8
Not a lot on Treweek - from this first look primarily a leg-side player. His data goes back to 2016 and he's played primarily in this team. His contribution to the team batting is 6.99% (2019) and his highest score was 64 in 2018. Generally loses his wicket bowled or caught which accounts for 22% for each method. A fair number of not outs 29%, but that's down the fact that he bats at 8. Average 22. See his play cricket data here
2019 saw him play 17 games, so he'll probably be a regular in 2020?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Jack Himpfen Jones No.4
Himpfen Jones (All-rounder) bowled 2nd change in our match. Played for Rayleigh since 2007. Played 55 games at an average of 8.11. High score of 51 (Only 50 + score). Scores 4.13% of team runs. Gets out primarily being bowled 55% of the time and that's followed up with 30% being caught and 4% of the time stumped.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Jack Andrews; His records go back to 2015. He's played 29 games, scored 381 runs at an average of 15.24. An aggressive or accurate player with 48 fours to his name and 2 sixes. Scores 8.88% of team runs and has had 5 ducks in 29 games. Gets out bowled - 50% of the time, caught 21.43%, LBW 7.14% of the time and stumped 3.47% as of 2019.
Cheers to everyone for letting take the pictures and go well this coming season - be sure to check out the oppositions wagon wheels in the side-bar right. Hope to see you this coming season!
Check out some of my other posts here...
