10:00am Speed Session
Very similar to last week, really enjoyable again. It ended in a sixty metre dash between Me, Muchy, and Rock. After a very debatable start Muchy took an early lead that neither myself or Rocky could catch up, so Gordon got the honours, just too much distance for the great Will Gidman to make up!
11:00am Weights
Another good, tough session, same sort of exercises, although I have noticed the weight of my Back Squats is going up and up, Not happy!
9:00am Net Session
After a top net last week I was very happy with the way my batting is going, I decide it’s time to start working on some skills. I’ve been quietly getting on with the sweep shot, but now it’s time for something a little more fun, end of innings six hitting!
10:30am, Fitness
We had fun this morning, whilst being worked to a clammy mess! We went up and down four times, not all the same route up but all just as difficult, with about three minutes rest in between each set. It was hard work, but well worth it as we caught a glimpse of this beautiful part of the world each time we got to the top and did a lap of the timeless temple, before hurling ourselves back down!
9:15am, Boxing
I’m getting some positive feedback from Paul, apparently I’m getting better, having never boxed before in my life, I have absolutely no idea how I’m improving, but I am, so that’s all that counts!
9:30am, Net Session
I was working with Muchy this morning as all the coaches are in Dubai with our U15 team. I wanted to do some more work on end of innings hitting but it was a bit scratchy. This is an important skill for me to work on, I shouldn’t go into great detail so let’s just say that if I can improve this part of my game it will benefit my chances of playing one-day cricket next summer!
11:00am, Weights
Just Me and Muchy in today as Big Luke wasn’t around and Killer and Rocky have a slightly different schedule than us.
10:00am, Weights
My first back to back weights session of the winter and I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope. As it turned out, it went pretty well, and the boys were all in good humour so a few jokes flying around, mainly at the expense of Rocky. My only worry that I won’t feel the effects of this session until the morning and it will take me all weekend to get out of bed!
11:00am, Fitness
Following on from our weights session, fitness this morning was quite similar to last Friday, but a little tougher I think. It was a bit of work on the C.V machines followed by the dreaded rowing challenge. Two teams, Gidman, Killeen and Goddard verses Stoneman, Evans and King. We lost, again! A brilliant team effort but the other lads covered more distance in twenty minutes, I put it down to their change over technique, faultless! I haven’t been as knackered as that for a while, it’s a good job I was last as I quite literally couldn’t get up off the seat!
10:00am, Speed Training
Similar sort of Monday morning, I’m enjoying this speed training, as I’ve said I can see it having a real positive impact on my cricket.
11:00am, Weights
No change for today’s weights session, I was hoping I wouldn’t see the dreaded hip raise on my programme, but it was there, and just as painful!
10:30am, Fitness
Like last Tuesday, the session today was away from the confounds of the gym. Gosforth Park’s Marriott Hotel was the location, where there’s an assault course to the back of the hotel, not the sort that you would find the royal marines training on, but perfectly good for me and Muchy! Five sets of exercises, the first was a lap round the assault course, stopping at all the assaults, balance beams, monkey bars, frog leaps, that sort of thing. We managed it o.k! The second exercise wasn’t the most exciting but it was the hardest, especially when you’re trying to keep up with Muchall! The third was another lap of the assault course. The fourth exercise though was brilliant, imagine a very wet and muddy BMX track, with very large jumps and very sharp corners, now imagine running it! Three times! Hard and messy work, but fantastic fun! I don’t think I’ll come as close to breaking my leg without actually breaking it than when I got cocky and tried to leap all the way over a six feet wide jump, slipping, and going leg first into the other side of the jump! Finally another lap of the assault course to finish a top session! It would be rude of us though to leave without paying a quick visit to the Marriot gym and having a quick dip in the magnificent pool and jacuzi!
11:30am, Gym
A little bit late for the gym today and the lads weren’t shy of reminding us as boxing ran on a little longer than usual, but a good session none the less!
12:30am, Net
One last net before the Christmas break, against some bowlers as well so another good test. I was very chuffed with the way it went, some good cover drives and some good striking over the top to finish with!
As soon as I finished today’s net I knew I was ready for New Zealand. I’m exactly where I want to be and I’m very pleased with how the work on my batting has gone. Come January I can go to Dunedin with absolute confidence in my slightly adjusted technique.
9:00am, Boxing
We managed to squeeze an extra session in as it’s my last week before I go to New Zealand and I’m sitting here now wondering whether or not we were a little over keen! Upon arrival I mention the fact that I hadn’t sparred yet which proved to be a big mistake as Paul’s immediate reply was “right, we’ll do it today then”, whoops! Muchy wasn’t overly impressed with my mention of sparring either!
So here we go, I have a very nervous yet strangely excited anticipation, Muchy’s off first and gets through his first round unscathed. My first round was not actually that bad, maybe even encouraging! The second was a similar story and my confidence and enjoyment grows. But then comes the third, and it all goes pear shaped! As my confidence grows I start to throw a few more punches, realising this, Paul starts to come back at me just a little bit harder. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he would never do anything he didn’t think I could handle, never the less, he spots a gap in my defence and let’s go a swift left jab that lands straight on my snos (nose)! The punch sends my head, and me, back a few inches and all of a sudden confidence is turned into sheer fright! I’d like to thank Paul for all his help in the last few weeks and look forward to future sparring sessions, preferably with helmets!
10:00am, Paint balling
A fantastic way to finish the first part of the winter. After Muchy took us the wrong way again due to poor organisation, we finally arrived at our destination. We’re all quite excited about the day and can’t wait to get going. We were put into two teams, reds verses yellows, and it just so happened that the two teams ended up to be oldies against youngies, smashing! I could easily get settled in here and write a good couple of pages on the day as that many stories came out of the paint balling experience. But let’s just say that from me running head first into a 4 x 4, Muchy deciding it was a good idea to manoeuvre forward whilst hiding behind a petrol tank, to the instructor falling off the back of a moving Land Rover, it was a brilliant day! Oh, and we, the oldies, won, comfortably!