Beginners in the Rain

The third nets went well - my batting is starting to resemble a proper number 11's, and my fielding is still good, in my humble opinion. I didn't get a chance to bowl this week, but that's ok, as I can chuck a ball around any time. So, all in all, a quiet week!

I figured it was still worth posting though, as I wanted to put down some of my history with the game so far.

I started playing last January with UCD CC. UCD being University College Dublin (Ireland). It was a cold and wet (but surprisingly bright) Saturday aftenoon; we had an astroturf pitch booked for two hours; and around 10 pretty-much-absolute beginners turned up (myself included).

In between the heavier showers, (spent crowded sheltering in the goals), we got our first taste of the game. We were probably a right shambles in the eyes of the two guys who turned up to train us. But we persevered. Me? I could barely swing a bat without taking a lump out of my shins, but I'd spent an inordinant amount of time looking at bowling videos and how-to guides on the net, so I picked up this side of the game pretty quickly. It did occur to me that if the people at the training session were the future of the club - we were screwed!

I needn't have worried, because of the 10 or so new players - only 3 of us managed to get a game that year. It turned out that there were plenty of guys with experience that weren't going to bother going to the early sessions. And they were right, in that they only had to turn up for the last few sessions (if even) and then walk onto the team. Frustrating for the guys going to all the sessions, but it seems to be the way a lot of clubs operate.

I was lucky, in that I didn't settle for this and pestered the club into letting me get games in. I may not have been very good, but I'd a positive attitude and enthusiasm that made up for a lack of experience to some degree.

So overall, UCD CC was good to me. I played in the indoor and outdoor intervarsities (which we didn't and kinda did (rain) win respectively). And got a few nice weekends away to play around Ireland. Next time I get a chance I will post my history with my first real club.