Well, this one's for Pidgey. The young fella requested a training report, so here goes..
A whole 6-7 players turned up for Association training last night, despite several others promising they would be there. No doubt the hot weather and the very average cricket being played by the Australians on a public holiday at Adelaide Oval combined for the poor attendance, but a few cases of 'sofcocalitis' obviously flared up too..
Anyway, the lads toiled hard in the heat for just over an hour. Young Pidge bowled very well on the whole and has straightened himself up a fair bit in his delivery stride, which is full testament to his willingness to learn and work hard. The fact that he looks like a long-lost Morkel brother is beside the point..

Marshall the pick of the batsmen, even though there were about 4 blokes claiming him as their bunny..

Spry the pick of the bowlers. Much to learn and work on, but huge potential.
Quite a number of apologies from guys who couldn't get there for one reason or another, but overall the combined attendance both weeks was pretty poor, fully vindicating the Association's decision not to field an under 21's side this CUSA Cup year. The side to play ASCA at Mitchell Park oval this Sunday (1/2) will be named tomorrow and the successful players contacted.
Just on a side note, I'm after some feedback from you boys about our representative stuff. We're pretty sure we're on the right track as far as personnel goes, but we also need to promote it amongst the Clubs. It used to be thought that the rep. side had a 'boys club' mentality which deterred players from trying out. We also had the hurdle of the amalgamation to deal with and sides from other Associations, but I think those barriers have broken down significantly, as the likes of Holland, Giglio, Frith and Loechel can testify. And the guys who get involved on a representative basis can only attest to their being no 'boys club' mentality.
I guess what I'm asking is what do the players want from the Association regarding our rep. side??
Eg:
* Coaches come out to all Clubs during the season wherever the Clubs see fit to invite them out;
* Our upper echelon players to be targetted and canvassed by the Coaches regarding availability or it being open to the entire Association and a squad chosen from subsequent training participation;
* Anything else that is relevant that can enhance or improve our processes.
We understand that there are different strokes for different folks and different things motivate players to play cricket. Some have the desire to compete at a rep. level and some aren't interested. But if there are any myths out there that need dispelling or if there are processes that we can improve, it's important we hear about it.
Over to you chaps...
