Chapter 2: Electric Boogaloo
I wonder whether I could get a game of CharDeeMacDennis going at the club one night
I'd hoped at the start of the season that these blogs were going to become a little more frequent, sadly I didn't account for rupturing an intercostal muscle meaning I missed seven weeks of the season. That is a new kind of pain, I must say. For the first three weeks, a single sneeze would have me doubled over in pain. Luckily now I've managed to get a few solid weeks of cricket in where I have managed to be part of a good few wins.
It's been good to see some colts coming through and doing well in the games that I've managed to play in. A young firebrand in Charlie Topley seemed to have come into the fold and held up really well (and climbed quickly to). Wonderful to see the Chappell boys come back into mix as well and young Hiren Doshi who is always a enthusiastic add to a side. Young Jim Kennedy also seems to be developing well and scoring a lot of runs
It's also great to see the likes of Kendo (Kennedy Warwick) coming back from a broken toe, and for all the banter that him and I have, the work he puts in to recover from injuries is actually quite inspirational and doesn't always seem to be realised be everyone - on that note a word for Liam Hearty who has worked equally as hard with a couple of horrible injuries over the last couple of years who always keeps his smile even when my vice-like handshake pushes back his recovery time from a broken thumb (sorry mate).
Last week's weather turned out to produce a wonderful mixture of humour and spirit where the majority of us walked up and down alongside a very wet section of grass, loudly umming and arring about whether it would be suitable to play on. It also involved conferences of many different mobile phone applications being consulted - often at the same time.
"Siri - what's the collective noun for a group of weather-frustrated cricketers?"
Something that possibly doesn't get said enough out loud is how brilliant the work that Helen is to our club. She does so much for us- especially considering that she isn't a playing member. Last week she sorted out tea after it looked like there might not be enough cricket - All of this is on top of her broken leg/foot/something (i'm sorry I can't actually remember the specifics) But the thanks that we all owe her should not be overlooked. Everything that is being written in this post is about the positive mental aspect that a club culture has - Helen is just as much a part of that as anyone else - We are lucky to have her involved and would be at sea without her.
I'm getting a little bit more serious here about things as I want to discuss how team sports can be a positive in helping good metal health.
I mention enough in my blogs that I suffer from anxiety. It’s
a pretty central theme and it’s become a hurdle to find a way around every
single day. Being part of a cricket team is something that is such a wonderful
thing in dealing with this. It’s not as basic as just standing in a field with
ten other people. It’s the belonging, the standing side by side with comrades where
you all have one common goal. The banter (for the want of a better word) in the
field is usually worth turning up for alone, the ridiculous call from someone
in the field reminding a bowler that they should be pitching the ball "on off
stump" (Yes, batsmen, WE KNOW WHERE IT’S MEANT TO GO!!)
From a personal perspective, being part of a team is something that is extremely important to me. I look forward to coming to play on a Saturday where I can join up as par of the team, enjoy my teammates success, watching their personal development and working towards a collective goal of winning the match. The camaraderie that takes place in the team is the best part of a day. The fact that people all want you to succeed as much as they want to succeed themselves, your teammates willing you on gives such a release of tension.
When my anxiety plays up, it basically means that my brain chemistry isn't quite blowing in the right direction, being part of my cricket team is something that helps no end. Being in an environment where I am comfortable, I can do something creative (even if it's only chirp crap from first slip) and I have the capacity to contribute, is such a helps to give my mental health a tremendous boost - and can quite often help to change the direction of my brain chemistry. Let it be said, exercise is not a cure for mental health ailments, not by any stretch but the alleviation of some symptoms is an incredibly positive thing. The cricket field is somewhat of a space where I am always comfortable, there's a certain safety there. Not always off of the pitch, sometimes it can be daunting to stay after games and there is nothing rational to explain why sometimes it's just easier to drive home. This is one tiny example of how anxiety can affect me and it is a real struggle, the team environment often helps to push me in that right direction.
Anyway, back to a more upbeat tone. Big parts of being a part of the club is enjoying other people's successes. Over the last couple of weeks, it was great to hear Garfield got to 500 club wickets - a fine achievement for a club stalwart, as well as that it was fabulous to see Andrew 'Wiji' Wijayasinghe take his first steps in captaincy (victoriously as well) and to see how much energy he bought to that team environment (properly proud of you, mate)
Is this the right Garfield?....Yes
I won't be writing for a few weeks as I'm actually having a holiday (much needed) but hopefully at least one more before the end of the season.
Simon
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