Here in my little corner of England, as in many other parts, we have a hosepipe ban. We are officially in drought and it must be the wettest drought on record. Cricket clubs in the area have been refused dispensation to water their squares but right at this moment it seems a cruel irony that we ever thought a lack of water would be a problem.
My schools coaching work has mainly been pushed into small school halls, designed for assemblies or gymnastics, or dancing but certainly not for 30 to 50 enthusiastic 10 year olds wanting to bash a ball around with a cricket bat. Adapting to circumstances is the name of the game and so far we've managed to cope in most cases but cricket really needs a bit of space if you're going to keep more than 20 youngsters engaged.
Meanwhile my coaching role with Redbourn's Under13 team got off to the best possible start when we had a downpour of sunshine for our first fixture, allowing it to be played. This extremely talented bunch of cricketers bowled out the opposition for just 25 and knocked off the runs in six overs without losing a wicket. Stronger opposition will follow but this team has strength all the way through and I am excited to be working with them. They're keen too. Last week they all turned up for training even though it was raining. Lots of fielding was the order of the day, diving, sliding, catching (soft balls) off the Katchet and generally getting thoroughly filthy. I don't suppose the mums were too impressed by the state of the clothes that needed cleaning but the enthusiasm and commitment was fantastic. It's that sort of attitude that reminds me why I do this job, even when the rain's bucketing down.
