Timo Ilva

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The following is a diary account of my weekend trip to Gloucestershire to experience cricket being played there both from the perspective of a player and a coach. This opportunity would not have been possible without the efforts of Stuart Barnes, current coach of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club’s first XI, and so a huge thank you goes out to him. I also wish to thank the ECC and the Finnish Cricket Association for their support and for choosing me as a suitable candidate.

Day 1 - Thursday 4th August

After a relatively uneventful plane ride over and an hour and a half train journey from London, I arrived in the World Heritage city of Bath around noon. Following a bite to eat I was then taken and introduced to the assistant grounds man of the Bath Cricket Club located in the center of the city and founded in 1859. My immediate reaction was almost one of disbelief as I looked out to the lush but trimmed outfield, the grass pitches, and the picturesque chapel overlooking the ground. It was a stark contrast to the gravel outfields of Finland! The first couple of hours I spent not surprisingly watching the second Ashes test match as England piled on a mammoth 407 runs on the first day. However, after that began Bath CC’s weekly training session of which I was kindly invited to join. It consisted of a mixture of their first and second XI teams who were preparing themselves for their fixtures on the weekend. I must admit I was nervous but in the same manner confident that I could convince them that cricket played in Finland was of a decent standard.

I began by bowling legspin in the spinners net curious to see how to ball would react on a grass wicket. Although there was turn, it was quite slow and with little bounce. As the rain then began to fall and the ball got wet, it became harder to grip and skidded a lot more rather than gripping the surface. Most of the batsmen had sound technique and made good use of the feet when facing me. This again was quite different to what I am used to Finland where most opposition play me from the crease. While the bowling experience was in line with expectations, the batting was entirely different. Given the overcast conditions, the seamers were moving the ball in the air. While they were not quick for pace, the movement did beat me on a couple of occasions unfortunately knocking off stump on the way through. Overall, I thought I handled the conditions relatively well especially since it was my first time on grass. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t do any fielding due to the rain but I learned a lot about the conditions and enjoyed the high standard of cricket being played.

Day 2 – Friday 5th August

The itinerary for the second day was to be a part of the third day’s play in the 4-day game between Gloucestershire and Hampshire at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival. We left early in the morning and arrived at the College grounds just as the players began to file through into the respective dressing rooms. It was an exciting moment to see the likes of Shane Watson, Andy Bichel, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Craig Spearman etc. walk past and begin their preparations for the day ahead. Shortly afterwards came the special moment of walking out onto the field for the first time with the rest of the players, much to the appreciation of the crowd. As for the warm-up, my role was to be an extra pair of hands but perhaps more productively as an observer of the structure and methods used in the session.

Interestingly, the session first began with a team discussion led by the captain of the side who in this case was Craig Spearman. Known to his peers as “Spears”, he briefly analyzed the proceedings of the previous day as well as the strategy and approach for the day ahead. Other players would then have input of their own which they would then share with the rest of the group. The focus of the discussion centered on their own initiatives rather than the opposition and the coaches themselves were not directly involved unless called upon or they felt they had something further to contribute. The physical side of the session then began with a game of footy followed by a series of dynamic stretches. Knowing they would be in the field for much of the day, the team then did some fielding drills collectively before breaking off into their respective individual skills. That is to say, batsmen worked on grooving, bowlers warmed up in the nets, and wicketkeeper and slips worked on catching drills etc. All in all, the session lasted about an hour and a quarter after which the players filed back into the changing rooms for one last final team meeting. It was on the way back to the pavilion where I experienced one of the highlights of the trip. A little boy walked over to me holding a picture of a Ramnaresh Sarwan asking if I possibly matched his identity! Shocked to say the least, it took me a little while to understand what was going on and so embarrassingly I had to admit the truth.

The game itself started well for Gloucestershire with Steve Kirby taking two quick wickets early on. However, his game ended prematurely when he picked up a knee injury after sliding into the advertising boards. Hampshire then consolidated with some solid batting performances from Watson and Crawley who both demonstrated the art of playing straight early on. The pick of the bowlers for Gloucestershire was the Sri Lanka A signing Malinga Bandara who toiled hard for most of the day picking up three in the innings.

Photo right:Ilva takes a catch in the Finland v Malta game at the 2005 European Affiliates Championship in Antwerp.

Apart from the cricket in the middle, the lunch interval saw a carnival atmosphere on the ground as families, adults and children alike, flocked onto the playing field to show off their own talents. This same trend continued both at tea and at the end of days play. It envisaged the depth of tradition and the love of the game – something that we here in Finland can only dream about today. Nevertheless, my first exposure to county cricket was a memorable experience especially being able to be actively involved with the players and the coaching staff.

Day 3 – Saturday 6th August

The third day saw a change in roles as Stuart Barnes had arranged a 2nd XI 45-over game for me playing for a local cricket club known as Timsbury against an opposition from Bristol called Twyford House CC. Prior to that however, I had a net with Stuart Barnes for about an hour in which he evaluated my batting technique over a variety of different shots. In the process he offered invaluable advice concentrating on the movement of the feet in order to then execute the appropriate shot. It was a useful session both in terms of improving technique personally as well as learning another method of grooving a batsman in preparation for a game.

The game itself was a great experience! Timsbury had lost the toss and was put in the field by the opposition. The initial overs proved to be relatively expensive as the Twyford House openers settled in quickly. To my surprise, I was asked by the Captain to bowl my leg-spin first-change, less than 10 overs into the game. I think it’s fair to say that my nervousness showed as I was clobbered for 16 runs in my first over! However, I recovered well dismissing one of the openers leg before in the very next over. I went on to complete my 13 over spell finishing with figures of 4/52. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance with the ball and enjoyed the extra bit of turn I was able to extract out of the wicket. However, it was with the bat again where I found coping with the conditions the toughest. Chasing 180 for victory I went in at number 4 after the loss of two relatively quick wickets. Twyford House had a good seamer on at the time who was capable of moving the ball both in the air and off the pitch. I went in adopting a patient approach of trying to play myself in, hoping for the occasional loose delivery. However, their bowlers bowled well and in an attempt to perhaps force the flow of runs I was caught off a leading edge at extra cover trying to drive through mid-wicket. Naturally, I was disappointed having played too early with only 11 runs to my name. The rest of the Timsbury batsmen found the going just as difficult, eventually crumbling to 102 all out!

In reflection, although the result was a 78 run defeat, I had thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it and being able to play on both a grass wicket and grass outfield. Learning how to play swing bowling is certainly something we are not faced with enough here in Finland where the shine on the ball lasts the whole of 2 overs! Timsbury were a great side to play for and I thank them for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to be actively involved in the game.

Day 4 – Sunday 7th August

The climax of the trip took me once again back to Cheltenham but this time to see the encounter between Gloucestershire and Hampshire in the shorter 45-over version of the game. Again, it was an early drive up from Bath in the morning and as we arrived some of the players were helping themselves to some breakfast in the pavilion. After a cup of coffee, things began to happen as the players prepared themselves for the warm-up. Once more, I was able to be a part of it so as to assist the players in any way possible. The session started with a team discussion. This time it was led by their player/coach Mark Alleyne who was captain of the side for the game. Listening in on the discussion, it was interesting to note some of the points that were mentioned. To begin, coming off the back of a defeat to Hampshire in the four day game, he stressed the importance of it being a new game and having confidence and belief in themselves. They talked about how to set a competitive total aiming for about 175 to 185 runs at the 35 over mark and having the wickets in hand for a final acceleration. Finally, they also discussed the conditions at Cheltenham with respect to the ground and the quickness and bumpiness of the outfield. While the captain led the team talk, senior players in particular would share their views from time to time. Once again, the coaches themselves were not actively involved here.

The physical side of the session started once more with a game of football and then into their usual dynamic stretches. A greater emphasis was then placed on the fielding drills that followed that were naturally tailored more for the one-day version of the game. These included cover catches, ground fielding involving run outs, as well as high catches in the outfield. It was also interesting to note the level of intensity that was maintained throughout by the coaches and the players themselves. The group exercises were then followed by individual skills for the spinners, seamers, batsmen, slips, and wicket keeper etc. As I was wondering around the ground taking in mental notes of the drills being conducted, I was approached by Sarwan and asked if I could help him out with a few throws. That was a special moment for me and we even had the time to exchange a few words. Strangely enough, it was not only me asking the questions about his test career and some of the current problems with West Indian cricket but also his curiosity of my involvement in the game and what cricket in Finland must be like! Once the players had completed their drills, a final team chat was in store before taking the field. During the session, there was also a huge roar that echoed around the ground when England took the last wicket in the Ashes test with only 3 runs to spare!

The game itself turned out to be a one-sided contest in the end. Hampshire started out promisingly with the bat with some quick fire scoring from Pothas, Ervine, and Watson who scored 40, 43, and 40 respectively. However, they failed to go on getting out to some rash shots. Watson in particular realizing that, venting out his frustration within the confines of the Hampshire changing room! The middle order faltered and they were eventually dismissed for a mere 186. Gloucestershire began the run chase with a positive frame of mind and despite a flurry of wickets at the end won the game convincingly with five wickets to spare in only the 35th over. Weston and Windows batted particularly well with contributions of 72 and 58. Being half Sri Lankan and with Malinga Bandara not in the playing XI, I had the chance to talk to him on several occasions about where he began playing his cricket and his time at Gloucestershire to date.

It was a rewarding result for the crowd who had showed up in relatively large numbers for the game. As Gloucestershire drew closer to the Hampshire total in the run chase, it became increasingly vocal as the beer consumption began to take effect. By the end of days play, there was once again a carnival atmosphere on the ground. It was nice to stroll around the field watching families and others playing their own mini games and the ground staff busy preparing the wickets for the next day’s play.

It was a fitting end to a great weekend of county cricket and being able to experience it first hand. I was fortunate to pick up on many different things that will hopefully improve my own game as a player as well as coaching tips and drills that I can now implement here in Finland. Stuart Barnes also gave me an autographed Gloucestershire playing shirt from all the players which was fantastic and certainly complemented all the memories of this trip. It has definitely been a motivational driver for me and I am confident it can act as a catalyst for the development of cricket here in Finland! Thanks again to all those concerned who made this trip a reality.