Cricket and life
Graham Spence
Last Sunday I watched one of our brats debut in a Berkshire District U13 cricket match.
The week before, his twin brother had debuted for Berkshire County.
Both had played school matches the day before, and both had been dismal, so I approached the debut games with dread.
If they were being smacked all over the place by a school side, what humiliation would be in store for them at top level?
In the County game, the younger-by-one-minute twin is a 'lobby' leg spinner and thus any loose ball is punished.
He'd played District the season before (one level below County) and was his team's top wicket taker, albeit far the most expensive.
On the big day, to my surprise, he started magnificently, curbing the run rate to three-an-over.
It was so far removed from his previous day's performance that I was wondering if he was taking steroids.
Okay, a few overs later a batsman got hold of him and smacked him for several boundaries, which could have been caught if the captain had put another fielder at square leg.
The 'District twin' is a fast bowler, but at the moment lacks the height to be overly fearsome.
When he was tossed the ball after nine overs, things were looking grim.
The openers were anchored at the crease and hitting boundaries at will.
To my astonishment, within two overs he had bowled them both.
Then during his second spell he 'yorked' a big hitter, flattening the middle stump with a crack that echoed across the pavilion.
I reckon (unbiased, natch) that was the ball that won the match.
As with the other twin, I wondered long and hard what it was that had induced him to rise so surprisingly to the occasion after performing like a dog the day before.
It certainly wasn't any of the inane drivel that I dish out disguised as advice.
Then out of the blue, that question was, perhaps, answered by Geoffrey Boycott while doing some TV commentating.
Boycott said boys who outclassed their schoolmates often came croppers at higher levels because suddenly they're playing kids as naturally gifted as themselves.
Mental toughness
But at the same time they hadn't acquired the mental toughness needed.
Conversely, less gifted boys (ie my brats), having been hardened by humiliating defeats often, did better against quality opposition.
I'm hoping Boycott's right and the knocks the twins had been given the day before actually steeled them for their debut.
Boycott also mentioned the sibling syndrome, observing that an inordinate number of sportsmen have brothers who hammered the hell out of them at games while growing up.
A classic example is basketball wizard Michael Jordan who was routinely trounced while taking on his older brother Larry.
This gave Jordan unrivalled mental focus – so much so that he once said, 'When you see me playing, you're watching Larry'.
I reckon that's the case with same-gender twins as well.
When our one brat was selected for District last year, the other was in tears. He was initially inconsolable.
Yet he didn't wallow in misery (well, only for two solid months) and played his heart out to get selected this season.
But even that ended with some disappointment.
His brother was simultaneously promoted to County.
However, instead of sulking (well, only for three solid months) all he's talking about now is making County next year. But it's a big call for him.
At the County game I watched last fortnight, the opening pair were both six-foot tall (they're only 13) and bowling at 75 miles an hour.
It's also unusual to see both our lads aspiring to be bowlers.
In my youth we all called ourselves batsmen. If we bowled that was just because someone had to.
But I'm extremely happy about this. For in the modern game batsmen may get a bigger fan club, but it's the bowlers who pick up the fat pay cheques.
Effective hitters are easier to come by, thus top bowlers are priceless in winning matches.
As our brats aren't showing much academic excellence, cricket may be the next best thing – and I need someone to keep me in the style to which I hope to become accustomed.
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