Varsity: Cricket ready to bowl over the opposition

Having missed last year’s cricket Varsity matches due to a shoulder injury, first team captain Graeme Davey is determined for Warwick’s cricket teams to fulfil their potential and return to their winning ways.

He was present in both 2008 and 2009 when the three Warwick sides achieved clean-sweep victories against rivals Coventry, but wants to improve on last year when Warwick claimed only two points out of a possible six.

Explaining last year’s surprising lack of success, Davey pointed to problems regarding availability; many people declared themselves unavailable or ill at the last minute which was not ideal preparation, and when considered alongside injuries to some important players the results are more understandable.

Some complacency may also have crept in following Warwick’s cricketing domination over the preceding years, but this year Davey is resolute on winning all three matches.

Last summer saw several of the more experienced players leave the University, but Davey is convinced that the large array of Freshers can step up to the plate, describing them as “a good group of talented youngsters”.

The Warwick cricket teams normally play in the BUCS league, but this year opted out in order to have more time to train and prepare for the season that will begin in April. Varsity cricket is very different to a normal cricket match; it is held indoors, each team has only six players and it is only ten or twelve overs per innings.

When asked about the particular strengths of the teams, Davey suggested that in recent years Warwick sides have been particularly successful in the bowling and fielding departments, but this year is determined for the batsmen to improve their performance.

Regarding the tactics they may employ, he stressed that tactics are not as relevant in indoor cricket, but that batting first may suit them to then strangle the Coventry batsmen in their reply.

Davey is looking to assemble a team of all-rounders, including a good wicket-keeper batsman to provide the team with plenty of bowling options, without affecting the team’s batting potential.

He pinpointed club captain Ronnie Dey and fast bowlers Kris Jadeja and Ajay Soni as potential key performers in the upcoming clashes. The first and second teams will consist of a squad of approximately thirty players who will be eager to overturn last year’s result.

Davey described indoor cricket as a leveller of the standard of cricket due to the limited number of people participating. As a result, he is sure to have his squad well-drilled to ensure victory.

Davey has recently been encouraging the sides to focus more on the indoor format in anticipation of the upcoming clashes against Coventry.

He stressed the speed at which the game is played, stating that the captain’s role is less tactical and that the best way to captain a side is to “lead from the front”.

All being well, Davey will be hoping to do exactly that come 16 March.