The idea of training is not attractive for a lot of club cricketers. The attitude of many players is that winning is important, but you must win without trying too hard.

Perhaps the Corinthian past (and present) has something to do with it.

That means that practice is seen as an amusing distraction, going to the gym elicits looks of mild shock (as happened to me the other day when I mentioned it to a youth team coach) and a post game cool down is nothing more than raising a coolbeer to your lips.

Is cricket a genteel summer pastime that is just an excuse for a nice tea, a suntan and a preamble to the evenings drinking?

What about the other way of looking at things?

If you are going to do something, you do it as best you can.

For playing cricket that means: Learning the game inside out, being fit and injury free, working as a team well, practicing as often as possible and understanding your attitude on the field.

Time will always be against the amateur player, but we can still make the most of training time if we keep these simple principles in mind (Principles that are applied by subscribing to harrowdrive).

What is the attitude like in your club?