I am continuing the throwing theme today with a funky fielding drill that encourages fielders to take calculated run out risks and rewards a group who work together to achieve a series of direct hits!

It's a top "wrap up" drill that ensures the team walk of the practice paddock in high spirits.

The set up:

• Two sets of rubber multistumps put 22 yards away from each other.
• Four fielding pairs - one at point, one at square leg - one on a 1st slip line and one at mid on
• 1 coach or "starter" to put the ball into play.
• Incrediballs and then old, soft cricket balls (so we don't mash our hands up)

The Coach or starter) puts the ball into play by rolling the ball into the square leg area. Square leg picks up and flicks the ball at the nearest set of multistumps.

The ball hits the stumps or narrowly misses and the point fielder picks up the ball and releases towards the bowlers end stumps.

The ball hits the stumps or narrowly misses and the bowlers end stumps before the mid on fielder picks up on the move and aims to rip out the the keepers end stumps.

The fielder at 1st slip picks up and pings the ball back into the kit of the coach or "starter". The ball then gets returned back in drill for the next square leg fielder.

Rules and scoring:

Set a number at the start that the group need to achieve to bring an end to the session. This provides the focus and gets the group working towards a common goal.

After you have fielded a ball you MUST move to another fielding position.

• 1 point: Static pick up and throw that hits the stumps
• 2 points: Pick up on the run and throw that hits the stumps
• 2 points: When you have to go to ground to pick up the ball and then hit the stumps from the ground or with a pop up throw.

You lose points for the following:

• lose 1 point for a fumbled pick up
• lose 1 point for a unmanned fielding position
• lose 2 points for a broken down circuit following a ball being totally missed

The aim is to reach your target as quickly as possible. Say you chose a 20 point session and repeat it 5 times over the course of 3 weeks. You can assess the progress of the group and the effectiveness of the session by keeping a log of the minutes and seconds that tick by.

The groups get really internally competitive. This is a great motivation to work with as it drives progress at any group of fielders.

If you have several squads at your club and school then you can drive standards and competition between squads and groups of players. Leaderboards in the clubhouse can show that the 2nd XI is outperforming the 1st XI and see what happens in practices after that.

I love practice numbers as you know, this one inspires teams, not just individuals.

Give it a go!