I was 8 when my brother brought me to the cricket to watch a game and suggested that I should play. Because of cricket being so small in The Netherlands I was very lucky that I’ve got parents who are English and come from a cricket family who still wanted to play when they moved to Holland.

I always liked watching dad and my brother play. So I started playing at the club where my dad and brother always played. A friend and I were the only two girls at the whole club and we had one youth team which didn’t have enough kids most of the time. But it didn’t matter to us we enjoyed ourselves at that age just training and playing some games of cricket. The beginning was a bit rough I got the nickname “wides” very quickly and was more of a batswoman then I was a bowler. When I was 11 I got my first invitation to the Dutch under 16 trainings I didn’t understand it at first at all but I just remember being very very happy.

The day of my first training session I was ever so scared I didn’t know anybody, but once I got there it didn’t matter anymore because we all got on really well, it was great fun mixing in with the other players.

I had to leave my club because of them not having a ladies or girls team so I went to another club that had 2 dedicated ladies team. I started in the seconds but quickly went to the first team.
My bowling improved massively and I was pretty pleased that the nickname “wides” didn’t stick!

Two years ago at the age of 17 I moved on again to a new club and have just had the 2 best cricket years of my life I’d say. In these past 2 years I’ve not only got into the Dutch first team I was also captain of the u17’s for my last year in the team, had my first ECB LV county year with the ladies and won the t20 competition and became champions in our division. We qualified for the WCQers in Bangladesh and became European champions. In the winter of 2011 we went to Bangladesh. 6 weeks before I was asked if I wanted to start spinning which I did. I played my first game while bowling left arm orthodox in Bangladesh against Zimbabwe which went a lot better than I expected.
Although we lost our ODI status in Bangladesh and didn’t qualify for the world cup we still did well and I am proud of what we achieved there.

Last season was my best cricket year in terms of bowling, as a team in the ECB LV we didn’t have the best year, a lot of games cancelled due to rain which is always disappointing but we still had some fun and learned patience!. Back home in the national competition my team became Dutch champions for the second year in a row.

Not only has the playing side of things it’s being going great. Now I’m a coach I’ve been traveling all over the country together with a team of coaches and we go and teach at schools and educate the kids over what cricket is. Cricket isn’t known at all over here and everybody thinks it’s croquet so we teach them that they have it very very wrong!.

We have got so many kids telling us they love it and started playing themselves. As we don’t have school cricket we started it at the international schools that play against other schools. Also I now work at the cricket club where I first started and I’m trying to get them more youth members which at the moment is working very well. Besides working with youth development in The Netherlands I’m coach of the Dutch u15’s girls’ team which is a very talented group of young girls who love cricket.

I often get the question why I do it all, why would you spend so much time at cricket?

Not just because I love it or love watching it or the work.

I love the people and the little cricket world. You can always have a good laugh.
It’s as well because when I’m on the cricket field I’m confident. Cricket has helped me so much from being a very insecure, shy little girl to a confident and slightly crazy young woman. It has taught me so much. This has become my area of comfort. People often think I’m not confident about my cricket just because I’m very self-critical, I am confident I just always want to do better and get better.

I love it, I love the people and want to be the best I can be. I am after all #CricketFamily.

Leonie Bennett

You can follow Leonie and see how her career continues via twitter (Click her name above) and also follow the #CricketFamily by following @_CricketFamily

If you have a CricketFamily story you would like to share email us as info@cricketfamily.co.uk

The post My CricketFamily Story – Leonie Bennett appeared first on Cricket Insight.

What the company said:

The Tempo can only be cut from our own oversized clefts, which give this bat a huge spine and enormous sweet spot. Combined with a beautifully balanced pick up this bat is perfect for any cricketer.
• Made from our own cut and dried oversized clefts
• Premium English Willow
• Huge Spine
• Bowed Blade
• Huge Sweet Spot
• Light Pick-up
• Shaped Handle

First Impressions:

It’s a big bat! Not in the usual “huge edged” looking “very similar” way. You are not just caught out by the sheer size of the Hell 4 Leather Tempo, but its high rise profile…. dare we say that this gargantuan cricket bat is “pretty”. The model we are reviewing does weigh in at 2.13 but still even at this weight it has a real presence. The labelling is a good continuation from last years. It offers a little more style with great angles that only accentuate the dramatic shape of this bat. The only downside would be that some of the details within the labels seem to be over-saturated and have become lost.

The Lowdown:

There is no doubt this had to come from an oversized cleft. Its 72mm spine height dwarfs a few of the larger 3lbs plus bats that are sat in the office. The willow grading on this has been stated as “Pro” and with 13 straight grains along the face of the blade it would turn a few heads and create some serious bat envy. But it also asks the question what of the “edge size”. This is now something that often gets asked way in advance of more important matters like price, or even quality. It seems to fulfil the need to show a bit of “girth” at the crease. So with just 20mm edges will this Colossus show this to be nothing more than a trend or fixation. Is it just for those unable to distinguish the suitability and relevance of a cricket bat by testing and matching a bat to a player. Be in no doubt of the scale of this bat.  Its high rise spine, swooping angles make this a very important cricket bat. Does it shy’s away from a trend in search of something more beneficial to the paying customer?  But by being honed from a tree (oversized cleft the ED was embellishing) rather than a cleft does it create a new one?

One thing is for sure that with prices starting from just £195 for a Grade 2 offering, you”ll certainly get your monies worth in willow.

A Professionals Opinion (Gary Palmer [Ex Somerset] Director of CCM and Independent coach to the Pro’s )

You can say this bat intimidates to begin with, I know I played in a era when bats were smaller and often a little lighter than the modern day equivalents but I am used to seeing various labels come through my academy. This though led me to preconceived ideas of  a “big lump” which all but disappear once you are hands on. At 2.13 this is a good 3oz heavier than what i would personally use, but the balance is good and the pick up is ok. Settling into a good driving position the bat gains good momentum so you shouldn’t rush into your shot, after all if you’re paying for a cricket bat you may as well let it do the work. Its offers a great amount of punch as you should would expect from something this large but it’s a ”snappy” bat with a great sound and response of the face. There’s little reverberation though the handle which could have benefitted from another grip to suit me. But a surprise really, it gives you confidence driving the ball and even though I knew the bat was heavier than I normally like it, I didn’t tire of it. It’s not going to be for the outright “touch” player but for those lads looking for the bigger bat (bat starts at 2:10) I would say this is a good piece of equipment.

Verdict

The quality of this cricket bat ranks high, the offering of something different ranks higher. It’s hard to say wether reverting to a smaller edge bat in order to gain this substantial spine is a forward step .We have seen bats in the past  that have these characteristics, just not to this extreme. Hell 4 Leather have created a modern bat, to suit modern needs. Both in playing terms and psychological. It is certainly good value for money (starting from £195G2/ £240 G1/ £295 PRO as tested) and whilst it may not suit all players, for those that favour the heavier bat they will find in the Tempo an ally in seeking boundaries both aerial and along the ground. It for the price point offers something a little more though. Yes it’s a very good bat and yes it’s aimed at a certain players, but for that player you get all this size and presence but also confidence. That is something you cannot often buy. The Tempo has altered views here and sparked debate, but the one common factor is that each of us here would have one in our kit bag for 2013. An impressive, effective bat and something different at last.

If you want to discuss more about this bat, head over to the forum

http://www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1753.new.html#new

The post Bat Review: Hell 4 Leather “Tempo” Pro appeared first on Cricket Insight.

La Manga Cricket Club has pretty much got it made!

With a climate conducive to year round cricket and a home ground courtesy of the famous 5 Star La Manga Club Sports Resort, it is little wonder cricket has increased in popularity at La Manga.

La Manga Cricket Club has 2 teams playing in the ECCL League and is a host venue for the National Spanish side’s home fixtures. With two available pitches and 4 outdoor nets on site, the spring, summer and autumn is a hive of cricketing activity. A growing Colts section meets every Sunday at 10am for outdoor nets and junior cricket across Spain is developing at a fantastic rate.

There are now over 70 member Clubs of Cricket Espana, which itself is an affiliate member of the ICC with the Spanish National side playing in the ICC European Division 2 and has recently entered into a partnership with Essex CCC. Spain also has an Over 40’s and an Over 60’s national side so there really is cricket for everyone.

Served by Murcia Airport (20 minutes) or Alicante Airport (one hour) La Manga Club has become an affordable and popular home for many repeat visitors from the cricket family.

There is both a 5 star and a 4 star hotel on site, with complimentary spa and gym facilities for touring sides available in the Las Lomas centre. There are also a variety of bars, cafes and restaurants on site (not forgetting 3 golf courses, a tennis centre and supermarket) and the administration team at La Manga Club along with the cricket club committee ensure your visit will be a memorable one.

This year La Manga Club will host the following tournaments and clubs from across Europe are invited to attend:-

September 20^th – 23^{rd -}La Manga Club / La Manga Crickets Clubs own T20 tournament €226pp  

October 3^rd – 7^th -The Inaugural T20 Premier League  - £275pp

October 10^th – 14^th          6^th Lady Taverners T20 (with Mike Gatting and guests) – €318pp

A number of celebrities have visited La Manga Cricket Club, especially during tournaments, including in the last two years, Luke Wright, Gareth Batty, Phil DeFreitas, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Steve Kirby, The Barmy Army and Club Ambassadors Rachel Heyhoe-Flint and Mike Gatting.

With 2 cricket pitches positioned with a panoramic view of the mountains it really is a fantastic place to play a game in such beautiful surrounding. We are also delighted to have had the chance to visit the Club and enjoy the facilities on the golf course as well as at the cricket ground.

In 2012 Glamorgan CCC used the facilities as a part of their pre-season training and conditioning and this Spring Essex CCC and Berkshire Ladies will be here for pre season fielding and conditioning work.

For more information on all matters cricket at La Manga and La Manga Cricket Club please see

www.lamangacricketclub.com

http://lamangaclub.com/Love-Sport/Cricket    

The post Year round cricket just over 2 hours from the UK! appeared first on Cricket Insight.

-First Prize is an Exclusive Cricket Insight Bat worth £200.00 

-Second Prize is a set of Cricket Insight Bat Stickers as featured on the below bat.

To be in with a chance of winning these prizes simply adheres to the 3 rules below to be eligible to win the prizes.

1. Be following us on Twitter- www.twitter.com/CricInsight

2. Be following us on Facebook- www.facebook.com/cricinsight

3. Be a Registered member of the Cricket Insight Forum- www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum 

Once successfully signed up for all 3, if you can drop the Admin team an email at Admin@CricketInsight.co.uk with your Twitter, Forum and Name we will ensure you are put in the hat to win the prizes.

The closing date for the competition is the 31st March 2013 where the Winners will be drawn at random from all the entries that successfully complete the steps to be eligible to win the prizes.

*The Bat weighs 2.10 and is deemed to be of Grade 2 quality

The post Win an Exclusive Cricket Insight Bat for 2013 appeared first on Cricket Insight.

Earlier last week we were able to catch up with the people behind Bat4Africa and not only take a look at the bat itself but get some questions answered about their work and link up with Street Child Africa. 

You can also view the work of Street Child Africa at the links provided below.

C.I.:                  Firstly thank you for taking time out for the interview

B4A:                  Thank you for asking us.

C.I.:                  Who is behind Bat4Africa?

B4A:                  Bat4Africa is a few people in the cricket bat world coming together to try to use their knowledge and contacts to raise money for charity.  It’s not hard to find out who ‘we’ are if you really wanted to, but we don’t put our names out there because Bat4Africa isn’t about ‘us’… or anyone specific for that matter.

C.I.:                  What was the driving force behind the idea?

B4A:                  The driving force was simply trying to raise as much money as possible for a great charity- StreetChild Africa.  Essentially, when you buy a cricket bat these days, most of the time the gross margin (the difference between the selling price and the actual cost of producing the bat) if we take the retailer out of the equation, is paying the wages of an already pampered international player.  We wanted to give cricketers the option of a bat of identical quality- in fact, better than most- where the money made goes to a good cause, rather than putting fuel in an England player’s Jaguar.

C.I.:                  How much per bat is donated to the charity?

B4A:                  We’ve had some questions about this.  All of the money the project makes will be donated to the charity- it’s very black and white.  There have been one or two small costs that the project incurred to start up, mainly to do with the printing of the stickers and the manufacture of the website.  These jobs have been done with the charity in mind, and have been done at, or close to, cost price.

These costs make it hard for us to say exactly how much per bat will be donated, as the more bats we sell, each bat is contributing less and less to the fixed start up costs, so the per bat donation will be higher.

However, legally we have to state a figure in pounds and pence- this is where the £80.00 figure on our website comes from.  We say at least because, in reality, we expect it to be much more, but we have to put a pessimistic figure on it by law.  We expect the per bat donation to be nearer £110.00 if all goes to plan.

C.I.:                  How has the project been received so far?

The feedback has been great, people seem to be getting behind it.  You can buy a top of the range, English made cricket bat for £250.00, and at the same time be helping out children living on the street in Africa… what’s not to like?!

The hard work starts now for us: when the project finishes on 31^st June, we want to have thousands of twitter followers, not hundreds.  We just want to see the cricket community come together and raise as much money as possible.

C.I.:                  Is there room for other people to get involved?

B4A:                  Absolutely, there are lots of ways people or indeed businesses can get involved.  The easiest way for someone to help is by suggesting their friends like the Bat4Africa Facebook page, or by ‘retweeting’ some of our tweets.  If someone wants to donate without buying a bat, however small, we can facilitate this- we’ve even had people wanting to donate to the project itself to help sell the bats, offering to pay for adverts on Google, for example.  Nothing is set in stone; it’s the first time we’ve done something like this, so we’re open for any form of help or ideas.

C.I.:                  Thank you so much for your time and we really wish you well.

______________________________________________________

The actual bat.

In many respects it almost seems crude to dissect and review something that is much ”more” than a cricket bat.  But an offering or not, some people will no doubt be wondering what they get for their £250 rather than what they have given others in need. So here is a short review of the Bat4Africa Cricket Bat.

First impressions:

You can’t but be taken in by the vibrancy of the bat, it certainly does shout modern Africa. Yet the more you look the more you discover. The Zebra stripes, colours from the rainbow nations splashed across the spice of the bat. The layering of gold throughout the face and the more subtle mask that you feel on its surface as much as see. It’s certainly something to be held and examined. The profile said to be a “hybrid” is more classical/ than we first imagined it would be. It has almost a handsome look about it, this to be matched with exquisite craftsmanship. You often wonder with charity based products what you get once you peel away the charitable element. Be in no doubt, this is a beautiful cricket bat.

Our take:

We were presented with a 2lb 10oz  cricket bat. Grade 1 English willow. The  handle is generous and ( for  us here ) would not require a second grip. The pick up and overall balance of the bat is very good. It does pick up true to its weight, but it’s at this point you can understand the talk of being a “hybrid”. It fills you with confidence driving at the ball and offers a great deal of control when playing off the back foot. No heavy heaves or weighty toe dragging the bat from your grasp. All in all this bat without the merit of being a catalyst for awareness and change is quite a curious proposition. As they only nagging thought we have been left with has been that they could have charge a lot more for what is a very good cricket bat.

Where to look and more information:

Bat4Africa Website: http://www.bat4africa.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bat4africa

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BAT4AFRICA

Street Child Africa: http://www.streetchildafrica.org.uk/

Street Child Africa is a charity registered in England (charity reg. no. 1074832), a charity registered in Scotland (charity reg. no. SCO39248)

The post A Bat4Africa: The Interview. appeared first on Cricket Insight.

The batsmen’s and bowlers targets have been set at what we deem to be an achievable level so that everyone has a chance of getting their hands on the prizes at stake. We hope you will all take part and enjoy yourselves whilst doing so, perhaps that bit of focus is whats need when taking to the fields in order to push yourself that bit harder to take that final wicket or score those extra few runs for you and your team mates.

Batsmen’s Race to 500 Prizes

We are delighted to be pairing up with Affinity Cricket, Owzat-Cricket and Ayrtek Cricket who have very kindly offered up over £500.00 worth of prizes for the batsmen’s awards.

Affinity Cricket have recently launched their brand new range of bats that are already causing quite a stir in the marketplace with their contemporary graphics and high quality willow. With an RRP of £325.00 this is a top quality bat we are proud to offer to the person who reaches 500 runs first.

Ayrtek have generously donated a treble award winning A.C.I.S RAW helmet to the prize fund worth an RRP of £200.00, widely regarded as the markets safest and lightest helmet what more could the winner of the #RaceTo500 ask for?

Bowlers Race to 25 Prizes   

We are delighted to offer the best bowler in conjunction with Owzat-Cricket,  a pair of Asics Gel Advance 4 boots and Adidas playing whites to the prize fund for the first player to take 25 scalps this season. This offers a prize fund of £147.00 at RRP for the man to reach the 25 wicket milestone.

The winners of the coveted awards will be able to pick their desired bat weight and profile from the Affinity range for the batsmen’s prize and the bowlers will obviously be able to specify their shoe/waist size for the boots/whites.

To be in with an chance of winning the Racing to 500/50 simply read the rules and enter via the forum through the below link.

http://www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum/

The post Cricket Insight’s #RaceTo500 and #RaceTo25 Summer Competition appeared first on Cricket Insight.

Whilst 2 major companies seem to have captured the market share, that same rapid expansion of a “premium price” product has allowed others to take advantage of a lower price point entry but fewer still when evolving on a sound principle. Until now.

010 GEAR, started by Ex New Zealand fast bowler Iain O’Brien after finding the existing products were not to his liking. So what do you… research, plan and develop your own. And judging from his blogs it’s been a long road after initially penning the idea back in 2008 whilst on tour in Bangladesh.

The pants

010 GEAR have come to market with pants,  with long pants and compression tops are not to far away… but it’s their quirkiness (stemming from the owner if you have ever followed Iain O’Brien on twitter) and strap-line that caught our attention. Compression and Comfort… for you and your manatomy.

For those of you that have worn compression pants will know their are a few gripes to be had. The benefits are always well documented but they never say that by the 4th over of bowling you’ll be needing a full frontal rearrangement and a hoist to pull them back up after they work down your buttocks or bunch in the gusset.

A simple observation and the desire to rectify such flaws has been made, albeit from a selfishly male perspective. The 010 GEAR pants have added material and incorporated an ergonomic ”pouch” for the male anatomy… which whilst writing this i will confess is comfortable…very comfortable.

To test these pants I thought that bowling/batting in an hour long net session vs a more common yellow threaded but popular manufacturer would be applicable, but I’ll confess after bowling in the rivals (yellow thread)and having to hitch them back up every 4th delivery i was becoming keen to try the new purple label. What you feel from the outset is everything you are told when looking to buy… compression and comfort. They are very well constructed (British Made I might add “ED”) to the same standard as the rival pair and slide on with a reassuring hug to the thighs and buttocks. But then it hits you… real comfort. Yes, i do personally feel a wider waistband would  be a good thing. But no longer am i having to stop, rearrange the “frontage”. The test in those conditions was a one sided win… the compression values of both are fairly equal, but it’s the compassion for the male anatomy that has won the day. The fact a cricket box sits inside this area without assistance is also a plus for the 010 pants.

The run down

So comfortable are they that I have worn them for a day with no issues. It maybe a simple advancement but an advancement none the less and one that rectified an issue a lot of us had and only one self motivated person addressed.

We rate the reasonable priced 010 GEAR pants highly and it would be a perfect score if it weren’t for the narrow waistband that these shorts all suffer from. But for a first outing and a company keen to point out that “everything has its place” they maybe right as they have found theirs in this competitive but one sided arena.

Cricket Insight score the 010 GEAR pants 8.5 out of 10.

Price £25 / Delivery UK £1.50 / International £5.00

Available from www.010gear.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/010Gear

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/010Gear 

The post Reviewing 010 GEAR. Compression with compassion… appeared first on Cricket Insight.

We have the first full review of the H4L Tempo. A look at the amazing new “Prodigy” Range from BlackCat Cricket as well as an exclusive review of the Carbine cricket bat from new boys Affinity Cricket.

You’ll see a top feature on the amazing www.bat4africa.com and later this month Cricket Insight will head to India to drink in the vibrancy and excitement of an ODI between India and England at the stunning HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.

And as the month progresses we can introduce to you to many of our new writers and bloggers. Spanning from the West Indies to New Zealand, insights from the #CricketFamily as well as an inside look at English county grounds and the players themselves.

So cheers! and here’s to an exciting January and an amazing 2013 with the new Cricket Insight.

Thanks,

Team C.I

The post What to expect this January! appeared first on Cricket Insight.

As some of the more eagle eyed followers of the Cricket Insight Forum may have noticed, some changes have been afoot since Sunday 30^th December. Work has been going on behind the scenes where the Cricket Insight name is now under new ownership and will become the official forum of the #CRICKETFAMILY .

We see this as a positive step in order to provide the  #CRICKETFAMILY an official home to allow an already increasing audience a place to discuss topics and assist others where possible. The Insights blog will continue on the solid footing that has already been established by the previous owners who have done an excellent job in getting it to this stage. We at the #CRICKETFAMILY  are excited about grasping this opportunity to move things on again and hope to be able to provide an Insight into the cricketing world delving a little deeper and beyond just the kit that’s used.

We hope the forum becomes a place for players, fans, umpires and all those involved in the game to discuss their love of the cricket and share experiences. Remember the  #CRICKETFAMILY  is about what we as lovers of the game can do for one another! This will be ready 9th January 2013

Also keep an eye on the blog as we’ll to be featuring some guest bloggers over the next few months as we near the start of the season.

But for now, thank you for reading and we’ll see you all in 2013!

————————————————————————-

Why @_CricketFamily tweet with the hashtag….

#CRICKETFAMILY  is that recognition of participation, that encouragement and acknowledgement that no matter how small the act, it has a bearing and counts toward the legacy you and millions of others will have on the game.

The post Kicking off 2013 appeared first on Cricket Insight.

For 2013 we can expect to see 1 totally new bat from Gray Nicolls, the X181. A yellow and purple bat, endorsed by Ed Cowan, with a 181mm long sweetspot. Warner has also seen an update to his Kaboom with new swanky blue and orange graphics.

The post 2 new Gray Nicolls bats for a Boxing Day Test – X181 & Kaboom appeared first on Cricket Insight.