Bola

BOLA bowling machines: “17 years down the line I still use our one nearly every day”

BOLA HAVE LONG BEEN MAKING THE BEST AND MOST DURABLE BOWLING MACHINES ON THE MARKET, AND PETER AND HARRY CAME HAVE CERTAINLY GOT FULL USAGE OUT OF THEIRS

ny investment comes with risk, principally ‘will I get value for money from this product?’ But when purchasing bowling machines from BOLA, every ounce of value is extracted. Just ask Peter Came and his son, Harry.

“I bought a BOLA Professional in 2004 when Harry was just six years old. At 40, I was running out of arm strength to bowl it fast enough to get him on the back foot,” Peter tells the Club Cricket Guide.

“Little did we know at the time that we would get 17 years of service.”

Harry is at the start of a career full of potential. He made his first-class debut for Hampshire in 2019 and made five appearances for the county. He is currently on the hunt for his next county, and having access to a BOLA has ensured he is putting his best foot forward when the trials come around.

The right-hander can already look back fondly on his cricketing achievements, having broken the longstanding record for most runs in a season at Bradfield College. He achieved the feat when only 16, scoring over 1,000 runs in the summer of 2015. The previous record was set in 1962 by Michael Mence who went on to play for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. The following summer Came captained the 1st XI.

Harry still uses the outdoor nets at the school, with his father acting as chief machine operator, and the transportability of the machine means each net session is beneficial.

“The actual machine fits into a box, then it’s very easy to transfer the legs and the battery,” Harry says.

“It takes five minutes to set up then you’re off. As well as a battery you can also plug the machine into the mains, so you are not limited by power supply,” Peter says. He is an accomplished cricketer too, having been part of the Hampshire 2nd XI as an amateur in the 1980s. Peter’s grandfather was Walter Robins, who played 19 Test matches for England and captained them on three occasions.

The Professional is normally set up at home, and while some windows are within Harry’s arc, “we try not to proceed on the lines of whacking the ball because Harry has to go get it if he does.”

Harry certainly appreciates he has been lucky to have access to a BOLA, whether it be at home or using one of the machines owned by Bradfield (who also have a Merlyn for spin practice), but he has made the most of the facilities on offer and is aware of the benefits they have. “Basically, every day at lunch and after lessons I would be down in the sports hall on the machines. Gloucestershire’s Ryan Higgins, who also went to Bradfield and who I looked up to hugely, would do the same.

“I would have sessions where I was on the machine for an hour or two. You’re the only one there, hitting ball after ball. It’s not like an innings in a match where there is a break between overs, or you are sometimes at the non-striker’s end. It’s just you against the machine, and it taught me how to bat for long periods of time.

“It’s had a massive impact on my game. Seventeen years down the line I still use our one nearly every day.”

The initial battery has only just worn out, but the Cames have every intention of replacing that and continuing to use it.

“It’s never been back to BOLA, it’s worked beautifully the whole time. You can swing it both ways and bowl spin, though Harry doesn’t like it when he sees me twiddling with the buttons because he doesn’t know what’s coming next,” Peter says.

“For me it was the best way of giving Harry the ability to see what he is capable of. If you get the cricket bug and you want to bat, it’s the best thing you can use.

“Hopefully Harry might be able to use it with his children.”

CLUB LIFE Life in the middle

YVONNE DOLPHIN-COOPER, ONE OF 10 FEMALE OFFICIALS SELECTED FOR THE 2020 RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY, AND FORMER DERBYSHIRE BATSMAN, HASSAN ADNAN, SHARE THEIR UMPIRING JOURNEYS.

WHY DID YOU BECOME AN UMPIRE? Hassan: Towards the end of my playing career, I tried coaching, but I didn’t enjoy it so I thought about how I could stay in the game and the only option was umpiring. In 2011, I asked my local Association of Cricket Officials if I could try a few games. My first game was an academy game and I really enjoyed it, did my levels and went from there. Yvonne: Cricket is in my blood. My favourite places on the planet are cricket clubs! I was at a game with my husband many years ago and was thinking ‘why has he signalled that?’, and then I thought ‘stop asking stupid questions and go and find out!’ So, I did.

DO YOU HAVE TO BE A GOOD CRICKETER? Yvonne: No! I’ve stood with people who’ve never played cricket and that doesn’t mean they’re not a good umpire. Hassan: Having played gives you an awareness of the game. You’re used to high intensity, you know when to be switched on and you can anticipate things like if someone needs runs, they might slog sweep and you can be in position to give leg before. But there are a lot of first-class umpires who’ve never played and when you learn umpiring, you learn the Laws of cricket and playing conditions.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? Hassan: Teamwork. Sometimes you’ve never met your colleague before a match, and you have to build a relationship straight away. Grab a coffee before the game and talk about playing conditions and signals. If you work as a team, you perform well and communicate better with the players. Yvonne: People who play cricket and don’t know the Laws! But also, recruitment. We are very desperate for umpires to ensure the future of the game.

KEY ADVICE Yvonne: There’s a lot of people management. Laws of cricket first, then match management and people management. Don’t take yourself too seriously: the match isn’t about you.

Finally, you don’t lose anything by giving it a go! This is a plea for female umpires.

If you’re a mum watching your kids play and your heart is full of pride, learn to umpire. Hassan: Set yourself realistic goals. For the first two years I didn’t get any Premier League games but through performing well, getting good reports and doing your levels you can progress. You can learn more from umpiring junior cricket too. They make more mistakes and, being kids, ask questions so you improve because you have to explain the Laws.

Use those around you. Every senior umpire can be your mentor. They’ll guide you, and can give you targets.

BECOMING AN UMPIRE Interested in becoming in an umpire but unsure if it’s for you? Sign up for the ECB’s “Umpire Introductory” course.

Stage One – learn the Laws, how to apply them and the art of field craft and match management Stage Two – join a league panel as a neutral umpire, Stage Two builds on your Stage One skills and introduces the concept of working with a colleague. Stages Three & Four – for experienced umpires aiming to stand at the highest levels of recreational cricket.

For more information, visit: www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/ officials

AGE IS NO BARRIER

After feeling left behind by his peers on the pitch, Ollie Thorpe stood in his first match aged just 16 and umpired a 4th XI cup final while still at school.

“The toughest thing about being a young umpire is stamping your authority on the game,” Ollie says. “Some players didn’t like being told the rules by a teenager. You’ve got to be firm but fair.

“I can’t recommend umpiring enough! You get to know so many people. It takes me a while to get around the boundary now because there’s always someone to talk to.”