"Sledging" and Youth Cricket

[Captain Cricket]

Hot Topic in East Devon at the moment. Not going to give you any of the background to the motivation for posting the thread: just want to know what you think is acceptable banter out in the middle, and what crosses the line, for various ages. Will be interested to see how our kids' opinions compare with others...

To answer your question, I think that teenagers are old enough to handle sledging during and after the age of 15. My cricket club never finds the need to sledge unnecessarily or "start" the argument, but most slanging matches start when we are fielding and other teams respond to our talk i.e. after a good delivery we would say "Superb bowling, batsman had no bloody idea" and the batsman would then mouth off at this. Not very common but still happens and the sensitive ones are who respond the most.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I used to sledge hard. Sometimes witty and sometimes plain aggressive vulgarity. I look back now and Im embarrassed for myself and for my teammates that had to play with me.

As a Junior fast bowler I felt it was part of the personna and unless I sledged hard I wasnt trying. Now I realise I was just a clown.

Sledging is ok if there is a purpose to it, ie to try and break concentration or amuse the fielding team. But still only in small doses and nothing outright aggressive.

I used to do all sorts of things like threaten to **** guys up in the car park afterwards and try and get them pissing their pants. At the end of the day you only make yourself look bad and is a few extra wickets worth sacrificing your integrity? As Ive got older the obvious answer is No!

Now, as I umpire I stamp out on sledging early. Ill let a comment go maybe once but by the 2nd or 3rd Ill tell the fielder or bowler that it is unacceptable and that they are acting in a manner that shows them up.

I guess poacher turned gamekeeper. Sledging never affected me as a player basically because 95% of it is rubbish and pointless. Get that element out of the game IMO.

I like to read the newspaper before we play and see if a player from the other team is mentioned. Maybe you can come up with something to have a quiet word to them about during the day. I'm not a big sledger though, I like to have fun when fielding and if something amusing comes up then I'm happy to join in and say a few words.

I am proud of a sledge against a guy down here when I was lucky enough to get him out after reading in the the paper that he had left the Dolphins to play with his mates. After getting him out I said "You wanted to come and play with your mates, now you can ****ing sit with them!" I was glad I didn't mess up my lines.

I've also annoyed the **** out of a batsman by telling him how poor I thought he was after he'd scored 100 I look back on that day with fond memories.

As for juniors...I'm not quite sure what they'd possess the supreme intelligence and quick wittedness needed to pull off the master sledge

 

[bond21]

the batsmen cannot win in a sledging match.

1. its 11 vs 2

2. If the batsman takes any notice of it, or replies he has just lost his concentration.

 

[vic_orthdox]

the batsmen cannot win in a sledging match.

1. its 11 vs 2

2. If the batsman takes any notice of it, or replies he has just lost his concentration.

Nah, seen plenty of times when it can. Some guys feed off that sort of stuff, you don't sledge them.

 

[Matteh]

Only time i've had a sledge was when i was on a hattrick ball, so felt i had every right to do it. Basically kept the guy waiting for ages at the crease, then he stepped away and asked if i was going to bowl, told him i was waiting for him and had him riled straight off. The guy did edge the hattrick ball, but it found a way through the slips annoyingly.

 

[bond21]

the whole concept of sledging is to get the batsman thinking of something else.

if he replies, he is obviously distracted.

 

[Unspinable]

Being thirteen and have played rep cricket and also this season state soccer i have found that it really depends on the coach!
really doesnt bother me though

 

[jonny1408]

D) Come on, give me a catch, right here, right into my hands

Maybe, since it's directed at the batsman, unlike the other three. But about as mild as you can get.

You seriously class that as sledging?

I play u17 and find there is nothing wrong with sledging, i have played since u11s and have never seen anything wrong with it. I've never encountered anything abusive or out of order its just usually things like "Fasten your seat belts, this one can't drive" or when someone has clearly edged it and not walked, "Wait a minute boys, im just picking the wood out of the ball"

I don't think there is anything wrong with it as long as its about cricket like saying about their technique like its all edges.

Sledging makes the game more interesting and strengthens character.

 

[Jakester1288]

"Stumps are hungry, give 'em a cherry" is one of ours. I don't mind sledging at all. I do it...........quite a bit.

 

[RippingLegbreak]

As a leg spinner, sledging is part of the craft after bowling a great leg break which the batsmen misses i tell the batsmen "c mon man stop making me look like warne" or i tease him by saying c mon u shud of hit that for 6 and 4, Sledging shudent make fun of a cricketers appearance or skin colour rather it shud be used to critisice his cricketing ability or to get him frustrated, As a leg spinner i want batsmen frustrated as it often leads to a false stroke or a stumping.

 

[Kweek]

mate one word of advice...make your post readable...because at the moment I just skip over it because I can't be botherd to figure it out.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I always find it a bit surprising when a batsman sledges without any provocation from the fielding team. I've had one guy saying stuff to me as I ran in, although he was as smart as a bucket. I guess some people do it to try and get themselves fired up. I also find it weird when the opposition sledge numbers 10 and 11 when they're out batting apparently unaware that they'll be bowling to them in around 10 minutes time, they'll probably have the ****s, and if they're any good then your batsmen will probably pay for it.

 

[andmark]

I once got a wicket because my wicket keeper was sledging. He told the batsman to run up the pitch. He missed an attempted slog (after running up the crease) and the ball hit his wickets.

 

[Matteh]

Got a 50+ plus guy who whenever it's a tight game and a bowler's only given away about 2 runs in a late over will just say 'they need to up the rate lads, on your toes'. Batsman always always does something stupid the next ball.