CricNotes: Helping cricketers get better

“The great players never feel like they’re on top of their game. You hear stories about the really good players who are fanatical about going away and working on a particular skill at which they don’t feel efficient”

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Cricket is unique in that it is a team sport made up of individual, and quantifiable, contributions. If a batter hasn’t performed to their usual ability, the scorecard often makes that clear.

That is why self-improvement is so vital, because there is nowhere to hide if a player is not contributing.

However, especially at the amateur level, knowing what needs to be fixed, and then putting it into practise, is much harder than it seems. But with CricNotes, cricketers now have a way to make meaningful improvement achievable.

“CricNotes is a simple journal with a system to help players train deliberately,” founder Martin Welford tells The Cricketer.

“I’ve got two cricket-mad boys and I was a junior coach for while,” Welford explains, “but you turn up at practice, teach them something and then the next week you’re teaching them the same thing again.

“It encourages players to focus on three skills and then every time you train or play you’re thinking about how you did on that skill. The classic in batting is ‘am I getting my front foot forward enough', or when fielding, for younger cricketers especially, ‘am I walking in every time?’”

Pages in the journal allow users to write what skills they want to focus on, then using scores and comments, they can see how they performed that skill in training and matches.

“The aim is to build habits. You are improving and thinking ‘why did I do it well?’ But also ‘why did I not do it well?’ I think both questions are equally important because people often think of what went wrong and try to fix it instead of thinking of when things went right so you can do it again.”

This is not a product just for juniors, seniors can enjoy the same benefits but it is important to note that players need to commit to the cause. They need to rationally consider their performances in training and matches and be pragmatic to focus on both the good parts of their game and those that need improving.

The journal includes regular reviews, where players can reflect on the past five sessions to consider whether they have generated the habit, or need extra work. The beauty of sport is that no player should ever feel that they are the finished product.

“I think the great players never feel like they’re on top of their game. You hear stories about the really good players at the moment who are fanatical about going away and working on a particular skill at which they don’t feel efficient.”

A key element of the CricNotes journal is that it encourages accountability. All too often, a batter will trudge off and blame the pitch, or a poor umpiring decision, for their dismissal. While cricket certainly wouldn’t be the same without batsmen feeling like they have been treated unjustly, once the dust settles and the pads are off, batters will look through their journal and know that a previous weakness –  not keeping their hands close to the body for example – may have been the reason for their downfall.

The journal itself looks smart. The hardback book is customisable to club colours and crests can be included on the cover if a minimum order number is reached. 

“The idea is that you can chuck it in your kit bag and it’s going to look as good in six months’ time as it did when you first bought it,” Welford continues. 

There is also scope for sponsor presence and with a UK distributor, shipping on these shores is quick and simple. So too is buying a journal in Australia and New Zealand.

Cricket is a game that seems simple on the surface but scratch away slightly and it is deeply technical. Hitting a ball with control and power, or bowling consistently where you want it to go requires significant practice and understanding of what you are trying to achieve. This can seem daunting, but CricNotes helps to break down the issues and make them achievable.

It can also serve as a nostalgic piece of memorabilia, those who have used them for several years can see how a minor tweak in their technique coincided with scoring a first hundred – users are encouraged to include links to scorecards in the book – or taking a first five-for.

As cricket’s comeback summer continues, self-evaluation is key for players wanting to reach their maximum potential, and CricNotes will help them get there.

To buy, and for more information, visit www.cricnotes.co/uk