A big part of the reason the team I play for is near the top of the league is our team spirit.

Last Saturday was a grudge match against our local rivals, a good team just relegated from the division above. Several of our senior players were missing including the captain, vice captain and main bowler (who was next in line for the captaincy). Due to another player falling ill just before play we had to go in with 10 men.

That's shameful at our level, even worse for a team challenging for the league title.

In our weakened state we decided on a last minute captain, lost the toss, were inserted and rolled over for less than 150. I then dropped their star batsman on nought. He went on to a match winning innings as they beat us by 7 wickets: A terrible day for us.

What amazed me was the team spirit throughout the game. We still felt in the game right up until defeat was inevitable. We bowled well, our tail wagged brilliantly and we didn't give up. Everyone considered the defeat a blip we will be back from next week.

Below are the 6 things I have noticed about our team this season that has taken us to the top, and given us fight, even when everything seems to have gone wrong.

In short, why I think we will be back to winning ways next week:

• Take personal responsibility. Just like your cover drive, attitudes of team unity take practice. That means each player taking responsibility for his attitude on and off the field. You must consider yourself a leader even if you are not captain. Show a never-say-die attitude, use positive body language, motivate others and be unwavering in your confidence. In short: be a team of captains.
• Pull together. The best teams all know what their goals are so they can all pull together the same way. Imagine a tug-o-war team all doing their own thing! Cricket teams need to be just as efficient. This efficiency comes about through agreed goals at the start of the season and a captain who the team trusts to lead them in those goals even under the fast moving pressure of a game.
• Know your role, know everyone else's. Everyone in the team needs a crystal clear idea of their own job so they can concentrate on it fully (pinch hit, take wickets, stem the flow of runs, etc). On top of this, everyone needs to be clear of others role in the team so you all know all bases are covered.
• Unite against a common enemy. Nothing brings people together quicker than a common enemy. Show the opposition how united you are with tricks like running on the field together, doing impressive fielding drills, having a huddle and making them doubt themselves through well placed comments.
• Keep standards up. Standards of dress, appearance and practice vary widely but everyone needs to know what they are in your team. Ideally they will be agreed and written down in an obvious place. People who don't meet them quickly realise they are letting down the team unit.
• Balance out personalities. Some people are natural players in it for the fun, others have to practice hard to keep up standards so can be more focused and serious. Everyone, especially the captain and senior players should know what type of players are in your squad and how much they can put up with of discipline or creativity. To force too much of one on the wrong player will cause them to get fed up and eat away at team spirit.

Good team spirit builds up the confidence of individuals. Even when you are playing badly, the team can pull you through it with the right words. Knowing someone is backing you all the way is a powerful way to improve your own performance and the results of your team.

Photo credit: zunami

Cricket is very time consuming, so who has time to be the next Jamie Oliver?

I know I don't, but I also want to be able to eat in a healthy way while getting in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible. That's why I place high importance on having the right tools at hand to help me out.

Here is what I consider essential.

1. Knives

A really good knife is a joy to use and makes chopping anything easy. This saves time and frustration. Yo do have to pay a bit more for the chef style knives with the curve in them, but once you have one or two you will wonder what you did without them (even if you have no pretentions as a chef).

2. Spoons

The multipurpose sets of spoons you can buy from any hardware or kitchenware shop are so ubiquitous they are often overlooked. If you do any cooking at all (and if you are eating healthy you should be) then having large spoons for stirring, a ladle for soup and a spatula for flipping are critical to efficiency.

3. Pans

Stainless steel pans are an essential and usually cheap to buy. If you have the budget to go up market then high quality pans heat food more quickly and stick less, saving you time.

4. Blender

Blenders are great for making shakes and smoothies. If you do it right you are looking at at fast and healthy snack or even meal replacement.

There are loads of blenders out there but for sheer reliability, versatility and power the Magic Bullet beats everything hands down in its price range. You can go up scale and buy an industrial strength blender instead but you are talking hundreds.

5. Food processor

You could chop your own vegetables and get pretty fast at it. Even the best can't beat the speed of a food processor. You can chop all your veggies, bag them up and put them in the fridge so you can save time cooking in the week.

6. George Foreman Grill

If you need something cooking fast, the George Foreman is indispensable. I use mine so much I wore the first one out in about 6 months. You can grill loads of food in 10-15 minutes. Perfect if you are in a rush on weekday mornings. I honestly don't know what I did without it.

7. Measuring spoons and scale

Healthy eating does require you to measure out how much you eat somewhat. Nobody wants to be counting every last calorie but it's easy to over or under eat if you estimate. Using measuring spoons and a scale makes sure you are not sneaking in calories if you are watching your weight (or not getting enough if you are trying to add some lean muscle).

8. Steamer

Steaming keeps more of the nutrients in fresh vegetables that using the microwave or boiling. Plus the taste is better in my book. Steaming is one area I take a little longer on when cooking, purely for the extra nutrients I know it gives me.

9. Wok

Woks are not just for Chinese food. They are larger than pans so you can cook bigger batches and store for later. I cook chilli in mine and have been known to make big omelettes if I'm feeling particularly hungry.

All that may seem a lot for someone not 'into' cooking. But for me the pleasure is not the cooking itself, it's the knowledge I'm eating healthy without spending half my life in the kitchen. That's worth the outlay.

What's in your cricket kitchen?

Photo credit: deadlydesigns.com