The CLT20 Finale

Wow....
An amazing feeling has be bestowed upon the pride of Lions of Jozi.  Today we will compete in the prestigious Champions League Final at a sold out Wanderers.  Better know as the famous Bullring.  The boys have done themselves proud and have showed off their supreme talent to
the world all over.  

They have portrayed and worn the Lions badge with such humble distinction.  It's definitely no surprise that we find ourselves in this final match.  All the prepartion has be done.  Confidence is at a high and we are chomping at the bit at the moment.   Like caged Lions, raging to be let free into the wild of the hallow turf of a sold out Bullring.

@Craig_gov

The Semi Finals

The season thus far has been a true journey of character and determination by the Highveld Lions cricket team.  With a strong team culture and the desire to win trophies.  Our record so far reads, played  2 Sunfoil Series games, lost one and won one and during this Champions league we have reached the semi finals with 3 group wins and one lose.  Positive cricket is the name of the Lions game.

This CLT20 tournament has been an eye opener to the world of cricket as well as those pundits who gave us no chance when the tournament began.  The boys have played to their potential and have raised many an eyebrow.  Many people from the outside could see our rise to stardom as a bit of a fluke, however with the view I am blessed to possess, its definitely a contrary belief.  

This is not a team of eleven individuals on the field.  We are a "pride", a pride that involves the 15 man squad as well as the 5 management staff, as well as those players that did not make the squad.  The culture and passion that runs through the franchise has been immense this season.  It's amazing to see the team bring back the crowds to the home of cricket, The Bullring, The Wanderers. 

We are currently on our way to Durban to prepare for our semi final match.  Our opponents will only be decided later today.  Over the last 2 days, the team did absolutely nothing, following our 4 games in 8 days.  This has been a blessing, as the boys were able to switch off and enjoy normal proceedings again.  It was a true mental and physical break to rejuvenate for the semi final which is scheduled for Thursday.  We most definitely will be back in full swing when we land in my home town of Durban and the boys will be put through their paces in preparation for another important fixture.

Follow me on twitter @Craig_gov

The Importance of the meniscus in cricketers

 Before the commencement of the 2012/13 season I had the unfortunate task of dealing with 2 knee operations. The anatomical structure injured was the same in both players, that is, the meniscus (the cartilage between the thigh bone and the two shin bones, that helps with shock absorption), however the management was totally different.

The meniscus, are two C shaped cartilage like discs which act as shock absorbs of the knee.  Without these C shaped discs, the large thigh bone called the Femur and the two shin bones called the Tiba and Fibula would articulate (move on) on each other, causes friction and hence a lot of pain and cause bone bruising in the long run.

A meniscus tear commonly occurs when the knee twists, with the foot anchored in the ground.  There are varying degrees of Mensical Tears, ranging from small tears to severe "bucket handle" tears.

The Lions unfortunately saw two of their players undergoing Mensical surgery before the season began.  The recovery time post surgery however varied significantly in both instances.  This ranged from 4 weeks to 4 months respectively.  Many may ask why such a significant difference in time, and the simply reason is that, if a repair to the meniscus is done, that is, stapling or stitching a torn meniscus, the healing time is much greater than shaving off the tear.   The surface area of the meniscus is generally avascular, meaning it has a poor blood supply hence it will take time for a repair to heal.

The ideal surgery to do, is to repair and preserve the shock absorber, however this is also dependent on age.  For a young aspiring athlete and cricketer, the repair should be the only option.  If the meniscus was to be shaved and the height of the meniscus was lost, it predisposes the cricketer to having problems in the long run.  The function of the meniscus would be lost and friction between bones may occur hence causing bone bruising. In the long run, it would not be the best for an extreme loading sport like cricket.