STEPHEN Forster was never much good at cricket. He played infrequently for Merrion's 6th XI, but only because they didn't have a 7th and 8ths back in the mid 1980s. Stephen's an old drinking pal of mine, and from his perspective at the bottom of the LCU heap he used enthuse about this young family of players whose names were starting to creep into the scorebooks at Anglesea Road.
The Joyces, for it was they, were a large family whose father Jim was a decent junior player with Merrion. But Forster was more taken with the three oldest boys, John, Gus and Damien, who were in their early teens and already hitting the ball all around the ground for their teams. "But the best of them all is the little fella", gurgled Forster, in his charming Enniskillen accent, "he's only seven and he bats like David Gower". Oh how we chuckled at Forster's innocence. Stephen Forster is still not much good at cricket, but we listen to his opinion now.
Not
that he's ever again likely to spot someone of the talent of Ed Joyce. The seven-year-old
who Forster likened to Gower has grown into a 24-year-old who Bob Woolmer likens
to Gower. Others have mentioned Graeme Pollock.
Since
the late summer of 1997, and initially on the recommendation of then Ireland
coach Mike Hendrick, Ed has travelled to north London to play for Middlesex.
He had a couple of games on the 2nd XI that summer and although he didn't go
back in 1998 because of his first year exams and playing commitments at Trinity,
followed by injury, when he returned in 1999 he got a run on the 2nds and scored
150 against a Lancashire side that included recent Test bowler Mike Watkinson.
He made his full county debut at Worcester in the last game of that summer,
scoring nine in his only innings.
With Ireland's participation in the ICC Trophy - he finished top batsman in the whole tournament - he only arrived at Middlesex in time to play in a couple of 2nd XI games and the last three championship matches of the season.
In his first innings, against Warwickshire at Lord's, he made his maiden century, and notched another at Worcester in the last game of the season. He has started this season in similar fashion, scoring 119 against Nottinghamshire on Wednesday in an innings described in the UK media as "dashing", "glorious" and "delightful".
In between this busy schedule, Ed found time to talk to CricketIreland about the life of the professional cricketer, and how he got there.
CricketIreland: How have things been gearing up for the new season at Lord's?
Ed Joyce: Everyone is very excited about the upcoming season. For once, Middlesex have a side that can compete seriously for honours. The new signings we've made in the closed season seem to be good ones if the pre-season games are anything to go by and our new overseas player, Abdur Razzaq should be a big hit hopefully. There is definitely a buzz about the place though.
How was the pre-season training structured?
It mainly involved the whole being at our Finchley training base from 9 to 4 every day from the start of March. We alternated between weights, nets and cardio work. The new fitness trainers that have been brought in have done a brilliant job so far. We've had precise training schedules prepared by them which everyone has had to stick by.
Do you have outside specialist coaches brought in?
For fitness, we've had three outside coaches brought in to prepare and oversee training plans. Apart from them, the two main cricket coaches, John Emburey and Jason Pooley have done all of the cricket-related stuff.
Has Angus Fraser's imminent retirement been destabilising?
It was a bit of shock initially when he announced it to us on our pre-season trip to Jersey, but it could turn out to be a good thing in the long run. We'll have a new young captain in Andy Strauss and we have lots of young seamers that can hopefully fill his size 13 boots. He will obviously be a loss in the short run cos it's hard to replace 50 wickets a season but hopefully it won't be too destabilising. The fact that our overseas player is also a seamer will hopefully reduce the effects of Angus's departure.
Angus is a magnificent professional. He works his socks off and is a brilliant role model for everyone else at the club. He's also a great bloke who'll be missed tremendously by everyone in the changing room for his dry wit and constant moaning!
Has he been particularly helpful to you?
As I said before, he's a model professional and I've just tried to copy the way he practices and the effort he puts into everything he does on the cricket field.
Have you been given a specific target for the season?
We basically want promotion from Division Two of both of the competitions and anything after that will be a bonus. Personally, I would like to establish myself in the first team and hopefully get 1,000 runs in the season. If I could get a little bowl as well, it would be nice - seeing as I took my first first-class wicket against Cambridge last week!
Who are your mates at the club?
There are no cliques at Middlesex, which is a great thing about the club. Everyone on the staff gets along and anyone that comes into the squad always receives a warm welcome.
I nearly always room with Chad Keegan so he's probably my best mate in the side but I get along with him most probably cos I'm always up for a drink or three!
Do you get much down time - and what do you do with it?
Most of my spare time is spent resting. Despite what some people think, four or five days of cricket in a row can be extremely draining so I spend any days off relaxing. I go to the cinema a lot, eat out a bit, travel with my girlfriend if we get a few days off in a row. Sometimes I meet up with (former Trinity batsman) Paddy Coni for a few. They're usually the best nights.
What is it like playing at Lord's; does it mean anything more than just your home ground?
Every time I play a day of cricket there, I feel incredibly lucky. I
absolutely love it!
I know you've only be at the club for short bursts, but have you ever got the sense of day-in-day-out drudgery that many pros complain of?
Not really. I haven't played that much but if ever get a bit tired or bored, I just think about what I would be doing if I wasn't playing cricket and that livens me up straight away.
What do you get up to in the dressing room if there's a long rain break?
Some of the lads play cards but I always lose so I don't partake any more in the card school! Some people read. Some do crosswords, others sleep. If there is a long delay, we usually go indoors for a bit of practice. Personally, I just like to read the newspaper and listen to Nashy and Tuffers' jokes.
How
much netting is done during the summer?
On average, we play about four days a week in the summer and train once. We net before every match at the ground and then before every day's play so we do a good bit but probably not enough. There is a slight imbalance in the amount of cricket played and the amount of netting we do.
Do you get detailed work on technique and problem solving?
The coaches come equipped with video cameras at every game these days and both John and Jason are pretty good at spotting technical flaws. Something that we did this year in Jersey was practice specific match positions out in the middle in competitive situations. This was pretty useful.
Who has been most helpful to you at this?
Jason Pooley, being a left hander and the main batting coach, has been very useful especially on the one-day cricket side of things. I spent the winter in Perth and worked there with an excellent coach, Wayne Andrews, who proved extremely useful for me. I think my game has definitely improved under their guidance.
What has disillusioned you most about the county game?
I'm not really disillusioned with the county game. I love playing cricket and though there are things wrong with the structure over here, I'm happy playing cricket at the moment. One thing I do hate is former county cricketers bagging the county game after they've finished playing.
Which young players have impressed you most around the circuit?
Ian Bell is a serious talent from Warwickshire and Andy Strauss from Middlesex will receive an England call up in the near future.
First-class record for Middlesex (up to 26 April 2002)
M I NO HS Runs Ave 100 50
1999 1 1 0 9 9 9.00 - -
2000 6 8 1 51 195 26.42 - 1
2001 3 6 1 108* 234 46.80 2 -
2002 3 3 0 119 138 46.00 1 -
Total 13 18 2 119 576 36.00 3 1
Bowling: 9-1-33-1-33.00 (Best: 1-20)
Fielding: 16 catches
2nd XI record for Middlesex
M I NO HS Runs Ave 100 50
1997 1 2 1 23 34 34.00 -
1999 6 9 1 150 381 47.62 1
2000 3 4 1 128* 273 91.00 1
2001 2 3 1 13 21 10.50 -
Total 12 18 4 150 709 50.64 2
Bowling: 15-3-51-1-51.00 (Best: 1-10)
Record for Ireland
M I NO HS Runs Ave 100 50
1997 7 8 0 68 272 34.00 - 3
1998 17 18 1 73 275 16.17 - 1
1999 7 7 2 39* 163 32.60 - -
2000 5 5 0 59 169 33.80 - 2
2001 9 8 3 87 360 72.00 - 4
Total 44 46 6 87 1249 31.72 - 10
Bowling: 67.4-2-359-7-51.28 (Best: 2-27)
Fielding: 17 catches
Leinster senior record (Merrion 1995-2000, Trinity 1998-2001)
M I NO HS Runs Ave 100 50
Merrion 65 62 7 103* 1,497 27.22 1 6
Trinity 20 20 3 111* 721 42.21 1 6
Total 85 82 10 111* 2,218 30.80 2 12
Leinster senior record for Trinity
M I NO HS Runs Ave 100 50
1998 5 5 0 80 160 32.00 - 1
1999 4 4 0 83 201 50.25 - 3
2000 5 5 2 77* 153 51.00 - 1
2001 6 6 1 111* 207 41.40 1 1
Total 20 20 3 111* 721 42.41 1 6
Bowling: 70.3-9-272-8-34.00 (Best: 4-51)
Fielding: 7 catches