Reporter Will Oliphant tries out as a bowler with England ace Graham Onions

Jul 29 2009 by William Oliphant, Birmingham Mail

WILL OLIPHANT is put through his paces by England star Graham Onions.

I WOULD be the first to admit I’m a philistine when it comes to cricket.

If someone told me they were out for a duck I would be looking around for something aquatic with a bill. And if they shouted howzat, I would reply “zat’s just lovely”.

So I was more than a bit daunted when I had the chance to take a quick bowling lesson from England medium-fast bowler Graham Onions at the Vodafone Street Sixes tournament.

Luckily, the crowd watching me make a fool of myself in Birmingham’s Centenary Square yesterday was slightly smaller than the thousands who will roar on Onions and his team-mates at Edgbaston over the next few days.

The England and Durham ace showed me how to correctly hold the ball, repeatedly told me to keep my run up straight and valiantly tried to make me listen to sense when it came to aiming at the wickets with my left arm.

But it was to no avail.

After a few goes it was obvious I was never going to make it as a bowler, fast or medium.

But Graham told me there was at least one ray of hope.

“You might be able to make it as a spin bowler – maybe, I’m not sure,” he said.

“But you should probably stick to the reporting.”

Despite nursing a slight finger injury picked up during practice – which Graham assured me would be fine for the start of the Test – he managed to quite casually bowl a 61mph ball.

My best was a measly 33mph which narrowly missed a spectator’s head.

In between signing autographs, Graham gave also gave his predictions for the next match.

“The team at the moment are doing great things both on the field and off, so if we perform well tomorrow, I’m sure we can win it,” he said.