Sidearm Club 2017

My son is 17 and a good cricketer. Unfortunately much too good for my bowling to be a challenge for him (I think the term he likes is "dibbly-dobbly"!). The sidearm is perfect for training. It replicates slow to medium bowling for a decent club standard, and it's much easier to deliver over after over than actually bowling the ball. We did also buy a sidearm Elite, which is seriously quick. Don't imagine that the elite is better because of its name: it's faster, but much harder to control and can't replicate medium/slow bowling. I'd strongly recommend getting the club first for most cricketers, and then buying the Elite if you want something faster. If you buy the Elite first, you'll almost certainly want to buy the Club anyway. Vendor was great: prompt delivery and well packaged. Excellent experience all round.

The sidearm is cricketing version of the ball throwers for dogs that you will see in any local park. It is designed to give throw downs to batsmen at a faster pace and frequency than can be provided by simple throwing or bowling. I have used this now with my cricketing son since the spring and found it excellent. It's genuinely impressive to see how much extra pace can be found by this extension to your arm. One word of warning is that it does take a little getting used to and the first couple of sessions may be erratic. Several others at the nets have tried it and none have been able to make it work immediately. But after a bit of practice grooving the action (I find the trick is to throw smoothly and not flick it, while stepping forward to put some body weight behind it) it works very well and very consistently. No coincidence these are used in the England camp. Highly recommended.

Good quality product. Easy to use

We have the club version and the pro version. Both are very good and have helped me bowl at my sons with the speed they need and for a much longer time than I could manage bowling normally. It takes a bit of practice to get used to either one, but once you have got into a rhythm you can bowl the ball pretty consistently. The difference between the two types is that the pro version grips the ball tighter than the club version so it take more effort use and therefore the ball comes out at greater speed. For that reason I would definitely only use the pro in a cricket net. The club version is good for less experienced players, because it has a lesser grip on the ball and so you can bowl at a much slower pace ,but still constantly,so that the player can practice playing the same shot repeatedly. I have used the club in the garden but, as with the pro, it is probably best used in a cricket net. Overall a good cricket training product that means a person can bowl consistently without the expense of a bowling machine

Great sidearm, easy to use perfect for practice sessions.

Excellent cost effective alternative to bowling machine & saves the arm. Well constructed. Allows all sorts of variations, lengths lines & speeds though not quite so good for slower balls. Differing sized balls can be an issue as 4 and 3/4 oz balls fit a bit looser so ping out easier than the full sized, but you soon adjust & it keeps the batsman guessing. I got used to it within 10 mins of use to the delight of my budding England player son. Another user cautioned against using it as a ball picking up device however, suggesting they have been known to snap if doing this...no probs here so far though, just avoid the temptation to try & catch a ball with it!

Product as described and works well, although you do need to practice before using. Also, You need to be careful as every so often a delivery will come rocketing out and catch out the batsmen out. Seen a couple of people hit by such deliveries

A really great way to get some good quality training with literally anyone as a training partner. The sidearm itself is designed extremely well, with a very comfortable handle and good quality materials. It does take a few tries to get used to the trajectory and speed of the device. In the beginning expect a few beamers and make sure to always practice with adequate protection. All in all, a great device perfect for the intermediate cricket player and especially useful in the current climate where experienced training partners and good facilities aren't always available.