Background: The musculoskeletal demands placed on the lower limb musculature of fast bowlers over time have not received much attention. In particular, measures of muscle recruitment changes have, to the author’s knowledge, not been considered. Objective: The present study, therefore sought to establish any associations between an eight over, simulated fast bowling spell, and muscle activation patterns, power output, perceptual demands, and changes in performance. This will enable improvements in the development of training programmes. Methods: Players’ were required to attend two sessions in total. The purpose of the initial session was to collect specific demographic, anthropometric and physiological data and injury history information from each player. In addition, this first session allowed for habituation with the treadmill, the jump meter and all other equipment involved in experimentation. The second testing session involved electrode attachment sites being identified on player’s dominant leg. The areas were then shaved, wiped with an alcohol swab and left to dry, to ensure good connectivity. Pre- and post- measures of muscle activity and functional strength of the lower limbs were recorded in the Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics. The protocol took place at the Kingswood High Performance Centre, which is in close proximity to the initial testing site. The protocol involved players bowling eight overs (48 balls). During the protocol, accuracy, ball release speed and perceptual measures were recorded at the end of each over. After the protocol, players were driven back to the Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department where post-testing measures were completed. The dependable variables of interest were muscle activation, functional strength of the lower limbs, ‘local’ ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), body discomfort, accuracy, and ball release speed. Results: For all muscles it was shown that, as the speed increased so did the muscle activity in players’ lower limbs. There were no significant changes in muscle activity preversus post-protocol. There was however, a general trend of decreasing muscle activity post protocol at higher testing speeds. There were significant (p<0.05) decreases in peak power following the simulated eight over bowling spell. ‘Local’ RPE displayed a significant (P<0.05) increase with each additional over and were observed to reach the ‘heavy’ category. The players’ highest discomfort area was in the lower back, with 13 players perceiving discomfort in this region following the eight over spell. The shoulder and chest were another two areas player’s indicated discomfort with eight players selecting the dominant shoulder. Seven players complained of the dominant side pectoral muscle, leading foot and dominant latissimus dorsi muscle being uncomfortable. Interestingly, the dominant pectoral showed the highest body discomfort ratings amongst players. There were no significant changes in accuracy between overs although there were large interindividual differences in accuracy points between players. The decrease in ball release speed observed during over seven was shown to be significantly (p<0.05) lower than overs one to four. Conclusion: The power output and perceived strain results of the players, appears to indicate the presence of fatigue in players. However, the results are not conclusive, as the fatigue was not shown in muscle recruitment patterns, as well as the body discomfort ratings. There was a non-significant trend observed in the lower limb muscle activation decreasing at higher speeds. Players were able to maintain accuracy. However, the significantly lower ball release speed observed during over seven showed players performance decreasing.

This study investigates the effects of cumulative concussive and subconcussive mild head injury on the cognitive functioning of professional rugby players. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to 26 professional rugby players and a noncontact sport control group of 21 professional cricket players. The test performances of the rugby players were compared to those of the cricket players. Within the rugby group, forward and backline players were compared. An analysis of mean score differences between the rugby and cricket group failed to support the presence of brain damage effects in the rugby group. However, there was significantly increased variability of scores for the rugby players compared with the cricket players on tests particularly sensitive to cognitive deficit associated with mild head injury. This invalidates the null indications of average effects, indicating that a notable proportion of rugby players’ performances were falling off relative to the rest of the rugby players on tests vulnerable to the cognitive effects of diffuse brain damage. Mean score comparisons within the rugby group indicated that it was the subgroup of forward players, in particular, whose test performances revealed deficits suggestive of cerebral damage. Specifically, deficits were found in working memory, visuoperceptual tracking, verbal memory and visual memory, a pattern of deficits commensurate with cumulative mild head injury. The theoretical perspectives of Satz’s (1997) Brain Reserve Capacity Theory and Jordan’s (1997) ‘Shuttle’ model of variability are drawn upon in order to elucidate research findings and suggestions for future research are provided.

Thesis (M Sport Sc (Sport Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and nature of injuries sustained by South African schoolboy cricketers. The results will then be used to set possible preventative measures in order to minimize the incidence of first-time and recurrent injuries. METHODS: The population consisted of 196 cricketers representing all 16 provincial teams in the under 19 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola cricket week played in Pretoria from 16 - 20 December 2004. Data were collected retrospectively and the cricket players were asked to recall all injuries from June 2003 to May 2004. The researcher personally guided each cricketer through a questionnaire regarding training and injury. The questionnaire was designed to obtain the following information: i) anatomical site of injury, ii) month of injury, iii) diagnosis of injury, iv) cause of injury, v) whether it was a recurrence of a previous injury and vi) whether the injury recurred during the season. A questionnaire was handed to each of the coaches who then asked if they could complete the questionnaire in their own time. The questionnaire was designed to see the level of coaching qualifications achieved by them and their level of understanding of basic training principles. RESULTS: The results showed that 67 injuries were sustained by 196 cricketers with a seasonal incidence of 34.2. Almost 72% of injuries occurred during matches, 14.9% occurred gradually due to the repetitive stresses sustained during matches and practices, 11.9% occurred during practice and 1.5% of the injuries occurred during other forms of training. Surprisingly, no injuries were sustained to the head, neck and face region while 34.3% were sustained to the upper limbs; 34.3% to the lower limbs and 31.3% to the back and trunk. Bowling accounted for 50.7% of the injuries, while fielding accounted for 32.8%, batting accounted for 14.9% and the remaining 1.5% occurred while warming-up or training. The primary mechanism of injury was the delivery and follow through of the fast bowler (34.3%), direct impact from the cricket ball when attempting to take a catch (10.4%), running after the ball (6.0%), stopping the ball along the ground (6.0%) and landing incorrectly after diving for the ball (6.0%). Fifty eight of the injuries were reported as being first time injuries while only nine injuries were due to the recurrence of a previous injury. The majority of injuries (40.6%) reported were quite severe and took the cricketers more than 21 days to recover. Thirty six percent of injuries allowed the cricketers to return to play within seven days of acquiring the injury. Cricketers were found to be more prone to injury during December and January. CONCLUSION: Potential risk factors for injury have been identified and it has been suggested that coaches and cricketers partake in continuous educational processes that focus on all the physical, training, mental and technical components necessary for success in cricket. Cricketers should undergo regular musculoskeletal evaluations and be given personalized training programs. It is essential that a National database for junior cricketers be implemented.