One of the worst kept secrets in Grades cricket. The square cut of Bon Accord's Mike Brown is his dinna.

A dinna is a cricket shot that although favoured by a batsman (and played at every given opportunity) is regarded by team mates as one that should not, under any circumstances, be played by said batsman, as the ratio of success to failure is, disproportionately, high as is the probability of dismissal.

Etymology

The word dinna is derived from the Doric language and literally means "do not".

Examples of dinnas

Any recognized cricket stroke can be a dinna and most Grades batsmen have at least one. It could be argued that any attacking shot made by a batsman too early in his innings (before he has had time to judge the pace of the wicket) is a dinna, but a true dinna is a stroke that a batsman thinks he can play (at any time) but can't (ever).

Some recognized cricket shots are more likely to become dinnas than others:

• The square cut - many players play this shot instinctively, even with fielders in place to catch.

• The sweep - tends to played more often whilst TV coverage of Test Match cricket from the sub-Continent is on-going.

• The hook - another instinctive shot, incredibly difficult to play on Grades wickets.

• The reverse sweep - a fad shot, played by show-offs, which invariably leads to embarrassing dismissal.