Village Cricket

What is there to like about cricket? What a good question. I grew up in the countryside. Village life was good. Nothing signified the village lifestyle more to me than the cricket matches played on those warm summer weekends, on the local village green. Warm applause when the ball passed the boundry. A well bowled wicket resounding in equal crowd appreciation. Everything was good-natured. The drink would flow from the club house with never a bad feeling between those who took part in its consumption. I compare these memories to those of the local football teams. They would be fighting and swearing on a Sunday morning. I often wondered why the referees turned up to enable these spectacles. Fights often broke out between rival clubs. A far cry from a gentlemanly handshake between rival teams, one victor, one not, that took place many times over on our village green.

The game of cricket appears slow and harmless. However I dare anyone to bat in front of a competent fast bowler and not be a little worried, as the ball speeds towards them at many, many miles per hour. All those pads have a purpose alright. Many a tooth has been chipped, and mid section badly bruised. Funnily enough none of the players seem to feel the need to spend many minutes on the floor rolling around to try and get their opponent into trouble. A ball to the hip is more painful than a trip on wet grass I can assure you.

The quick reactions of the wicket keepers, the slips, the accuracy of the fielders throwing the ball to stumps and the wicked spin as the ball is bowled towards the batsman, are all difficult skills to hone. Those who do not appreciate the levels of skill involved clearly have not played the game. The skills are subtle, yet take a lot of practice and conditioning to hone. The fact that running is only a small part of the game does not make it any less difficult to play well.

How I wish I was still living back home in that village. Games are still played there, and when visiting my parents, (something I probably do not do enough), I enjoy sitting on the green, watching the match. The local pub sits opposite the green, and its beer is fantastic. I have never had the benefit of enjoying anything as relaxing as watching a game so high in skill, and competitive in nature, played by such sporting people.