Category: sport

Is this the best way to spend a Wednesday?

This Wednesday I spent the day with my brother in law Stephen, and nephew Noah at “The Hundred”. I have written about this event in previous blogs. It is a very short form of cricket, where each match takes only a couple of hours – a bit different from the traditional 5 day test match.

There are pros and cons of each form of cricket and I like all of them. I have very happy memories of spending a day at a test match when very little happened all day. To use the modern phrase, it was “mindful”. I ended up in an almost meditative state.

By contrast the men’s match this Wednesday required full attention. The motto of The Hundred Is “every ball counts” and in this match it was very true. The game between the Manchester Originals and Southern Braves swung each way and the other and with the final few balls to go, there were still four possible outcomes. The Braves could have lost their last two wickets and been all out, the Originals could have had the most runs, the Braves could have had the most runs, or it could have been a tie. What a match!

But another reason I like The Hundred is that it is a proper family day out. There are many more children and women than at traditional cricket matches. There is a singer in the breaks, a DJ to get us all worked up, a band of drummers, and even fireworks. We took a picnic and drank beer (non alcoholic for me because I was driving). For various transport reasons we had a dreadful journey home, but I still went to bed with a big smile on my face after an awesome day.

The best news of all is that I get to do it again Saturday week, when I join my brother and family for our annual pilgrimage to see the Invincibles play at the Oval. And even better, my Oval Invincibles shirt will be a bit less out of place than it was on Wednesday.

What has been your best day out this year?

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Five reasons why I love a day at the cricket

I have always been a casual cricket fan. I may watch the highlights on TV of an evening. If there is a big England match, I will keep in touch with the score. Occasionally I will go to one day of a test match, enjoying the slow pace of life, as nothing much happens most of the time. More likely if we are travelling on the narrowboat, I will find a local village match going on, and I will sit on the grass for an hour or two, enjoying the sunshine.

For the past few years my brother has invited me to a day at the Oval cricket ground in London, to see “The Hundred”, a relatively new competition in which each innings lasts just 100 balls, taking about an hour and a half to complete. During the day there is a women’s match and a men’s match, so four innings, lasting from about 2pm to 9.30pm.

It is one of my favourite days of the year. Here are just a few reasons:

* It is a family day. There have been different members of the family each time. This year it was me, my son Martin, my brother Mike and my niece Lucy. We don’t get to see each other much so it is always a fun reunion.

* The Hundred results in excitement. With such a short innings the batters have to take risks all the time, trying to hit fours and sixes and often getting caught. That usually results in matches that could go either way throughout. There is the razzmatazz of fireworks, a DJ and a singer, taking a lead from American football and baseball.

* But it is still cricket. While each team has its own supporters, we all sit together and pretty much everyone gets on. When someone does well they often receive a polite clap rather than whoops and cheers.

* I get to drink beer! We go up to London on the train and it is usually a fairly boozy day, starting in a pub and then moving into the ground. The good news is that I am a somewhat lightweight drinker so slow down in the evening, and wake up the next morning with a relatively clear head.

* My brother makes an awesome picnic. There is plenty enough food for the whole day. This year’s highlights were a ham and cheese bap, made with a strong blue cheese, and homemade sausage rolls, that he cooked freshly just before we left in the morning.

It is just a great day out and I have already requested an invitation for next year. You should try it.

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Howzat?

When I was growing up there were just two forms of cricket. Test matches between international teams took five days. County matches took three days. Then the big innovation – one day cricket with sixty overs a side. It was treated as “not proper cricket” by the old timers but was more fun to watch and to play. That was that for many years, but in 2008 the India Premier League introduced a new format – 20:20 – in which new city based teams, dressed in colourful outfits, played a league of games over a few weeks, with each game being just 20 overs a side, so a game could be played in an evening. Once again there were many cricket pundits who dismissed the new format as childish, but it took off immediately and has become very successful across the world. The short matches encouraged big hitting from the batters and aggressive bowling.

Then three years ago in the UK, a yet shorter format was developed. “The Hundred” has 20 five ball overs a side – just 100 balls.

The Hundred has been successful for both the men’s and women’s games and is popular with families. On Monday I was lucky enough to be invited by my brother to watch the Oval Invincibles play the Trent Rockets in London., alongside my niece and her husband, and one of my sons.

We were lucky with the weather and both games were exciting with the likely winner changing every few balls, as wickets fell, or boundaries were struck. My brother had brought an excellent picnic and more than a few beers were supped over the afternoon and evening. We got the train home feeling very happy.

Is it as good as a five day test match? It is just different. The test match is more relaxed and more strategic, but oh what fun to watch six after six and amazing catches on the boundary.

And for those that care, the Oval Invincibles won, and will be playing in the men’s final on Sunday. I don’t have tickets but will be watching on TV.

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