The Cricketeer

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch, innocently reading my book when all of a sudden Ciarin busts in.

Hey bro! You know how to play cricket?
Hmmm.... I saw it on tv once. I can play baseball...?
It's pretty much the same thing come play with us!

So 5 minutes later I found myself sitting in a car, on the way to the cricket pitch (their word for "field"). After a whirlwind explanation of wickets, sticks, stumps (all the same thing), bowling, overs, dismissals, fifers, and a whole host of other terms I don't remember, I was standing in the field with a beer in one hand and a cricket ball in the other. This was a "social" league. And they put the emphasis on "social."

I tried pitching, or "bowling." I'd seen it a few times on TV and figured it was basically pitching but with a running start, and I was half correct. Apparently you're supposed to keep your arm completely straight; you can't break at the elbow like when throwing a baseball. For somebody who has thrown the same way their whole life, this presents a challenge.

But the rest of the game is indeed very similar to baseball. Fielding and catching without a glove is a challenge, and kinda hurts. And you can't wing the ball at a teammate because you might break their hand. But when batting, you can hit a ball and if it doesn't go far enough for your liking, you can choose not to run - that's a funky concept.

We got crushed, 48-28, but it was good times. Who knows? I may even try rugby at some point; it'll probably have to be touch rugby though if I want to keep all my bones intact.