A word of warning; this blog post is not about wargaming, it is about watching cricket.
For most of my life, I’ve never been much of a spectator of sport, although I did watch the 1966 World Cup Final … but not until 1991! (1) I enjoyed playing sport at at school and in my twenties, especially rugby, basketball, volleyball, and cricket, but with the exception of cricket, I rarely watch any sport.
Luckily, My wife – Sue – also played cricket at school and enjoys watching it as well. (When we got married in 1982, Sue nearly had to have her arm in a sling as she had sprained her wrist playing short cricket against the pupils of the school she taught at.)
For us, watching a Test Match on TV with the sound turned down and the BBC Test Match Special (TMS) radio commentary turned up is our idea of spectating heaven. Unfortunately, now that Test Matches are only shown live on Sky Sports, we have to rely on TMS for live coverage, along with the daily edited highlights at 7.00pm each match day evening.
We also used to enjoy watching the Indian Premier League (IPL), but when it moved over to Sky Sports (2), we had to give up watching matches. As a result, most of the cricket matches that we now watch are either from the T20 competitions or The Hundred (3). Currently, we are watching The Hundred competition, …
… and have been supporting our local (i.e. South London) side, the Oval Invincibles.
The competition ends this weekend … and it is likely that this will mark the end of our regular cricket spectating for 2022.
(1) The reason why I didn’t see the 1966 World Cup Final live was down to my sister having her fourth birthday party on the same day as the match. My mother insisted that my father, brother, and I were there … and we did as we were told … or at least I thought so until recently, when I discovered that my brother had sneaked next door to watch the match! It was not until the twenty-fifth anniversary that I saw a recording of the full match.
(2) For a time we did subscribe to Sky Sports to watch Test Matches and the IPL, but in the end we found the cost prohibitive as they kept changing the channel they were showing matches on, and we had to subscribe to them all in order to see the matches we wanted to see.
(3) The Hundred is a one-hundred-ball limited overs cricket format, played by two teams, with each team playing a single innings made up of one-hundred balls. In general, games last between two and two and a half hours.
The format of the game is:
- One-hundred balls/twenty sets per innings
- A change of ends takes place after ten balls (i.e., after two sets)
- Bowlers deliver either five or ten consecutive balls (i.e., one or two sets)
- Each bowler can deliver a maximum of twenty balls/four sets per game
- Each bowling side gets a strategic time-out of up to two and a half minutes
- There is a twenty-five ball/five set powerplay for each team at the start of their innings
- Two fielders are allowed outside the initial thirty-yard circle during the powerplay
- The non-striker must return to their original end after a caught dismissal
- No-balls are worth two runs and a free hit
- Slow play is penalised by the fielding side having one fewer fielders being outside the thirty-yard ring for the final set
If only wargame rules could be so brief and simple ... even if the Laws of Cricket are not!
Yet more evidence of how different we all are...I can't stand cricket but do like Sumo, the bi monthly tournaments are available on NDTV and American football, new season due to start shortly. Each to his own, just like our common hobby in its many different formats. Enjoy the 100. Regards.
ReplyDeleteTony Adams,
DeleteCricket is a bit like Marmite; you either love it or hate it.
I used to enjoy watching the Sumo but American football leaves me cold. As you write, each to his own.
All the best,
Bob
Bob: If you, quite rightly IMHO, found silent, televised, live test cricket plus TMS 'spectating heaven', I'm a bit surprised that you go for the perverted cobblers otherwise known as T20 & the 100 (LOL). As for a certain TV co. stealing the national sport thanks to a certain chippie, Aussie megalomaniac, I'll reserve my comments which would not be fit to publish on a civilized blog. Thank gawd for the beautiful game: so often culturally ugly, corrupt & exploitative as hell but still - essentially - as Alf Garnett said 'working class ballet'. So there.
DeleteAll the best, B
Buzhna,
DeleteI think that the TV sound turned off/TMS combination is espoused by quite a few cricket fans. That way you get the best of both worlds.
I think that the limited overs formats have shown that cricket isn’t a slow, boring game, and in my opinion have been responsible for an overall improvement in the skill levels of players at all levels. They might not be pure forms of the game, but they have certainly widened the game’s appeal.
We used to have cable TV service by Virgin Media, but when we gave up paying through the nose for a service that was not very good and moved over to Freeview we lost our ability to connect to SkyTV … and it was one of the best decisions we had made in quite some time.
All the best,
Bob
Cricket, the most boring game in the world! I actually do not mind American Football. Sumo not so much…
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
DeleteEach to his own. I find American football as boring as you probably find cricket … and a game of American football seems to last almost as long as a game of cricket!
All the best,
Bob
I'm not a fan of sports at all, perhaps because I was so bad at playing as a young feller, (possibly to do with being slow, short, with lousy coordination and little 3d vision) however, after having to play on my Squadron's Football (Canadian football) team at military college, I appreciated it enough that I would occasionally watch some or maybe even all of a game of tv. Haven't done so in a decade or more though.
ReplyDeleteI supposed its an example of appreciating what we know and understand.
Ross Mac,
DeleteI must admit that I’d never heard of Canadian Football before reading your comment, so I Googled it … and I’ve learned something new today!
My eye-foot coordination is very poor, which is why I hated playing soccer. With my build, rugby was a more obvious sport to play, but cricket is my favourite sport. I loved it so much that when I was 16, I even volunteered to paint the school’s sight screens in my spare time.
All the best,
Bob
Is the One Hundred the cricketing equivalent of the 3x3 Portable Wargame? 😉
ReplyDeleteI’m a late convert to cricket. Football was my game to watch (still do, mostly in person, hardly ever on TV). My son keeps threatening to take me to the Oval when he’s down in London, but he forgets and ends up with a full schedule of meet-ups with his old school mates. Often at the Oval ironically.
Chris/Nundanket
Anonymous (Chris/Nundanket),
DeleteI suppose that it is!
I used to work part time for a Premiership (formerly First Division) football club as part of the match day security team, and watched matches whenever I could, but when Sky got involved and large amounts of money began to change hands within the game, I gave up. The whole set up was corrupt … and I doubt if things have changed since I left,
I hope that you make it to the Oval to watch a match one day.
All the best,
Bob
Bob - yes, we used to love the IPL too. I say “used to” because, as you suggested, once it moved onto Sky then we could no longer afford/enjoy it. Thanks Sky… 🙃
ReplyDeleteHowever, on a more positive note, my wife and I still talk about Chris Gayle’s absolutely impressive 175 not out, from 66 balls 👏👏👏 A masterclass and, if ever we see a batsman scoring lots of runs very quickly, we invariably compare them to Chris.
Cheers,
Geoff
Elliesdad (Geoff),
DeleteWhen we were able to watch the IPL, my wife and I organised our evenings and weekdays around the matches, but once it became a popular format to watch, big money moved in, and Sky basically killed it for us. I think that they wanted us to pay in excess of £70.00 per month to watch … and that was just too expensive for us.
My wife has a theory that Gayle doesn’t like to run, hence his prodigious hitting capability. If he can hit a four or six, he doesn’t have to run between the wickets very often.
All the best,
Bob
The only cricket I've ever seen has usually involved either a murder or a murderer being exposed and apprehended by use of cricket equipment or skills.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
DeleteYou’ve obviously been watching episodes of TV programmes like ‘Midsomer Murders’ and ‘Death in Paradise’!
All the best,
Bob
Enjoy your last games of the season, Bob. Nundanket beat me to it - was just thinking 'The 100' sounds like the equivalent of your 'Fast Play 3 by 3' ...
ReplyDeleteI have seen just one 'live' cricket match - primary school outing ( headmistress loved cricket!) to Canterbury c.1973, Kent vs. Australian tourists - Chappell Brothers etc. Quality stuff I'm sure, but at that age,it seems very slow and the batsmen are a long, long way away! I think I got Asif Iqbal's autograph. .
David in Suffolk,
DeleteI am currently watching the Women’s Final of the competition … and the outcome is by no means predictable. If the same can be said of the FP3x3PW, I’d be very chuffed!
I love visiting the Kent CC ground in Canterbury, with its tree on the boundary! The last match I watched there was pre-COVID, and we haven’t made it back there this year because my hospital appointments and recovering from treatment have all seemed to coincide with matches.
All the best,
Bob
While I'm not a big fan of American Football despite being an American, I've learned to appreciate it a little more after learning the history of it.
ReplyDeleteVery briefly, it was developed from rugby by thr sons, nephews and grandsons of ACW vets as a way to demonstrate that they had what it took to be effective and brave soldiers the same way their elder male relatives were in the war. That also goes a long way to explaining why it's so popular in the American south: they lost the war so their religious love of the game kinda makes up for it.
If you can at least appreciate that the game is a lot like Napoleonic warfare, it begins to make more sense.
Not trying to convert anyone! Like you said to each his own, but I've found sports that I didn't enjoy a little easier to appreciate when I looked at them differently.
The podcast Radiolab did a good episode about the sport.
Mr Pavone,
DeleteInterestingly, I was under the impression that American football was devised as a response to the number of deaths and serious injuries suffered by Ivy League Rugby teams in the period after the Civil War. The rules certainly have similarities with the rules of Rugby as played in the 1860s.
Many years ago I played Rugby against a team from a US Airforce base in East Anglia. The American players were drawn from their American Football team … and they were horrified at the lack of protective gear worn by players. Once they got the hang of the idea that you could only tackle the man who had the ball and you were not allowed to pass forwards, they played very well indeed and we only just beat them. We tried to organise a return match where we would play them at American Football, but the base commander stopped it as he was afraid that we might get hurt!
I understand that until the invention of baseball, cricket was quite widely played in the US, but that by 1900 it was pretty moribund. (A US cricket team played an international against Canada in the 1840s.) It was revitalised by the growth of teams in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, thanks to the recruitment of British actors by the film industry. Since then, the more recent influx of immigrants from the West Indies, India, and Pakistan has led to a growth in cricket in the US, and the national team has played in various international competitions.
All the best,
Bob
Delete
Cricket is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in the US (at least in Jersey City) because of all the Indian and Pakistani immigrants.
DeleteI'm no serious historian of sports, so I'm entirely fine with being wrong about the origins of football. It is an interesting sport (as is any) when you can look at it with fresh eyes.
I've been having fun learning about cricket from my neighbor. I've recently learned that any ball hit is a fair play, quite different from baseball.
Fascinating comments about American Football. I don’t know the rules, but it does have obvious military overtones. Crikey it’s almost like ancient battle with the melees in armour. I always thought of rugby as a metaphor for war. There’s the set piece actions, grinding attritional battles, attempts to seize the initiative and breakouts by the cavalry.
DeleteSoccer by contrast is the game of commerce, and cricket the game of life.
Chris/Nundanket
PS for anyone interested in the evolution of football into different codes, try The Code War by Graham Williams.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteJudging by the names of the US international cricket team, the majority originally come from the Indian subcontinent and the West Indies.
To many Indians and Pakistanis, cricket is almost a religion, and they will play whenever and wherever they can. They have passed on this love of cricket to Afghans who have spent time in refugee camps, and the international Afghan team has taken part in the Cricket World Cup and other international competitions.
The sport has a jargon all of its own, especially bowling. Bowlers can be fast or medium-paced and spinners or seamers. Their methods of bowling deliveries can include googlies, leg-breaks, off-breaks, chinamen, or full-tosses.
The positions of the fielders include slips, third-man, long-stop, silly-mid-off, and silly-mid-on. Even the parts of the ground can have unusual names, most notably one that seems to have come from Australia, cow-corner.
All the best,
Bob
Anonymous (Chris/Nundanket),
DeleteAmerican Football as an Ancient wargame? Perhaps we might even see a FP3x3USFootballPW? I couldn’t write the rules, but I’m sure that there is someone out there who could!
All the best,
Bob
PS. Thanks for the book suggestion. It sounds very interesting,
In 1979, I visited the US on business (I worked for Burroughs Corporation at the time). Stopped off in Honolulu, and took a ride on 'The Bus'. The end of the line was an extensive park with sports fields and such. And what did I see there? A cricket match.
DeleteArchduke Piccolo,
DeleteAm I surprised that you saw cricket being played in Honolulu … well, yes and no. After all, the state flag of Hawaii does have a Union Flag in its top left-hand quadrant.
I did see cricket being played on Corfu some years ago. It was introduced by the British garrison during the occupation/protectorate (1815 to 1864).
All the best,
Bob
We went to a game at Trent Bridge and saw the Invincibles play the Rockets. Great day out, terrific atmosphere, crowd boisterous but no fuss. We will book more tickers next year. Just finished watching the two finals on the TV. Great entertainment.
ReplyDeleteTrebian,
DeleteWe also spent this afternoon and evening watching the finals … and felt that both were wonderful contests. The results were in the balance right up until the last few balls were bowled … and sport doesn’t get much better than that.
We are already looking forward to watching next year’s competition.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteInteresting remarks upon sport - the playing and the watching. I've always liked sports, but except for tennis, wasn't much chop at it. I did make my high school's First XI in soccer 9football) though. Tennis I continued well past age 30, but haven't touched a racquet in years. Still enjoy watching the game, though: very much a Roger Federer fan.
Cricket in my view - test or otherwise - is a great game to have going whilst one does other things - DIY on the house, or painting up soldiery. But I don't 'do' Sky apart from the basic service, so don't get to see much. Time was we did get some American Football, which I rather like, actually. I admit, though, I wouldn't know a nickel or dime defence from a general milling around. Basketball I find unwatchable. I think someone once remarked that you'd have to walk right across Montana to be called for 'travelling'. Baseball I also dislike as dull - especially a low scoring game with the pitchers running hot.
Of course, I am (fairly casual) fan of Rugby Union - especially of Canterbury (the best provincial side), the Crusaders (the best Super rugby side), and the All Blacks (even when not the best national side, they are the benchmark). I never go to see a match live, though, and satisfy myself with delayed coverage on 'free to air' (so called).
I've also become a big fan of distance events - running, cycling, skiing. They make great stories. I still recall the women's cycle road race in the London Olympics. You could almost 'hear' Marianne Vos telling her two breakaway companions "stick with me and do your fair share of the work, and I'll guarantee you a medal; won't be gold, but it will be a medal!" The 2020 women's road race was equally enthralling, with the Austrian rider making good her early break.
And I am lost in admiration of the African runners (male and female) in the distance events, even when they represent Holland... I don't get to see these events often enough.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteIt’s interesting how many people enjoy (or enjoyed) taking part in sport, but as they get older, don’t become regular spectators.
I particularly enjoy listening to cricket commentaries whilst painting. I find it helps me to concentrate … which my wife finds incredible, I’ve tried to watch American Football and basketball, but it all seems a bit frenetic and the commentators do seem to get a bit over-excited.
Having played Rugby, I do sometimes enjoy watching the odd match, but I don’t support any particular team … other than the British Lions.
As we live less than half a mile from part of the route followed by the London Marathon, we see lots of runners on the day and in the run up to the event. I have nothing but admiration for long-distance runners, and knew an ultramarathon runner. To him, a marathon was just a training run, and I understand that he ran across the US at least once.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
DeleteI forgot to mention 'Aussie Rules' - 'Rules' for short - 'football'. Very like Gaelic football in many ways. Very watchable, freewheeling game. We had it in NZ on free to air briefly. That of course went the way of all good things...
Dowman's Law of product satisfaction: 'If you find a satisfactory product, it is about to go off the market.'
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI’ve watched a couple of Aussie Rules Football matches in the past, and it was very fast and furious … and very entertaining as well.
I love your rule of product satisfaction; I can think of loads of examples that prove it!
All the best,
Bob
I was a 'cricket tragic' in my youth and would follow the game religiously. Unfortunately, like you and Sue,I have been put off by changes in TV coverage and the loss of our old free to air radio commentary. I still follow the (for me) big series (New Zealand in England recently, for example) but these days rather than watch or listen I tend to keep updated via cricinfo.com.
ReplyDeletePrufrock,
DeleteI suspect that there are quite a few cricket fans who have been put off watching the game on TV because of the cost of having to buy access via Sky. At least the BBC has been showing some of the recent Hundred games and made them available on BBC iPlayer, and some (mostly the Women’s games) have also been live-streamed via YouTube.
For radio commentaries I have to rely on BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio 5 Sports Xtra, but I’m not sure how available they are outside the UK.
All the best,
Bob