Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[PR19_Kit]

But they win YOUR mental prizes Chris.

When you can finish one, sit back, and say 'Yeah, that's pretty darn good' that's what does it for me.

[Pellson]

Still eagerly looking forward to see what comes out from your desk. 

[NARSES2]

Still eagerly looking forward to see what comes out from your desk. 

Hopefully have a couple finished next week. Now where's the fingers crossed emoji ? 

[NARSES2]

Decent day weather wise yesterday (comparatively speaking anyway) so had a good day at the Oval. Day one of Surrey v Kent and Surrey bowled them out for 278 and were 88-1 at the close 

[Pellson]

Some day, I really out to make the effort to learn the rules of that game. Looking at it now, it's just utterly confusing. 

[NARSES2]

Some day, I really out to make the effort to learn the rules of that game. Looking at it now, it's just utterly confusing. 

The basic rules are relatively simple, just don't ask me to explain Leg Before Wicket 

Like a lot of games it's far easier to grasp the rules if you've been playing them since your childhood and they almost become instinctive. We used to play with a box as the wicket and didn't really get to grips with a proper understanding of LBW until we got to senior school. Mind you playing on an estate meant we had a couple of localised amendments to the rules. One was "one handed off the wall" for catches taken after the ball had come back off a wall and another was "Mr Tipper's Garden is 8 and out, and you have to get the ball back" 

[Gondor]

Cricket rules are very simple. It's a game between two tems of eleven players with a twelfth man (or womwn if its womans cricket) who acts ar a runner if necessary. The object of the game if for one team to score more than the other team and starts by one team being "in" with the other team being out. The team that is out has to ther the team that is "in" "out" for as low a score as possible. Once the team that was "in" is "out" the team that was "out" is now "in and the team that was "in" and is now "out" has to get the team that is now "in", "out" for a score less that the team that is now "out" but was "in" got when it was "in".

Simple really    

Gondor, best bowling figures were two for two off two   

[Rheged]

A friend of mine  explained it thus.  "Cricket is a peculiarly English invention of great antiquity.  Two druids clad in long white robes  erect three legged altars at either end of a sacred sward 22 yards long. Eleven white clad acolytes take up positions around the enclosure.   Two further acolytes appear bearing willow objects (believed to be of ritual significance) and stand before the altars.   The chief druid cries 'PLAY'   and the rains come down"     Dr John, who produced this description, reckons that it was the most powerful rainmaking spell the druids had ever used.

As to "caught one handed off the wall"  that rule worked ( admittedly 60 years ago) in Carlisle, and "6 and out"  was if the ball went into the church grounds; the grass was so long that it took at least ten minutes searching by both teams to find the ball again.

I was the usual 12th man for my college first team...............mainly because the Land Rover in which I had a half share could seat me plus  6 players to away matches and I could be relied on to fill in the score-sheet reasonably accurately.   As I recall, I only played in one game, we won by an innings and 97 runs  . As last to bat, I managed 2 not out  .

[Old Wombat]

When I was a lad I gave up cricket because (a) I was a spin bowler in the Lillee/Thompson era & at best was 12th man but generally 13th (eg: not in the team) & (b) I kept getting hit in the crotch when batting & one day the box broke, which was the last straw.

So I took up baseball, after playing in the outfield, where I never lost a catch, I was put into the infield, where I never caught a catch but had my head battered by speeding baseballs, that plus the ridiculous number of times I was pelted in the body by pitchers was why I quit baseball.

After that I took up rowing & catching the occasional crab I could deal with! Awesome sport, rowing!

[kerick]

At least in rowing no one is throwing a rock hard ball at you! I watched a cricket game once. Only once......

[PR19_Kit]

When I played cricket at school, the only game I was allowed to play because I was asthmatic, I had to have a runner when I was batting and I was ALWAYS the wicket keeper when were fielding as a) I was so tall and b) I had, and still have, big hands. Many an opposing batsman looked over his shoulder in amazement after having been given 'out, caught at the wicket' to see me lying flat, arm outstretched, grasping the ball. 

[Pellson]

I am no less confused now, lads..   

[NARSES2]

I kept getting hit in the crotch when batting & one day the box broke, which was the last straw.

Ouch    When ever anyone got hit "there" everyone would quickly check he was relatively ok, then all go off and giggle, including the other batsman 

I've watched the game all over the world, even in the USA, but it also got me free drinks in a posh hotel in Delhi.  The bar staff were watching a game on the bar tv and some American tourists asked for the tv to be turned over to something they wanted. To which the head barman said "I'm sorry sir but this gentleman asked for the cricket to be put on, and the rule is ; he who asks first". I was watching the game, but the bar lads kept me supplied with G&T's all evening after that. 

There was also the occasion whilst at a street market in Jamaica and I ended up behind a stall with two dreadlocked Rasta's watching a local game on their portable 6" tv and drinking Red Stripe 

Meanwhile Surrey beat Kent by 10 wickets with a day and a half to spare 

[Gondor]

Meanwhile Surrey beat Kent by 10 wickets with a day and a half to spare 

Oh poo. I used to live in Kent so they are the nearest thing to a county team for me.

That reminds me that I learned to play at school in Faversham, somehow when batting I managed to hook the ball on the bat and get it to go behind me. I have never since then had such hand-eye coordination to be able to do anything like that again.

Gondor

[NARSES2]

Oh poo. I used to live in Kent so they are the nearest thing to a county team for me.

Nice ground at Canterbury, although sadly the old Lime tree, for whom special rules were required, has long gone. Still a nice ground for a day out in the summer though 

St Lawrence Lime