Cricket Culture

This is a subject for which we definitely could have benefited from some cultural training ahead of time.  I wrote in an earlier post about reading "Cricket for (American) Dummies" before Cameron's first training so that we could at least gain a basic idea of how the game was played, but little did I realize that what happens on the sidelines during the matches would present us with a whole new world as well.   Almost of equal importance to what the players themselves are doing, and how many wickets they have taken or whether they have been retired or knocked out of the game, is what is happening on the sidelines where the parents have congregated to watch, chat, eat and drink.  The sport aspect of it is taken seriously, to be sure, but our Friday evening cricket matches also serve as far more of a social and culinary affair than we could ever have anticipated.

Our understanding of this new world has grown steadily with each Friday night match.  On week 1 our team had a bye, so they spent the evening practicing bowling and hitting.  The second week I showed up for the 5pm start with my mom and two chairs, thinking we would be done by 6:30pm.  I left my dad and the other kids home with supper in the oven.  We sat down to watch, and I quickly realized we were sitting with the wrong team.  The other team's parents shared their hors d'oeurves with us anyway, and it began to dawn on me that I should have brought something to share.  Eventually a table was brought out and lined with a table cloth.  This was for "tea" for the boys playing, and I think it consisted of sandwiches, chips, donuts and cookies.  I'm not really sure because by this point it was after 6pm, and I had to get back home.  The other moms generously promised to feed Cameron sausages if necessary as he wasn't expected to be finished playing until 8pm or so.  I then realized they had brought enough food to feed a small army.  One mom explained that they didn't want to end up in the kitchen by the time everyone arrived home around 8:30pm.  I had by this time introduced myself to the parents of Cameron's team mates, and was struggling to learn some names (Edwina, Fiona, Carmel, and Irene were the four that "stuck.").

The evening of our second proper match I was at least prepared with food to feed our family, but found myself a bit intimidated as the dishes that others brought started appearing.  Edwina unwrapped a beautiful looking lamb, lentil and spinach salad.  As we stood around admiring it, she assured us that it was "nothing," just some marinated vegetables that she had sauteed, along with marinated lamb that her husband had seared on the barbecue.  The vegetables, including the curried lentils, were tossed with spinach and fresh coriander.  She kept the lamb in a separate container so the "vegos" could enjoy the salad, and insisted on giving us some to try.  Another mom brought a tray of sandwiches filled with lettuce, tomato and chicken schnitzel.

Along with the food came the drinks, including champagne for the moms, and beer for the dads.  I was a little taken aback when one of the coaches took his bottle onto the field with him when play resumed.  It sounds like this is rather rare, however, and at least one of the dads on Cameron's team has decried the whole idea of alcohol consumption at a sporting event for under elevens.

I don't have any pictures of food to share, so you will have to take my word for it.  I do have some pictures of Cameron playing in his first game.  The action shots are when he took his turn bowling (pitching), which he thoroughly enjoys.  He loves cricket so far, and is hoping to be able to play when we return to the U.S.  His coach firmly believes in letting the boys all have a go at the various positions, rather than focusing on winning.  This provided some consolation last week when they lost by nearly 100 runs.  During that game Cameron "played wicky."  Just before the game started two boys came running toward me, including  Cameron, with the other one telling me urgently "Cameron's playing wicky, Cameron's playing wicky."  Seeing the total lack of comprehension on my face, and realizing I wasn't jumping into action, the boy turned to another parent standing there and repeated his message.  Thankfully this dad knew what to do, and with an aside to me that Cameron would be playing the equivalent of catcher in American baseball, he helped Cameron don his gear (unfortunately I had forgotten my camera in my rush to get out the door with some food to share).  Cameron was grateful for the chance to try this position even though he realized others were more skilled at it.

Here is Cameron outfitted in what he needs to bat.  Who knew that a sport involving so little action could require so much expensive equipment?  Bill Bryson calls the leg pads "mattresses," and has many more hysterical descriptions of the game in his book.  I wish I could reprint two whole pages here.

Cameron's only complaint (and honestly I think he is a bit pleased by the attention) is the fact that he is an object of curiosity among his team mates because of his accent.  These were his words last Saturday morning as we discussed the game over breakfast:  "Last night I was ruthlessly assailed by my team mates as they wanted to me to say and spell words for them." When I pressed him for an example, he said, "They can't understand why I say mom instead of mum."

The highlight for him so far was being presented with the ball after the first game.  His coach said he earned it because he "took the first wicket."  I'm still a little fuzzy on the details, but it seems that Cameron was bowling when an opposing player hit the ball straight up into the air, allowing it to be easily caught.  The player was then "out" for the rest of the game, meaning he would never get a chance to bat again.  It is a cruel sport, and one can understand the attraction of having delicious food to compensate---both for the disappointment of getting out (for the players) and for what some would call boredom (for the spectators).  It would be an understatement to say that there isn't a lot of action on the field.  If I struggled to maintain my enthusiasm for endless innings of baseball the last time Cameron played, cricket is going to present far more of a challenge.  Apparently there are eighteen total matches in the season---plenty of time for enjoying lots of gourmet food offerings on the sidelines, and perhaps figuring out some of the myriad rules that comprise this mysterious sport.

Comments

[janetjames]

Soooo interesting!! and , sooooo cute of Cameron!

[Shanda]

Christie, you really must write your own book. It would rival Bryson's. :)
I so much appreciate your mature style of writing, which is informative and funny, both. Good job with the game, Cameron! Hang in there, Mum!

[Greg]

Let me second Shanda's praise of the blog and add that it's getting better and better. Maybe this is a teacher's view--that essential dogged conviction that experience (not to mention peer review) has to make a difference--but in this case it's also true. Great stuff. Also, I know it's from a different post but I'm still laughing over Ross's "hassle of epic proportions." Kinda makes me miss you guys.