I have lived the in UK for nigh on 15 years now, but have yet to decipher cricket. What I know about it, I like, but it is not enough to attract my specific attention.

That said, I am wondering what its following is like: how big it is… how it compares to football and rugby… how much money is involved…

In Canada, the team sport hierarchy is pretty obvious:

1. Hockey
2. CFL Football
3. Baseball (in parts of the country, and pretty much the Toronto Blue Jays only)
4. Everything else

Cricket seems to get a lot of media coverage here, but I don’t actually know anyone who plays it.

Please explain its place, and anything else you think a person should know about it.

It’s an English thing. I’m no wiser than you are.

Depends on who you talk to I suppose.

1. Football
2. Rubgy (union/league)
3. Rugby (union/league)
4. Athletics
5. shopping

It became very popular in 2005 as we won the ashes for the first time in many years. Then the ECB in their wisdom sold the coverage to Sky, and most people forgot about it again.

Also, like rugby union, it’s a bit of an upper class sport. That said, I used to play at a fairly rough comprehensive school in Bolton.

It’s an English thing. I’m no wiser than you are.

Ah! It’s living in Wales that confounds me, then. 🙂

Cricket’s easy!

Test Cricket is mankind’s greatest achievement

I’ve often thought this; the coverage cricket gets seems to be hugely disproportionate to the amount of people who are interested in it.

Then again, I get all my news from Radio 4, which may explain the bias 🙂

second to football or rugby if you are that way inclined

but have yet to decipher cricket.

you know how the Tour De France is mostly a load of blokes going for a ride, and then in the dying minutes of the day some things happen that you may or may not actually see? But in reality it’s mostly an excuse to be outside, doing something with your mates.

Cricket is the British equivalent to that.

It’s an English thing. I’m no wiser than perchy.

But in reality it’s mostly an excuse to be outside, doing something with your mates.

That thing being sitting in a field in the sun, having a couple of pints, whilst some people play cricket nearby.

That thing being sitting in a field in the sun, having a couple of pints, whilst some people play cricket nearby.

Roll on summer!

Essential toilet reading. Mine is probably covered in faeces and small droplets of piss but you are welcome for a dump at my place anytime if you want to get clued up.

It’s my favourite sport. I utterly love football but I hate myself for loving it, with all that it has become.

The number one reason I travel back to England is to watch cricket in the summer at lords or the oval and get utterly sozzled. Glorious.

It’s number 1.

Sadly it doesn’t get as much coverage as football despite it being very popular.

It’s an English thing. I’m no wiser than you are.

One of the parents and friend of mine, who is scottish, came along to a few games his daughter was playing in. He was the same never piad much interest as there’s not much of a take up on scotland. He loved it but it was more the cream teas and scones that won him over.

Never played at school so never knew how it worked etc. then watched a few matches (on tv) with friends at uni – understand enough to enjoy a match.

The i went to Hove and saw a match for real – scoreboard is not quite the same as TV coverage – i had no idea what was going on – a friend was on the beer stand though so got buy one get one on pints – then hampshire lost to sussex – great day.

Good question. Football is clearly number 1, in both watching and participating (team sports, that is, I know there’s loads of people who ‘run’ so that’s probably the actual #1 participation)

Rugby i would guess is #2 – certainly if you combine codes but people’s relationship with watching rugby is different to football.

Cricket probably number 3, but not sure on that and in terms of watching, there’s another massive difference.

I’m not sure in terms of participation – there are for example lots of hockey clubs, often running several teams. lots of people play ‘recreational’ netball, so not particularly leagues or tournaments like football but just various teams meeting up each week and playing against each other for fun and exercise. Basketball’s another; not many clubs playing league but a very vibrant 3v3 scene in some cities.

The watching thing is odd. Football, it’s almost all about clubs, and most football fans have club way above country in priority. Of course you want them to do well when they play but the rest of the time it’s in the background. Most football fans can tell you who’s doing well in the Premier league even if they support someone else. You can name managers, key players, etc. I’m racking my brains to even remember who’s in our group at the WC in the summer! And most England games are not sell outs, whereas getting a ticket to a PL game is frequently impossible.

Compare to rugby, which is a hybrid. Proper fans will know teams and players but the causal fan, like me – despite watching games on TV if they’re on I couldn’t name the top 5 in the Premiership with any certainty. Games will usually be to full house or close to full house crowds (exception the football ground shares), but stadiums are often a few thousand, maybe <10K? But try to get tickets for a 6N and it’ll be tough.

And then cricket. Tickets for tests and internationals are generally hard to get hold of (at least require planning and purchase generally well in advance, certainly in England and depending on who against obvs) But club games, particularly the Championship, are often taking place in front of a handful of spectators. And i consider myself a cricket aficionado but the county game does nothing for me – i can’t even tell you who won it last year (I know it was Yorkshire the season or 2 before but only because Jason Gillespie was coaching)

I’ve always assumed it to be second after football. But for me it’s top and just magnificent

And I still play occasionally at 47

That thing being sitting in a field in the sun

It’s an English thing

Football is clearly number 1, in both watching and participating (team sports, that is, I know there’s loads of people who ‘run’ so that’s probably the actual #1 participation)

Fishing. #1 participation sport innit?

^^^
Depends how we define ‘sport’

Let’s not go there

Depends how we define ‘sport’

If you can participate at a competitive level whilst wearing flip flops then it’s not a sport (Wheelchair sports excepted)

I’ve always thought:
1. Football
2. Rugby union
3. Cricket
4. Rugby League
5. Athletics

But, I’m also aware this might well be a lot to do with the sports I like and am aware of. theotherjonv makes some very good points above.

It is probably still the most popular summer team sport, but as so many sports have become almost all year, such categorisations are out of date.

It is not really an upper class sport, still a vibrant club game througout the country but it isn’t played much in state schools.

As a Frenchman who lived nearly 20 years in the UK, I can understand most of it. I had a work colleague who was cricket mad.
Never played it.

Look very boring.

I found some statistics which suggest it is the 4th most attended after Soccer, horseracing, and rugby union. I think these figures ignore attendance that doesn’t require payment (i.e. watching the London Marathon and cycling events)

In terms of participation, it is third among team sports again after football, and rugby union, but individual sports such as running, swimming, tennis etc have much higher participation rates.

Zokes. Rugby union has a different player base in different parts of the country. Certainly when I played in Didsbury Manchester 25 years ago it was a little more middle class but in the South West and Wales its certainly more for everyone. Probably the effect of Rugby league in the north and the diminished effect of football SW and W.

Slightly more exciting than F1, which is hardly a ringing endorsement….

perchypanther – Member
It’s an English thing. I’m no wiser than you are.

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

Thats not true.

Many villages in fife have a team with local rivalries. Peebles has a team.

Its just the daft weegies who cannae get their heid roond not fitbaw.

Many villages in fife have a team with local rivalries

I stand corrected. It’s an English / inbred hillbilly thing 😉

Peebles has a team

There are Scottish folk in Peebles?

I thought participation wise it is football, rugby, netball and then cricket

No game comes close to Test Cricket when it comes to messing with one’s emotions/loyalties/expectations over a number of days. From an English perspective this is often magnified during the Ashes, perhaps even more so when it’s in Oz as the opportunity to watch/listen during the night is a tad harder for most.

20:20 has it’s place, as do ODIs. But TC is where it’s at.

I thought participation wise it is football, rugby, netball and then cricket

You are right.

I found some statistics which suggest it is the 4th most attended after Soccer, horseracing, and rugby union.

Linky please….. interested by that.

Also interesting to consider that if England play say 8 test matches in the summer, with full houses for 3/5 days and then say 50% attendance for D4/5 (‘cos sometimes weather / finishes early, etc.) – that’s 32 equivalence days of attendance. With the main test grounds having say average 25,000 capacity (Lords = 30K, Oval 27.5, Headingley 17.5K) that’s 800K tickets for those test matches. I found a stat saying just over 500K people watched the whole of the county championship in 2015 – that’s 144 games x4 days potentially each, but if I only count 3 of them to allow for weather etc. again, that’s 500K/432 = just about 1150 people going per day. Hence why they need T20 to stay afloat!

It was in the Olympics once.

Large following which is reducing due to TV coverage and shonky domestic competitions, though way down the list in terms of popularity by participation and mainly played by people with massive anger issues and massively disorganized at all levels. Tis a strange one

Linky please….. interested by that.

The payment thing is my own supposition because they estimate that 800,000 watch the London Marathon and athletics doesn’t feature.

@Josh
I think it may have more to do with…

English cricket scene

Scottish cricket scene

🙂

According to Sport Scotland , Adult participation in Cricket in Scotland isn’t even hardly a thing…..(Page 17)

Frozen wasteland for 3/4 year and the other 1/4 is just death by midges