Cricket… Playing not watching…

Who here still plays?

I used to play a lot of cricket as a kid, kinda drifted out of it when I went to uni, got back into playing a bit of pub cricket in my late 20’s, then moved again, got more into MTBing again, stopped playing. Here I am just about to turn 44, got asked to play for a mate’s team again (I played once 4 yrs ago, the only other time I have played since I was 30) as he was desperate yesterday as half of his regulars didn’t want to play cos they wanted to watch the footy, and thoroughly enjoyed it again!

Not least cos I very nearly helped them win the game (59 not out, ran out of batting partners only 10 runs short of the target sadly, not bad considering I’d not picked up a bat in years!), but just doing something different again and playing a team sport once again made me feel things I hadn’t felt in quite some time.

I am now thinking of joining my local cricket club (no excuse really as it’s not even a mile down the road)…

So who else here plays, if not regularly then at least once in a while? I am not sure I’m ready to commit to playing on a weekly basis (after a 2yr fight with bowel cancer and still not fully out of the woods there, my fitness is shocking, I am slowly getting back out on eMTB but today I feel broken after batting for 2hrs yesterday!), but do fancy the odd game again… ?

I don’t still play, at 55, I gave up about 10-15 years ago when I felt my eyes were starting to go. Not as in vision, as in ability to see and pick up the ball. Subsequently have found I do have start of cataracts so maybe it was partly vision too. I could have dropped levels but tried a few weeks and once the competitive streak wasn’t there, nor was the enjoyment, and as it was long days away from family I couldn’t justify.

In general I don’t but OTOH just occasionally I do – really miss the team spirit, the pisstaking, the walking round the boundary playing marker bowls, not so much the broken and dislocated fingers (ex WK) and the inability to sleep on my left hand side due to bruises all over my ribs (opening bat that relished the battle with an opening quick)

I too played a reunion game a few years back and really enjoyed it, scored 30-odd (before a rotten LBW decision) and took a couple of decent catches behind the stumps. The abiding memory is how much muscle memory remained, and also how much they make you pay for accessing the memory in the days after…..if you batted for 2 hours, good luck walking tomorrow.

Who here still plays?

I do. Strictly 2nd team or Sunday friendly only.

Batting for 2 hours – Chapeau sir. I’ve managed that once. Played regularly for a team from 15 to 18 as a bowler predominantly. Played a couple of times at Uni, but American Football was my sport there. 22 years of not playing, then started again 7 years ago. Can’t bowl anymore, so started keeping wicket. Can’t do that anymore due to back issues, so it’s usually field for 40 overs and bat 8 or 9 if selected. ? Still love it though.

Edit: before a rotten LBW decision

Clearly not a bowler then. Batsmen. Honestly. Never bloody out. 😉

if you batted for 2 hours, good luck walking tomorrow.

The game was yesterday… I had a long bath last night, a good roll on a foam roller, pre-emptive ibuprofen, and am still stiff as a board today!

Funny thing is, I never played at a high level, but the level I played at yesterday felt quite a bit below what I was used to, so I felt like a big fish in a small pond which might have had something to do with the enjoyment…

so I felt like a big fish in a small pond

Ringer or bully. You choose. 😉

Bat 2 hours for 59? You’re not going to get picked for England without embracing BazBall…..

Ringer or bully. You choose.

I didn’t dare tell the opposition I hadn’t played in years, I felt they might not have taken it too well! Their celebrations when I was bowled dragging it on off a no ball were quite lively, and their anger and frustration when they realised that it was a no ball was frankly shocking! I almost offered to walk if it mattered that much to them… As it was, the number 11 at the other end was out the next over anyway so they still won, but clearly I frustrated them.

Bat 2 hours for 59? You’re not going to get picked for England without embracing BazBall…..

The required run rate was always on our side… The rate wickets were falling was not. I don’t know how many balls I faced but we were going along at 5 an over whilst I was batting, in a relatively low scoring game.

I did hit a fairly big 6 and several 4s in that time too, which I was pretty pleased with! 😀

The game was yesterday… I had a long bath last night, a good roll on a foam roller, pre-emptive ibuprofen, and am still stiff as a board today!

Like I said – good luck walking tomorrow when the DOMS REALLY sets in.

Clearly not a bowler then. Batsmen. Honestly. Never bloody out.

It was the bowler’s Dad that gave me out. Dodgier than a tory PPE contract award, there used to be laws against begging on a Sunday. No further questions 😉

Dodgier than a tory PPE contrac

Laughing emoji cos they don’t work…

there used to be laws against begging on a Sunday

I’ve always believed that every batsman is out regardless of anything else, including rules etc. Trifling insignificancies. End of. 😉

I loved cricket, but havent played for 25 years now, but was asked recently if I’d like the occasional game, which I would love to do, but, I’m not sure my knees would cope with bowling again. I still play rugby, when I get a chance, so fitness isnt too much of a problem, however, cricket, especially bowling is very jarring on the legs and feet, so like the OP, can cause aches the following day. That means I’ll probably take up the offer!

I don’t but help a fair bit at the local club, particularly with the women’s team. I am tempted to sign up to the seniors now I have free weekends.

Not any more, back can’t take bowling any more and the only that could be said about my batting was that it made everyone else look good. Still miss it but not the bad mouthing that seems to be prevalent at some clubs.

I’ve played for most of my life, retired a few years ago now though.
The whole of my right side is in a poor state from bowling, ankle up to hip and back give me constant problems. Wouldn’t change it though such a great game.

I kept playing long enough to have a few seasons playing in the same team as my son, great fun.

League cricket is different these days though, far more incidents happen than ever before. I was no saint but always left it on the pitch, whereas now it feels a bit more football like. I watch my local side a bit, sometimes asked to play but not sure I could field for 2 hours or more now!

Yep, I play a fair bit – but only social friendly cricket, did athletics mainly at school so never did the extra practice it takes to make a good cricketer – and not sure I would have had the natural ability even if I had.  Played the odd game in my 20s, corporate matches etc mainly as a bowler and a bit more regularly when I lived abroad, but I was never a cricketer.  20 years later I played a few games and the ball was still coming out quite nicely except on one occasion when I was bowling up a reasonable slope.  One day I was playing in a father’s match, I took a few wickets and more importantly hit the winning runs, that was it – I needed to play more.  Signed up for a local pub side and I haven’t stopped playing since – in the intervening 10 years I have had to give up bowling and fielding anywhere that requires an arm but I have transformed myself into a sacrificial opening bat to protect our better batsman from the new ball on our very up and down home pitch.  I will probably play 20 plus matches for at least four different teams this year.  Senior cricket is a big growth area, a couple of friends play or are looking to play age group county cricket.

The enjoyment I got out of playing a team sport again led me to look at taking up hockey again and I found myself making my debut in the English Hockey League at 55 and I haven’t missed a league match since.

Team sport is so good, not many jobs that you aren’t in a team of sorts. Can teach you so much about yourself.

I still thinking leading a competitive cricket team at the age of 22 in a decent league taught me more about people management and motivation than any course I’ve been sent on since.

Also a few people might have played against each other, geographical location?

most of my cricket has been in Kent, anyone else?

Never played as a kid but all my kids do so I get stuck in on the scoring, admin and nets. I play annually in the dads match which is great and I’ve always been handy at ball sports so keep getting asked to play Sunday. I’ll probably give it a proper go in the next couple of years but right now have F-A spare time and a not so mobile shoulder.

Berkshire and Surrey, plus a bit of Jazz Hat wandering with Stragglers of Asia. I have played at Tunbridge Wells a couple of times, good track there! Highlight being a back foot push facing Ed Giddins, no more than a defensive really that came on so well it raced away just behind point for four. He didn’t like it as much and did me for pace a couple of balls later!

Stragglers of Asia

I play very occasionally with a guy who is still playing for them.  More importantly I learnt to make a G&T at the age of 8 when they came to visit – my G&Ts were highly appreciated as they gave me a club tie which I have sadly lost.

Like I said – good luck walking tomorrow when the DOMS REALLY sets in.

Haha fair enough! Got First Aid training at work all day tomorrow, so plenty of getting into strange positions on the floor… That’s going to be fun, NOT!

in the intervening 10 years I have had to give up bowling and fielding anywhere that requires an arm

I was a half decent pace bowler when I was young. Could move it both ways too. Broke 2 bones in my hand when I was 19, haven’t been able to release a ball properly since! Partly why I gave up playing cricket when I went to uni, I was quite depressed about not being able to bowl properly any more… Never had much of a throwing arm (and after one over arm throw yesterday that went all of about 35 yards and destroyed my shoulder, everything after that was under arm) anyway.

Got back into it in my late 20’s chatting with a mate in the local pub, someone in there knew he’d played for Warwickshire youth team (his claim to fame was he broke Nick Knight’s toe in the nets once) and was twisting his arm about playing for the pub team. We had one of those “I will if you will” conversations and next week we turned up to nets where off 4 paces my mate could still bowl about 70mph and swing it both ways it turned out! Turns out I’d found an ability to hit a ball in the off time too, in a season of 20 over “retire at 25” cricket, I ended up with a season batting average of over 100, owing to scoring more than 200 and only being out twice. Seems in my more recent break from the game, my temperament has improved too, as well as my ability to hit it! 😀

Senior cricket is a big growth area, a couple of friends play or are looking to play age group county cricket.

Just been on my local club’s website and facebook pages, looks like they have 3 teams most Saturdays as well as a Sunday friendly team, a ladies team that plays on friday nights, and an over 40’s (that can’t be what you mean by “senior” though, right?) team that plays a handful of one off’ friendlies through the season that I’d fancy having a go in given I am comfortably the wrong side of 40 now.

I packed in playing regularly when my son (2nd child) was born. I didn’t want to miss out on whole weekends and, in truth, I was becoming a better player in the stories I was telling than I was on the field. I think I have 3 prem league, 3 county cup and a couple of league cup ‘medals’. In truth I was a ‘daisy’ player. As in “some days he was ‘on’ some days he wasn’t”. I made lifelong friends through the game. Now my son plays and I’m bumping into lots of old muckers as their kids are now playing too.

I play the occasional game nowadays. The last time was last summer – I was the oldest player by 15 years and should probably have set expectations accordingly. But I can still get the ball through pretty well and so I was asked to open the bowling. I bowled 7 overs off the reel, bounced a couple of batters for old time’s sake etc. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I chased a 50/50 boundary, I was getting there, ready to put the dive in and…

Boom! Torn hamstring, heavy fall as I couldn’t really slow down. Lots of sympathetic noises from people (which made me feel even more like a daft old twerp) and the rest of the day with an ice pack strapped to my leg.

I still love the game, love coaching my son’s team, but I am wary of playing again. I feel like I wouldn’t actually enjoy it.

JonV who did you play for in Surrey?

Horsley and Send, and then a few social games for Grafham.

that can’t be what you mean by “senior” though, right?

I’m 58 so not in the case of my friends, but senior age group cricket would include over 40s.  One mate plays for one of the Surrey over 50s teams and my old opening partner is hoping to play for suffolk over 60s if he can overcome some health issues – he will be good enough he played for Surrey 2nds when he was young.

I play the odd village cricket game when they are short and I am around. It just takes too long for me, if we get a sunny afternoon I’d rather be on my bike somewhere in the woods.

geographical location

North East. Played for Whitley Bay CC as a young person, then after 22 year gap, started playing for Blue Flames CC, and currently at Kirkley CC. All in the Northumberland and Tyneside leagues.