YES THERE IS STILL AN EVER INCREASING WORLD WIDE SPORT, THAT IS "THE GENTLEMAN'S GAME" - PRETTY WELL UNKNOWN IN NORTH AMERICA FOR MOST PEOPLE.
THE GAME IS CRICKET!
I'M AMUSED WHEN I HEAR SOME NORTH AMERICAN TV SPORTS PEOPLE SAYING THEY DON'T KNOW HOW CRICKET IS PLAYED.
IT REALLY IS NOT THAT DIFFICULT, A FEW MINUTES WATCHING IT AND YOU SHOULD GET THE BASIC GAME PLAY.
YOU HAVE THREE PIECES OF WOOD AND ANOTHER THREE PIECES OF WOOD WITH A STRAIGHT LINE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM. YOU HAVE TWO BATTING PLAYERS ONE AT EACH "WICKET" AS THE THREE PIECES OF WOOD ARE CALLED. SO YOU COULD THINK OF THE TWO GUYS AS LIKE A KIND OF BASEBALL PLAYER, BUT THEIR BAT IS A LONG FLAT PIECE OF WOOD, AND EX INCHES WIDE, WITH A HANDLE LIKE A BASEBALL BAT HAS. YOU HAVE A KIND OF PITCHER LIKE IN BASEBALL, BUT THEY CAN RUN UP TO THE ONE WICKET AND WITH AN OVERARM THROW THEY SEND THE BALL DOWN TO THE OTHER WICKET, HITING THE GROUND SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO THE BATTER, WHERE IT MAY SLIDE, OR TURN, OR SPIN.
THE BASIC IDEA IS THE BATSMAN TRIES TO HIT THE BALL OUT INTO THE FIELD, AND HIT FAR ENOUGH THE TWO FELLOWS RUN TO OPPOSITE WICKETS PASSING EACH OTHER ON THE WAY. SO THE BATSMEN CHANGE WICKETS IF THEY CAN ONLY RUN ONCE BEFORE THE BALL IS THROWN BACK BY THE MEN OUT IN THE FIELD. SO SOMEWHAT LIKE THE BASEBALL GUYS DO. HIT FURTHER OUT AND THEY MAY RUN BACK AGAIN..... A TWO RUN HIT; FURTHER STILL A THREE RUN HIT; IF IT HITS THE BOUNDARY LINE AND NOT STOPPED BY A FIELDMAN, IT IS AUTOMATICALLY A 4 RUN SCORE COUNT, AND THE BATTERS DO NOT HAVE TO RUN. IF THE BALL IS HIT IN THE AIR OVER THE BOUNDARY LINE [LIKE IN BASEBALL] IT IS AUTOMATICALLY A 6 RUN COUNT.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS OUT; THE BOWLER GETS THE BALL PASSED THE BATTER AND HITS THE THREE WOODEN STICKS. THE BATTER HITS THE BALL IN THE AIR AND A FIELDER CATCHES IT, LIKE IN BASEBALL. ANOTHER WAY IS THE BATTER JUST TOUCHES THE BALL AND THE BACK-CATCHER [LIKE IN BASEBALL] CATCHES IT BEFORE IT HITS THE GROUND. THOSE ARE THE BASIC WAYS TO GET THE BATTER OUT. THE OTHER BASIC WAY IS WHEN THE BATTERS ARE RUNNING, IF THE FIELDER CAN HIT THE WICKETS [3 PIECES OF WOOD] BEFORE THE BATTING RUNNER GETS BACK TO A LINE IN FRONT OF THE WICKETS, HE IS OUT.
THE OTHER MAIN THING IS THAT THE BOWLER [PITCHER IN BASEBALL] BOWLS EX NUMBER OF BALLS AT ONE BATTER, THEN THE BOWLER GOES TO THE OTHER END AND BOWLS TOWARDS THE OTHER WICKET.
SO THERE IS THE BASIC GAME.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN AS THE "GENTLEMAN'S GAME" - YOU DON'T GET FIGHTS TAKING PLACE BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS AS YOU SOMETIMES DO IN BASEBALL, WHEN THE TWO TEAMS LEAVE THE DUG-OUT AND FIGTHT EACH OTHER, OVER SOMETHING WHERE TEMPERS FLARE UP.
MAYBE BECAUSE OF HIS VARIOUS CRICKET RECORDS, PERHAPS THE GREATEST CRICKET PLAYER OF ALL TIME, IS RETIRING AFTER THE NEXT GAME. HIS NAME SACHIN TENDULKKER FROM INDIA. HE'S NOW 40. HE ORIGINALLY WANTED TO BE A BOWLER, BUT WHEN HE DIDN'T GROW HIGHER THAN 5 FEET 5 INCHES, HE TOOK UP THE BAT....... AND WOW...... THE LITTLE GUY HAS BATTED HIS WAY INTO SPORTS HISTORY.
ANOTHER THING ABOUT CRICKET...... YOU'LL NEVER HEAR ABOUT "DOPING" OR "DRUG USE." REALLY NO NEED FOR DRUGS, IT IS SIMPLY THE SKILL THAT MAKES YOU A SUPER-STAR OR NOT.
SO IT IS REFRESHING AND NICE TO KNOW THERE IS A TEAM SPORT OUT THERE, A TEAM SPORT THAT IS PLAYED IN MORE COUNTRIES THAN BASEBALL, THAT HAS RETAINED ITS "GENTLEMAN'S ATTITUDE." CERTAINLY A SPORT THAT WILL BE FULLY WORLDWIDE IN THE AGE TO COME, WHEN THE CLIMATE AROUND THE WORLD WILL BE SUCH THAT ALL NATIONS WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY IT ALL YEAR ROUND.
A GENTLEMAN'S [AND NO REASON WHY LADIES CAN'T PLAY IT] SPORT THAT IS EVEN TODAY, READY FOR THE AGE TO COME.
..........
No comments:
Post a Comment