In the UK the most popular sports are football (what we call soccer), rugby, and cricket. While we didn’t get to a rugby match, we did go to see the Durham County Cricket team play a T20 match (explained below) against the Birmingham Bears. Durham has a great cricket stadium that regularly hosts International Matches as well as local ones. Our friends, Al and Simon, are big cricket fans so we tagged along with them for the evening match.
Watch this short video (2 minutes) that explains cricket:
There are many types of cricket matches, the longest being Test Matches which take several days. The T20 type of match we saw is short, usually only a couple of hours. Each team gets to hit for 20 “overs” (6 balls per over, so 120 for each team) or until they get 10 people out, usually by catching the ball in the air.
Cricket is a great sport! It combines traditional sporting with a very social atmosphere (similar to baseball) but faster moving and really high scoring.
If the ball flies out beyond the boundary, it is 6 runs, and if it hits the ground first and then goes out, it is 4 runs. Whenever that happens you wave this card with either a 4 or a 6 on it.
There is definitely a party atmosphere fueled by adult beverages from places like this pub at the ground:
Some fans come in costumes! Here’s a bunch of bananas:
There was a man in drag dressed as a maid (oddly with a police officer’s hat on) who was trying to start the wave in the stands:
After the match we went to the Sticky Wicket where we met “Elton John”, with an inflatable American baseball bat:
“Elton” and Al:
“Elton,” Deb, and Simon:
We had a great time at the cricket match!
We’ve become cricket fans! When’s the next match?
Do not miss that plane home we miss you. Kate w
No cricket here😔, but you can watch a slow moving baseball game when you get home!
There’s cricket—. We just need to find it!