Cricket!

Continuing my exploration of British sport, a few weeks ago I delved into the mysteries of cricket -- a game so slow and boring, I'm not sure it even is a sport. Why do people watch this, I've often wondered....

But then I had my chance at an answer, as I got invited by a PR -- a flack, if you will, one of Daorcey's kind -- to go watch some cricket at Lords, which is some massively special awesome cricket um, stadium thingy here.




As you can tell/guess, I haven't a clue about about cricket, but it got me out of the office on a day which happened to be a Friday, so no complaints from me.


Anyway, the Friday morning came along, and it rained. Newspapers that afternoon described it as "torrential" and a "hurricane". They exagerated only minutely. The streets flooded and the skies were ugly and dark indeed.


So I stayed at work, figuring it made little sense to go watch an game (a test, as they call them, to be obtuse, I think) which clearly wasn't going to happen. A few hours later, however, the skies cleared to the lovely blue so infrequently seen here, and the sun came out, so off I went.


Trouble was, I was the only one there. The flack -- a rather lovely person, I should say -- had taken her other charge to the pub in lieu of sitting in the rain (which I'm sure he appreciated) and she'd not yet returned to the grounds. So there I am, sitting in the stands in quite good seats, apparently watching India and England play cricket. I can't tell which team is which, as they wear white, and I haven't a clue how the game is played or why those people keep cheering or why that man is jumping around all excited like that.


The PR eventually shows up, and as it turns out, also hasn't a clue how cricket is played. So she goes to buy a pitcher of Pimms and lemonade, and we sit in the sun talking everything but cricket. I got sunburnt and drunk.


At which point I finally understand the draw of the game... it's not about sport, it's about sitting in the sun, getting pissed. Now that's a sport I can get behind, if only they'd get rid of the dudes in the silly white clothes...


Next up, premier league football -- and no, I'm not joking.