Cricket has something for everyone. That can be from the atmosphere where the only sounds are bat on ball, the chirp of a fielder and the hum of general conversation. Or if you want the razmataz of a T20 game with its loud music, big-hitting batter whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
I like the relaxed atmosphere of a county championship game.
In attendance are many different people—the committed supporter who is cricket
every day, whatever the weather. Then you get those who do the crossword or
read the paper during a quiet session. There are usually two friends who talk nonsense,
reminiscing about past matches or having a friendly 20p wager on the next
ball's outcome.
The county cricket community is often underestimated; just
because you aren't at the ground (we can't all take six months of the year off),
it doesn't mean our interest is any less. We care deeply, we have our allegiances,
but we are less tribal than some other sports, and a holiday in another part of
the country may coincide with a day at the cricket.
While the counties have some responsibility in keeping us
informed of the goings-on around the country, we still need objective reporting
of the game. That needs to be a group of well rounded impartial reporters who
have a good eye for the game and the ability to put that in words that inform
and entertain in equal measure.
When cricket has so many records, there are many being
broken every day, and as fans, we love it when we know that the tenth wicket
partnership by two players both born in Chippenham has been broken at
Northampton, the last time it happened was in 1904.
What county cricket gives us, though, is a community of like-minded
people. We may see each other rarely, but we know who to start a conversation
like no other group. We are bonded, we know the pain that our teams misfortunes,
and when people repeatedly tell you how boring your passion is, you know we are
in the same camp, and long may that continue.
No comments:
Post a Comment