Anglotopia

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Raffaele Lagattolla, a young Englishman who wanted to share is passion for Cricket with everyone and encourage Americans to take an interest in it. Thanks Raffaele!

I know that many Americans swear by the game of baseball, and truth be told I myself have become rather fond of the game. I was in fact present during the 2000 World Series final between the New York Yankees and Mets, the atmosphere was truly awe inspiring and despite being initially left confused by the rules I quickly developed a liking and understanding for baseball that continues to this day, even going so far as to watch the occasional game whenever it graces the screens of English national television.

However, I realise that the very mention of the word “cricket” to most Americans conjures up images of usually overweight, balding middle aged men standing in a field for most of the day doing what seemingly amounts to “bugger all.” Therefore I thought I would take this opportunity to try and tempt some of the readers into perhaps a more gentile side of the game, Village Cricket.

Now I understand that a local match taking place between 22 amateurs may seem hopelessly boring when compared to the wonders of World Series Baseball, however the attractions of Village Cricket like baseball do not stop merely at the game being played. Let me attempt to paint a typical image in your minds…

The sun is shining (don’t laugh, it does sometimes grace us with its presence) at the height of midday with not a cloud in the sky. A neat chocolate box building marks the only man made structure for some distance, inside we find wood panelling, a bar, a television and a table laden with tea, sandwiches, cakes and other food comforts. Outside we see an oval field bathed in sunlight, with a coil of rope stretching all around the perimeter marking the boundary of the cricket field.  Standing in this field are 22 men and boys of varying ages, dressed in cream coloured uniforms called “whites.”

I won’t attempt to explain who the teams are and what they do, because to be brutally honest it would take far too long. However it is important to realise that these individuals are playing a game that they love, each fulfilling a different role that they specialise in (bowlers, fielders, batsmen, wicket keepers and so on). The action happens quickly in cricket, far quicker than baseball but as a result to many of the un-initiated it seems that the 22 individuals are doing nothing but scratching themselves and moping around, getting ever hotter and more tired under a baking sun.To describe the atmosphere at a local cricket match is highly complex, because there are usually only a handful of spectators who are there usually to attain a sun tan, and not to watch 22 rank amateurs play cricket. However the atmosphere is certainly present, and to attempt to convey it would be impossible. For everyone the attraction is radically different, but for everyone one thing remains constant. They all firmly believe (as do I) that on certain occasions there is no finer way to spend a Saturday afternoon, either playing or watching the game go by and eating an afternoon tea by the pitch. As many say, the atmosphere needs to be found “for each individual.”

For me? I would say the attraction is being with 10 other people who you know, having a light hearted and hardly serious game of cricket with others who want to be there and who often pay for the privilege (about £10).  When the game is finished, the result doesn’t seem to matter. The visiting team will always stay behind and have a drink with the hosting team, whether they won or lost. But the greatest pleasure it can bring is the well-earned bottle of cold Magners Cider, draughted alongside neatly cut sandwiches and delicious Victoria Sponge. This NEVER fails to put a smile on everyone’s face, and often people will go home content with a day that has seemingly failed to achieve anything. And yet many still continue to do it, every weekend from the beginning of May right up until the very end of August…

So please, I urge any visiting American to at least try and find a local cricket match, be it in a small English village or even in the middle of London. They all have the same charming appeal, and who knows… maybe you might even start to enjoy the wonderful game as well. Take my word for it, spend the day and try to enjoy it. Bring a book and some lunch, I guarantee you will not regret it one bit.

About the Author: I’m 18 years old and despite my name was born in the United Kingdom and have lived here all my life. So I consider myself to be British, and a very proud Brit at that. I also happen to have a great fondness for the United States, having visited four times in my life.  I’m basically a typical 18 year old British teenager, and if anyone has seen The Inbetweeners simply imagine the characters of William and Simon crossed together, that my readers is me.  In essence an everyman who happens to often “put his foot in it.”  I’m going to concentrate on British History and some of our more quaint pastimes, which is why I have chosen cricket as my first article, a game which invokes as much curiosity as it does ridicule (usually by Americans).  Particularly on points of history, which is one of my three great passions in life. The two others being aviation and writing short stories (yes I know, an odd combination).