A cricket match is played between two teams of eleven players on an oval-shaped grass field. In the centre of the field is a strip of hardened turf 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a cricket pitch. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be doing a weighted walk around the oval shape of a cricket field, but that has been my Tuesday mornings (of late) in Richmond at Old Deer Park. Tuesday is the day we do barbells at BARCH Richmond: Our gym in the UK. The barbells are not great for this aging body, so I opt for the outdoor beauty of walking the park.
The photo on the left shows a cricket wicket, the three-pronged ‘thingee’ you can learn about here. The rules of this game are quite complicated for a novice, but I have had fun with some colleagues over drinks listening to lengthy explanations of the different versions of the sport. This seems to be a good site for helping one better appreciate the game: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Cricket.
