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Your Cricket Season
- Thread starter Neil Pickup
- Start date
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Spin on a wet wicket is deadly - took a 7fer and got my name in the paper (whole article on me) in wet conditions.
Have never taken a 5fer since.
A guy from our local Umpire's Association sent this email out today. Thought it was worth sharing.
----
Dear umpiring colleagues,
I know we like to share those rare and weird 'never happened before' moments together from our umpiring exploits so I thought I'd share todays …(if you weren't at <Local Oval> today watching me umpire …
Saturday October 20th Day 2: 16A <Team1> vs <My Club>
<My Club> is in chasing <Team1>'s261
<My Club> down 4 for 20 after 12 overs…doing it tough
In the 20th over I am at the bowlers end with the [...] bush at my back…ready to start the 21st over.
I hear a noise behind me that sounded remarkably like a small train set engine….a low muffled buzzing sound. But how could this be so?…the train line is in the distance…in front of me.
It quickly becomes loud enough to make me turn around in the direction of the bowler who is moving on his long run up.
I turn around to see a cloud of vibrating dark spots the width of half the oval and 10 meters high , behind the bowler coming at me [and him] across the ground from the direction of the boundary at the bush end.
As the first wave of bees fly past him [and me] I turn to see the whole field and players being clouded out out by a bee swarm.
My boy scouts training of 40 years ago kicks in instantly [ I always wondered when I would use it] and I call out to the fielders and batsmen to get down flat and lay still.
I repeated the call out loud twice more as 11 fielders 2 batsmen and 2 umpires drop like stones to the ground and lay still as the swarm passes over us. It takes about 20 seconds.
15 of us on the ground, a zillion bees for 20 seconds…and not a single sting.
From my flat on the ground position [I might add this is not one of the positions I was taught in my umpire training] I looked up the wicket in the direction of the car park and all the spectators to see them all sitting and standing as they always were…[the bees hadn't reached them yet]
The picture they saw was all these white uniformed players and batmen face down on the ground as if a holocaust had struck.
20 seconds later the buzzing noise was gone and the cloud of vibrating spots had climbed into the sky and was nowhere to be seen.
They had gone as fast as they had arrived.
I called out to all the players that it was safe to get up…and one by one they rose from their flat positions [not entirely convinced about my decision …no changes there then! ] and uncovered their heads to look around and be sure for themselves it was safe.
All had returned to normal as if the swarm had never been there.
So what was now going through my mind in order to re start play? What rule must I enforce…what signals to the scorers…what …if anything.
The moment seemed so dramatic there must be a rule or an umpiring intervention required befitting such an event.
I quickly reviewed the 43 laws in my head looking for the relevant one…[of course I did !]
1] what's the signal for 'delay due to bee swarm?'…is it arms waving wildly around your body and head?..…surely the scorers deserved an explanation as to why all the players and umpire decided to have a lay down and nap …which is what it must have looked like to them before the bees reached the boundary.
2]Does the 30 seconds on the ground get deducted from the 10 minutes drinks break…after all, it appeared we were resting.
3]when the swarm passes the boundary…Do I signal '4 Bees'?
4]Is the bowler penalised for the 4 bees even though he hadn't started his run up…if he is not , then the wicket keeper is to be penalised?…but he was not in play at the time…I saw him flat on his stomach with his face down in the grass and his gloves covering his whole head.
5]Do I warn the fielding captain for delaying the game [after all it was his home ground?]
6]Do I speak to the bowler in case it was him who arranged the bee swarm [ it came from his end] and the 'obstructing the batsman' law would come into play?
7]Perhaps it's the batsmen I should speak to…the fielders were clearly obstructed …5 penalty runs to the fielding side ?…but the batsmen were also out flat on the ground so maybe that cancels itself out?
8]Are the bees to be warned for entering [and leaving] the field of play with out permission from the umpire…how do I seek out the captain bee to have a word with him about that?…and I certainly don't want to meet the queen bee!
9]Is this the place and time to apply rule 43?…I've applied the common sense rule in every game I've umpired so far so why should a zillion bees be any different.
With all that spinning in my head and my eyes still glancing in every possible direction to be sure swarm#2 wasn't on its way from the bush, I gave the dead ball signal.
It seemed very anti-climactic
We all dusted ourselves off and the bowler resumed his run up and the game was again underway.
<Team1> won on 1st innings…and we all knew we had been a part of a remarkable [and lucky] moment of Australian on-field sport.
I hope you had a good game too…
----
Dear umpiring colleagues,
I know we like to share those rare and weird 'never happened before' moments together from our umpiring exploits so I thought I'd share todays …(if you weren't at <Local Oval> today watching me umpire …
Saturday October 20th Day 2: 16A <Team1> vs <My Club>
<My Club> is in chasing <Team1>'s261
<My Club> down 4 for 20 after 12 overs…doing it tough
In the 20th over I am at the bowlers end with the [...] bush at my back…ready to start the 21st over.
I hear a noise behind me that sounded remarkably like a small train set engine….a low muffled buzzing sound. But how could this be so?…the train line is in the distance…in front of me.
It quickly becomes loud enough to make me turn around in the direction of the bowler who is moving on his long run up.
I turn around to see a cloud of vibrating dark spots the width of half the oval and 10 meters high , behind the bowler coming at me [and him] across the ground from the direction of the boundary at the bush end.
As the first wave of bees fly past him [and me] I turn to see the whole field and players being clouded out out by a bee swarm.
My boy scouts training of 40 years ago kicks in instantly [ I always wondered when I would use it] and I call out to the fielders and batsmen to get down flat and lay still.
I repeated the call out loud twice more as 11 fielders 2 batsmen and 2 umpires drop like stones to the ground and lay still as the swarm passes over us. It takes about 20 seconds.
15 of us on the ground, a zillion bees for 20 seconds…and not a single sting.
From my flat on the ground position [I might add this is not one of the positions I was taught in my umpire training] I looked up the wicket in the direction of the car park and all the spectators to see them all sitting and standing as they always were…[the bees hadn't reached them yet]
The picture they saw was all these white uniformed players and batmen face down on the ground as if a holocaust had struck.
20 seconds later the buzzing noise was gone and the cloud of vibrating spots had climbed into the sky and was nowhere to be seen.
They had gone as fast as they had arrived.
I called out to all the players that it was safe to get up…and one by one they rose from their flat positions [not entirely convinced about my decision …no changes there then! ] and uncovered their heads to look around and be sure for themselves it was safe.
All had returned to normal as if the swarm had never been there.
So what was now going through my mind in order to re start play? What rule must I enforce…what signals to the scorers…what …if anything.
The moment seemed so dramatic there must be a rule or an umpiring intervention required befitting such an event.
I quickly reviewed the 43 laws in my head looking for the relevant one…[of course I did !]
1] what's the signal for 'delay due to bee swarm?'…is it arms waving wildly around your body and head?..…surely the scorers deserved an explanation as to why all the players and umpire decided to have a lay down and nap …which is what it must have looked like to them before the bees reached the boundary.
2]Does the 30 seconds on the ground get deducted from the 10 minutes drinks break…after all, it appeared we were resting.
3]when the swarm passes the boundary…Do I signal '4 Bees'?
4]Is the bowler penalised for the 4 bees even though he hadn't started his run up…if he is not , then the wicket keeper is to be penalised?…but he was not in play at the time…I saw him flat on his stomach with his face down in the grass and his gloves covering his whole head.
5]Do I warn the fielding captain for delaying the game [after all it was his home ground?]
6]Do I speak to the bowler in case it was him who arranged the bee swarm [ it came from his end] and the 'obstructing the batsman' law would come into play?
7]Perhaps it's the batsmen I should speak to…the fielders were clearly obstructed …5 penalty runs to the fielding side ?…but the batsmen were also out flat on the ground so maybe that cancels itself out?
8]Are the bees to be warned for entering [and leaving] the field of play with out permission from the umpire…how do I seek out the captain bee to have a word with him about that?…and I certainly don't want to meet the queen bee!
9]Is this the place and time to apply rule 43?…I've applied the common sense rule in every game I've umpired so far so why should a zillion bees be any different.
With all that spinning in my head and my eyes still glancing in every possible direction to be sure swarm#2 wasn't on its way from the bush, I gave the dead ball signal.
It seemed very anti-climactic
We all dusted ourselves off and the bowler resumed his run up and the game was again underway.
<Team1> won on 1st innings…and we all knew we had been a part of a remarkable [and lucky] moment of Australian on-field sport.
I hope you had a good game too…
benchmark00
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Cliffs?
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Swarm of bees arrived. Umpire made a joke that he didn't know how to signal it to the scorers - eventually went with dead ball (Umpire humour).
benchmark00
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Classic.
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Out for 11 in my first knock. I got rattled when our number 5 got out on me. And decided I had better start to score quickly so that the other batsman could just hold up an end. Lasted one ball with that mentality premeditating a pull shot and getting a slower ball yorker instead. Clean bowled.
Dropped a catch as well.
Dropped a catch as well.
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Fantastic game.
It was us against their captain. First he bowled 9 overs 0/12 - we got on to everyone else and put on 196 in 45 overs.
Then he scored 76 runs and got them through to 135-4 in 26 overs before we finally got rid of him.
We started chipping them out - with two overs to go they needed 13 with 2 wickets left. We got another wicket but they scored 8 runs.
So 5 runs needed off 6 balls but wait there was no one to bowl it. Our captain had miscalculated and we needed another bowler.
They turned to me. I used to be a spin bowler but I couldn't land them any more. So I have taken up medium pace in the nets. Havn't bowled in a game and don't even have a measured run up.
First ball is on the money and a single.
5 balls runs to 4 win.
I consider what type of ball to bowl and just decide to bowl my fastest. It goes down leg side and is lucky not to be a wide.
4 balls 4 runs to win.
Next ball I consider bowling a leg cutter I have been working on in the nets. But decide to just go with "pace".
It is short and he rocks back to pull me for the winning runs but he gets it high on the bat and it dollies out to our one player in the outfield everyone else is on the single. He catches it and we win!
My first experience of ever bowling at the death or getting the winning wicket.
It was us against their captain. First he bowled 9 overs 0/12 - we got on to everyone else and put on 196 in 45 overs.
Then he scored 76 runs and got them through to 135-4 in 26 overs before we finally got rid of him.
We started chipping them out - with two overs to go they needed 13 with 2 wickets left. We got another wicket but they scored 8 runs.
So 5 runs needed off 6 balls but wait there was no one to bowl it. Our captain had miscalculated and we needed another bowler.
They turned to me. I used to be a spin bowler but I couldn't land them any more. So I have taken up medium pace in the nets. Havn't bowled in a game and don't even have a measured run up.
First ball is on the money and a single.
5 balls runs to 4 win.
I consider what type of ball to bowl and just decide to bowl my fastest. It goes down leg side and is lucky not to be a wide.
4 balls 4 runs to win.
Next ball I consider bowling a leg cutter I have been working on in the nets. But decide to just go with "pace".
It is short and he rocks back to pull me for the winning runs but he gets it high on the bat and it dollies out to our one player in the outfield everyone else is on the single. He catches it and we win!
My first experience of ever bowling at the death or getting the winning wicket.
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
Disappointed today. Made 26.
Batted at #4. Was set, starting to feel good, the opening bowlers had got two quick wickets but were shagged and out of puff. Felt like I'd seen them off with one of our openers. They'd dropped a few short and I got the pull shot going. 3 cracking pulls for four. **** yeh, I think, I'm in for a big one.
They make a bowling change. An Indian dude I've never seen before, probably here for uni. Long run up, and he's tall. Don't know why, but a lot of subcontinent guys bowl off a long run, but aren't that quick, and they bowl short. My areas! I smile to myself, thinking I'll take a few off this guy in this over. First one is exactly as I described. I rock back, pull it for four. Captain starts getting edgy about my pull shot. I like that. Next ball is in the same area. I seem to have ages to think how I'll ton up today. I rock back, try to get over the top of the pull......FUUUU**K...it's quicker than I thought. Top edge. Flies straight up in the air. Caught at square leg. Pissed.
The amount of times I've done this over the years is unbelievable.
tldnr? I get ****y when I play a few good shots and then I go out. Often.
Batted at #4. Was set, starting to feel good, the opening bowlers had got two quick wickets but were shagged and out of puff. Felt like I'd seen them off with one of our openers. They'd dropped a few short and I got the pull shot going. 3 cracking pulls for four. **** yeh, I think, I'm in for a big one.
They make a bowling change. An Indian dude I've never seen before, probably here for uni. Long run up, and he's tall. Don't know why, but a lot of subcontinent guys bowl off a long run, but aren't that quick, and they bowl short. My areas! I smile to myself, thinking I'll take a few off this guy in this over. First one is exactly as I described. I rock back, pull it for four. Captain starts getting edgy about my pull shot. I like that. Next ball is in the same area. I seem to have ages to think how I'll ton up today. I rock back, try to get over the top of the pull......FUUUU**K...it's quicker than I thought. Top edge. Flies straight up in the air. Caught at square leg. Pissed.
The amount of times I've done this over the years is unbelievable.
tldnr? I get ****y when I play a few good shots and then I go out. Often.
Last edited:
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
I have another theory on why you went out. Usually after a boundary I make a point of playing a defensive stroke or pushing a single as I know that the bowler is going to bowl a better ball.
The only time I will hit multiple boundaries in a row is if I don't rate the bowler.
You sound like you have a cracking pull shot.
The only time I will hit multiple boundaries in a row is if I don't rate the bowler.
You sound like you have a cracking pull shot.
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
Try to play balls on merit, and the one that got me was def pullable. I was just too slow on the shot, or it was to quick for me, or both! Getting too old!
My wagon wheel would def favour the on-side!
Red
The normal awards that everyone else has
Interesting. Do you mean if you haven't scored off the first 5, you won't make any attempt off the 6th?
sonnench
U19 12th Man
Got my first Golden Duck today, to say i was gutted would be a huge understatement.
Felt confident heading into the game after my performance last week of 55 off around 35 balls....but got a in swinging yorker first up, tried to play it legside instead of straight down and got bowled.....
Felt confident heading into the game after my performance last week of 55 off around 35 balls....but got a in swinging yorker first up, tried to play it legside instead of straight down and got bowled.....
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Rain reduced the game to 35 overs. I went in at 50-2 in the 16th over. The situation called for a quick fire 20 to inject some energy into the inning. Instead I played a steady 7 runs before falling lbw when it was to smack it.
Wasn't dissapointed when I got out as it was time to have a go even though the ball required a forward defence.
We finished up on 119 after our overs which was always going to be 20 runs light and that proved to be the case. Still they had beers with us after the game.
Wasn't dissapointed when I got out as it was time to have a go even though the ball required a forward defence.
We finished up on 119 after our overs which was always going to be 20 runs light and that proved to be the case. Still they had beers with us after the game.
uvelocity
International Coach
top score of my life yesterday, 41* off about 30 balls perhaps, at first just feeding the strike to my opening bowling partner who got us out of the poo with 87, when he got out I went the tonk, got 3 zaks and we took 100 off the last 9 overs. knocked em over quickly (took 2/7) and a catch. what a day.
thanks to top_**** for the sweet bat too!
thanks to top_**** for the sweet bat too!
I've come up against two ridiculously quick bowlers in park cricket these past 2 seasons. One guy was playing Grade in October and was still playing in about the 7th level of park cricket we've got in March. He was reportedly clocked at 128km/h in the nets, and was probably around 115km/h in the game.
Then yesterday we faced a guy who was, by all estimates, hitting 120km/h. Tore through out middle order, taking 6/10 off 8. Five of those runs were conceded when he beamed me.
I made a third ball duck, nicking off to the wicketkeeper. At least I didn't get bowled like everyone else.
Then yesterday we faced a guy who was, by all estimates, hitting 120km/h. Tore through out middle order, taking 6/10 off 8. Five of those runs were conceded when he beamed me.
I made a third ball duck, nicking off to the wicketkeeper. At least I didn't get bowled like everyone else.