John Palmer writes:-
My inaugural cricket season so far: hot, tiring but successful.
Personally, my goals when I decided to try this gruelling sport at the age of 48 were multi-layered:
a) don’t get badly injured (some injuries are bound to happen)
b) have fun (enjoy the camaraderie and team spirit)
c) learn, improve … repeat
d) don’t be a liability to your team
Anyone who knows me knows this: John is not an athlete. Sports have never come easily, and the closest I’ve ever come to national or provincial championships were either refereeing them, or being Head Announcer. In high school, being “good” at a sport took work, and I didn’t have time for that … I have learned that as I age, putting in that work is a necessity in order to stay alive 🙂
Cricket in Ottawa is alive and well – 13 clubs, with 3 different divisions: “Challenge” (the A-league), “T20” (a shorter game, requires certain skillsets), and “Citizen” (competitive, but still somewhat forgiving at times).
After following my “local” team on and off for about 7 years (local as in they actually play their home games at a pitch about 5 minutes away from my house), I finally contacted them to join, and they really didn’t seem interested. Maybe I misread their dismissive messages … or maybe not. Possibly for the better, either way.
I was put in contact with Cathedral Cricket Club, who play their home games at Rideau Hall (yes, the backyard of the Governor General … the current one of course signed my first undergrad degree). I have to say, this group of guys have been extremely welcoming and patient. They’re an interesting mix of cricket backgrounds (India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies), and of course, a vast mix of personalities.
Weekly practices have been tough at times, but good learning of the elements of the sport … catching what feels like a chunk of concrete with no gloves whatsoever is painful at times. Trying to hit that same chunk of concrete at 100km/h after it’s taken a weird bounce right in front of you can also be painful (and I have the ugly bruises to prove it!).
However, even though I’m the new guy, I’ve been in the starting Citizen-level lineup since our very first match. By my recollection I’ve “played” 6 Citizen matches … 4 wins, 1 loss (rain ending our innings early), and 1 win when the other team forfeited.
The bigger surprise is this: due to injuries and illness, I’ve now been involved in 2 Challenge-level matches (with much trepidation from the team Captain): the first was rained out, but I was formally on the starting 11. The second was a 50-over match yesterday in the heat. I was originally 12th man (a substitute in case of injury), but when a player emailed to say he had food poisoning, I was now in the lineup. We won.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not taking any credit whatsoever for our wins in either division. I’m not pounding runs (I’ve only formally scored 6 … including one boundary). I’ve only made one catch for an out. I’ve never bowled a single ball in a match. But have I prevented runs by stopping/blocking the ball? Yup. Have I done my job while batting (which, by the way is typically “DON’T GET OUT!”)? Yup.
So the way I look at it, so far, I’m achieving my 4 stated goals … quicker than I imagined. I’ve heard some “horror stories” of new players who spend a season or 2 practicing only, but never being on the roster for an actual match. I’m fearlessly facing the challenges head-on, and being rewarded for my effort. I certainly have to thank my team-mates for that.
Of course, more importantly, I have to thank my wife Jill for a) introducing me to her national sport, and b) letting me go out and potentially make an ass of myself.