club cricket in the sun…

Rather than watching Gloucestershire play Kent yesterday (or urban sketching in Bath), I decided to drop round to watch some club cricket at Bedminster CC, near Ashton Court. I love the whole business of club cricket… it feels very ‘real’ and down-to-earth compared with today’s ‘professional’ game which essentially seems to rely on player recruitment from public schools.
Having said that, yesterday’s main match was very different to the game of my youth! Bedminster 1^st XI were playing in a 50-over ‘white ball’ (what?) game against Burbage+Easton Royal; the teams were dressed in ‘coloured kit’ (what?) and, on top of it all, the umpires’s outfits meant they were indistinguishable from the opposition (what?)… the scoreboard was electronic, of course (no young lads updating numbers at the end of each over)(what?)… oh, and the wicket-keeper tucked his pads into his trousers (what?).
Yes, I know, I’m just a boring old codger these days!
But, hey, what a lovely way to spend outside in the sunshine…
Sitting close enough to the players to hear all their shouting and (mainly!) encouraging comments.
An awareness that many of the people watching were former players (and perhaps their sons were in the team?).
These are family occasions – with quite a few children in attendance by mid-afternoon.
The bar was open, the beer flowed and the cheese rolls were purchased.
And, of course, entry is free (which somehow justifies paying for the odd beer)!
Old men (mainly men) in small groups talking about ‘days gone by’.
The groundsman and the bar steward were clearly former players.
The idyllic backdrop (set against the suspension bridge).
Football was being played on the telly in the pavilion (this was later replaced by rugby!)(what?)
Impressive batting (from both sides – opening stands of 70 and 100+ respectively).
Outstanding wicket-keeping (with both keepers ‘standing up’ to quick bowlers).
Aged committee men pointing out ongoing issues.
The less successful batsmen trudging their way back to the pavilion and avoiding eye contact.
The hugely impressive standard of fielding – fast, athletic and accurate (very different from ‘my day’).
Bedminster’s opponents won the day by 5 wickets (one of the Burbage players scored a century; another scored 58 and took 5 wickets)(one of the Bedminster scored 57 and another 84 not out).
A lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.
Footnote: Meanwhile, on the club’s other pitch, Bedminster’s 4^th XI(!) were playing…
All the players wore traditional white and the ball was a traditional ‘red’.
The players were made up of a mix of youngsters and a few blokes ‘past their prime’.
I found the antics of one of the batsmen (a gentleman from ‘yesteryear’!) fascinating and somewhat annoying… he was rather arrogant in his manner and, of course, he was wearing his cricket cap; he was certainly not going to take any ‘quick singles’; and he clearly intended to show these ‘young whippersnappers’ a thing or two about the way the game should be played. I was glad when they got him out (quite cheaply)!
Bedminster also have a couple of women’s teams, but it was interesting to see that one of the 4^th XI’s players was female (perhaps aged 16/17?)… and she was a pretty impressive bowler too.
Photo: From the 4^th XI game (with the suspension bridge in the background and the impressive young woman bowler in action).