The Cricket Thread

[Boo Khaki]

Back in the day, Father would wake us up an hour before we went to bed, beat us round head wi broken bottle, make us lick t'road clean wi tongue... etc etc

[VillaKnollBoy]

2 hours ago, Boo Khaki said:

Freezing cauld showers and wheeching dog dirt off the square were the one constant.

They council rendered the lower-most pitch unplayable by deciding to cut the strips perpendicular to the direction they'd always been. That was a belter.

 

Cannae beat cricket on a 1 in 3 slope in Kirriemuir for tinpottedness though.

Rocking up to play and seeing some local youths swinging a sand wedge off of the top wicket.

Having your captain making the toss with the wrong captain, both of the captains being visitors to Lochee Park.

Our fast bowler being flashed at on the boundary by another local ned.

And those are the ones off the top of my head.

[rowsdower]

Loved playing at Leith, good for bowlers, and I got one of my 2 50s there. They also did pie and beans for teas. You forget the public path is there once you're into the game.

Played a game at the meadows with a traffic cone at one end because we forgot stumps. Had randos just join in the game there a few times, or ask us to move so they could play frisbee. Another bowlers paradise though.

Last week's debacle with Georgia reminded me of the cricket too, where the playability of the pitch usually depended on the league situation.

[die hard doonhamer]

I don’t think there are any council cricket pitches left in Dundee now. Norwood folded last summer, I think their pitch at Dawson Park was the last one, and when I went past there on my way to Forthill a couple of months back there was no sign of a square ever having existed there anymore. Sad. 

[VillaKnollBoy]

2 minutes ago, die hard doonhamer said:

I don’t think there are any council cricket pitches left in Dundee now. Norwood folded last summer, I think their pitch at Dawson Park was the last one, and when I went past there on my way to Forthill a couple of months back there was no sign of a square ever having existed there anymore. Sad. 

Indeed, cracking bunch of lads on the whole too.

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

I played at Strathclyde Park a couple of times and folk would literally be pushing their prams through the middle of the park with their weans and dugs running free mid game.

One of the opposition got absolutely covered in dogshite diving for catch too which was absolutely fucking hilarious. You know that moment when nobody is sure whether the catch has been taken or not and the player gets up with or without the ball in hand? Imagine that only the big ‘reveal’ is that his whites are no longer a suitable colour for playing cricket in and he must be fucking stinking. It was all in vain as he never took the catch anyway, if anyone is interested.

[Savage Henry]

I remember playing at Fochabers - beautiful wee ground - and the opposing captain waving to get some local youths away from the sight screen.  They must have had some inkling about the game, because they brought more of their mates round and started a Mexican wave.  

[rowsdower]

I mind hearing a story about a ground in fife that had the boundary marked halfway up a factory wall can't remember the name of it.

My absolute favorite ground (other than my home grounds of meggetland and bailliefields), was Largo, lovely place.

[die hard doonhamer]

15 minutes ago, rowsdower said:

I mind hearing a story about a ground in fife that had the boundary marked halfway up a factory wall can't remember the name of it.

My absolute favorite ground (other than my home grounds of meggetland and bailliefields), was Largo, lovely place.

I love playing at Largo. It really is a stunning wee ground. I’m actually playing against them on Saturday, at home though. They gave us a hiding at their ground on the opening day of the season.

Fife has a few great grounds. Falkland is lovely, and the tree inside the boundary at Freuchie is a nice quirk. 

[rowsdower]

Falkland is nice, but the second square isn't Mind bowling uphill on that for 15 overs straight.

[die hard doonhamer]

I’ve only ever played on the main square there. Fielding on the boundary down the hill there is an experience!

[Boo Khaki]

1 hour ago, rowsdower said:

I mind hearing a story about a ground in fife that had the boundary marked halfway up a factory wall can't remember the name of it.

Luncarty in Perthshire used to be similar. Absolutely certain it was Luncarty. Local Fire Station's yard was situated almost entirely within the boundary and you could basically nurdle it for Six. Similar story at Rossie Priory if the strip was on the 'coo field' side of the square. Flick it off your hip about 30 yards for Six.

2 hours ago, VillaKnollBoy said:

Rocking up to play and seeing some local youths swinging a sand wedge off of the top wicket.

Having your captain making the toss with the wrong captain, both of the captains being visitors to Lochee Park.

Our fast bowler being flashed at on the boundary by another local ned.

And those are the ones off the top of my head.

I turned up for a midweek match in Montrose once to find the 'outfield' hadn't been cut in what must have been weeks. It was an artificial wicket at the time, so no actual square, just the strip itself then a 4 inch deep carpet on either side that continued all the way out to the fence by the road. Being a midweek game it was the height of summer when the grass grows about an inch in a day. Any time the ball pierced the infield there was an inquisition to figure out where it had gone, helpful spectators pointing in the general direction from about 50 yards away, batsmen must have had a record number of all ran 4's that night. Just a total farce from start to finish. Got to the point where nobody was actually trying to hit the ball hard, because you got better value for your shot just tickling it into a gap because if you lost sight of it for a moment you had no idea where it was.

Edited June 26, 2023 by Boo Khaki

[Boo Khaki]

2 hours ago, die hard doonhamer said:

I don’t think there are any council cricket pitches left in Dundee now. Norwood folded last summer, I think their pitch at Dawson Park was the last one, and when I went past there on my way to Forthill a couple of months back there was no sign of a square ever having existed there anymore. Sad. 

Mad considering there used to be squares at both ends of Dawson Park. Played for Kingsway a few times in the main bit of the park, and I'm sure it was either Forthill 2nd's/pick-up team or Grove Academy who used to play on the pitch at the far end. Incidentally one of the two venues where I've witnessed a boundary fielder header the ball for Six 

[Bully Wee Villa]

Some Super Over by the Dutch, chance that Windies might not qualify now.

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Bully Wee Villa

[die hard doonhamer]

3 hours ago, Boo Khaki said:

Luncarty in Perthshire used to be similar. Absolutely certain it was Luncarty. Local Fire Station's yard was situated almost entirely within the boundary and you could basically nurdle it for Six. Similar story at Rossie Priory if the strip was on the 'coo field' side of the square. Flick it off your hip about 30 yards for Six.

I turned up for a midweek match in Montrose once to find the 'outfield' hadn't been cut in what must have been weeks. It was an artificial wicket at the time, so no actual square, just the strip itself then a 4 inch deep carpet on either side that continued all the way out to the fence by the road. Being a midweek game it was the height of summer when the grass grows about an inch in a day. Any time the ball pierced the infield there was an inquisition to figure out where it had gone, helpful spectators pointing in the general direction from about 50 yards away, batsmen must have had a record number of all ran 4's that night. Just a total farce from start to finish. Got to the point where nobody was actually trying to hit the ball hard, because you got better value for your shot just tickling it into a gap because if you lost sight of it for a moment you had no idea where it was.

Can’t think where that would be, but it’s not Luncarty. There is a school on the edge of the playing field at Luncarty, but it’s still a decent enough way from where the square was (the artificial strip is still there, but the cricket club ceased to exist about 20 years ago).

I played at Rossie a week past Saturday and we were on the second to last strip at the small side. Watched my bowling disappear in to the trees a few times more than I would have liked!

3 hours ago, Boo Khaki said:

Mad considering there used to be squares at both ends of Dawson Park. Played for Kingsway a few times in the main bit of the park, and I'm sure it was either Forthill 2nd's/pick-up team or Grove Academy who used to play on the pitch at the far end. Incidentally one of the two venues where I've witnessed a boundary fielder header the ball for Six 

It’s just sad to see how fewer clubs there are these days. Only Forfarshire and DHSFP left playing in the Dundee area these days, though Kinloch have plans to return to Dundee in the near future at Elliot Road (their kids set up is already based out of there). They currently host home matches in Forfar, Brechin and Glenrothes!

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

I got back into playing last week. Didn’t realise how much I missed it as its been a good few years since I played any number of games in a season. Put it off and put it off this summer as had been having a shit time work wise, but great to be back in and amongst it. Netted for the first time on years on Thursday also, big wake-up call to how far off it I am. Even been scoring some 1st XI games the last few weeks too. I did like getting the coloured pens out and keeping my scorebook nice and neat but the live scoring on the iPad is just so much easier.

Anyway, see Liam Dawson hit 140 odds and took 6 wickets in the Championship in response to Stokes & Baz calling up Rehan Ahmed. Good way to do it.

[PB1994]

This has been an excellent bowling display from Scotland. Got Sri Lanka 217/7 after 42.

I still don’t fancy our chances of chasing the total down with Hasaranga being on fire so far but you really couldn’t ask for a better position to be in.

[Bully Wee Villa]

SL 245 all out, great effort by Scotland.

[craigiemack]

Absolutely brilliant work in the last 10, we just need to see off hasaranga. If we can navigate him and keep wickets in hand for the last 10/15 then this is very gettable considering how deep we bat.

[FuzzyBear]

Great effort as looked like they would get 300 at one stage. I fear it will still be too many but fingers crossed.