CRICKET

BY MICHAEL HODGSON

What do you call a game that looks a little bit like baseball but has the feel of a lazy Sunday picnic?

SQUINTING AGAINST bright sun, the bowler runs a few steps and then fires the reddish ball in a 75-mph blur toward the waiting batsman. The batsman swings and drives the ball legside past the outstretched arms of the silly mid on.

Screaming "go!" the batsman sprints toward the opposite wicket 22 yards away, passing the other batsman sprinting toward him and the wicket he just left. The long on bare-hands the ball and quickly fires it to the silly mid off, who runs out the oncoming batsman by breaking the wicket before he enters the crease.

Whaaat? A game of cricket, that's what.

At several parks and playing fields around the Bay Area groups of men dressed nattily in white shirts and trousers, baseball-like caps, possibly a sweater (certainly not a sweat shirt), mill around in a strange manner, periodically chasing a ball hit by a man with curious leg pads and gloves swinging a flat bat.

Though difficult to understand at first, the sport that fathered baseball is a wonderfully social event, open to all. It is somewhat slow moving to an uninformed spectator and yet its chess-like meticulousness of play speaks of challenge much deeper than mere raw action.

Cricket is a sport that draws gentlemen of all ages and nationalities onto a field of green to play out a game with very deep-seated traditions of respect, fair play, and humility. On a cricket pitch, even if an umpire has made an obvious error, a player is governed by a spirit of sportsmanship to honor the call with dignity and calm. To act otherwise is simply "not cricket."

Cricket was brought to the United States in the early 1700s by British settlers. During the late 1800s the game began evolving into what we now know as baseball.

The bowler became the pitcher, the wicket keeper the catcher, the bat went from flat to round, and the wickets became bases.

Cricket remained popular in a few areas though, most notably New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and California.

Played with 11 men on each side, a cricket match typically lasts two innings. A team's inning is completed when all players have had one turn at bat, 10 outs have been made, a designated number of overs (bowling or pitching rotations) has been made, or a captain voluntarily declares his inning over.

Yet another example of good sportsmanship is a team captain electing not to run up the score when he feels that his side has earned enough runs to win. This can sometimes backfire, with the underdog team making a comeback.

Most matches in the United States last about six hours. There are breaks allowed in each game: typically 40 minutes for lunch, 20 minutes for tea, and 10 minutes between innings. These breaks are quite social and provide opportunities for opposing teams to "break bread together."

Each player remains at bat until put out. Some of the great batsman of the world can score 100 or more runs in one at bat. The game is played with 11 defensive players on the pitch and two batsmen from the offensive team, one at each wicket.

The field itself is round, about 100 yards in diameter generally although that varies greatly. In the center of the circle, two wickets are placed 22 yards apart at each end of a meticulously groomed grass or matted strip about 8 feet wide. The wickets are three vertical stakes with two horizontal bails (small pieces of wood) balanced between them.

The bowler (pitcher) tries to throw the ball overhand, keeping a straight arm, from one wicket toward the batsman standing at the other. It is the bowler's intention to keep the ball out of reach of the batsman while dislodging the bails from the top of the wicket. The batsman in turn tries to protect his wicket while at the same time hitting the ball far enough and safely in any direction to allow he and his partner to exchange wickets thereby scoring a run.

Each bowler throws six balls for each over. At the end of each over, the other bowler standing at the opposite wicket bowls to the batter opposite him. Since the bowling and batting direction has changed the fielders adjust positions accordingly.

Even though there are only eleven players on the field there are approximately 32 different fielding positions called names only a cricket player can fathom - silly point, gully, long on, slip, deep fine leg and so on.

What makes the game even more interesting is the fact that the batsman can hit the ball in any direction - there is no foul ball. Since his other objective is to protect his wicket, the batsman doesn't have to run when he hits the ball either.

A good batsman wants to prolong his stay at bat and increase his opportunities to score. Unless he deems the ball has been hit safely enough to allow he and his partner to run to each other's wicket without getting thrown out, he will just stay put.

If the fielders are having difficulty tracking down the ball the batsmen may elect to continue running between the wickets and scoring runs until the ball is returned to play.

Outs are caused by catching a hit ball before it touches the ground, by the bowler breaking the wicket with a well placed throw, by the batsman inadvertently breaking the wicket with his bat or body, or by a defensive throw breaking the wicket before a man who is running can reach the safe area in front of each wicket.

Considering that the ball is about the same size as a baseball and quite a bit harder, catching or handling a hit or thrown ball is a skillful operation - only the wicket keeper (catcher) wears a glove.

Scoring is relatively simple. Each time the batsmen successfully exchange positions at the wicket, the batsman who hit the ball scores one run. If the ball crosses the outside boundary without touching the ground first - the cricket version of a home run - six runs are scored. Should the ball hit the pitch before crossing the boundary (similar to a ground rule double) then four runs are scored.

If you want to know more, Santa Clara Cricket Club plays every Sunday. They will probably even let you take a turn in the batters cage against a bowling machine for fun. For details, call 408-248-8754 and ask for Julie or Gregg Widdicombe.

© San Jose Mercury News