A little post for September! Yeah! After the heat wave that we have all experienced again this year my brain needed a bit of rest indeed! And since I mentioned already a long time ago, I am going to explain to you the strange experience a proper continental lady can face when it comes to... Cricket, of course (since beer is actually fine now).

And since I am lucky enough to live next door to one of the biggest cricket grounds in the UK, I am really ashamed to confess that I never managed to put a step in, in spite of my well-known curiosity. But then, I have to say I have really good reasons: first of all, cricket tickets are actually really expensive (just have a look at the guy counting his money out of the underground station when a game is on and you will understand), the facetious weather (yes, I still love using personifications, even in English) and of course my complete un-understanding of the rules of such an activity ('cause can you really call it a sport, honestly ?)
It has been 3 and half years ~~and half~~ yesterday that I moved to London therefore I consider my level of britishness quite high (I even put milk in my cup of tea now... And like cheddar cheese) I have to say that cricket is definitely the most obscure thing I have ever come across. Since even after having had the rules explained a few times, I still don't understand anything. So I investigated a bit further to understand the reasons of my persisting ignorance so here are the potential explanations:

1/ I am particularly stupid

2/ I am too continental (none of my parents comes from a Common Wealth country which might explain it since I have noticed there are ONLY countries from the Common Wealth that seem to find it an interest, and NO! France has not been part of the British Empire!)

3/ I have better things to do than trying to get the point of such a ridiculous game

To be perfectly honest, I think the real reason is the 3rd option. Even though it is "a nice day out" according to my flatmate (answer to the question: what is the point for me to go and watch a game if I don't understand the rules and for the 20th time you failed at explaining them to me?). I can understand that (considering that you have to rely on the British weather, I think that it is a bit insane, but well) but spending 80GBP to get sunburnt or drenched (tick the appropriate box), drink beer, read your paper (nothing can happen for 3 hours and a game can last for several days, so every now and again you need to DO something slightly productive), to have a nap on a rather uncomfortable seat, and from time to time, take a look at some guys running on the pitch in a rather strange outfit, apparently made to collect the honey from a beehive or something like that, I think I'd better give my money to a charity. Since for doing the same activity (including the beehive collection part), I can do that while lying in the park next door. It costs me nothing and on top of that avoids me to loose a few brain cells in the company of fans full of beer (my adventurous trips our of the house after a game can prove it, this is NOT a gentlemen's sport.)

Every now and again I try to get a new set of explanations to eventually understand why I actually cannot get in the tube station when a game is on(generally after a game therefore after having been pestering that I cannot even leave my house), none of my cricket-fan-friends is able to simply and clearly explain me the rules. I therefore came to the conclusion that the level of understanding of the game was going lower and lower meanwhile the level of beer consumption was getting higher and higher. In other words, by 2:00 PM, only a very few people in the audience are able to follow up what's going on the pitch.

But isn't it really British at the end to design a sport during which you can have a beer, read your paper, talk about the weather with your neighbour, without getting disturbed by too much enthusiasm? Indeed my dear...

“The art of spelling is to French people what is cricket to English. There are indeed similar since they are both impossible to understand by foreigners, as well as by natives.” - Alain Schifred

Cricket F(or)ever

Partager cet article