Nemesis! Hubris!

[altariel]

We were at the cricket at the Oval yesterday, my first ever time at a cricket match, and my first time at a sporting event since, um, the opening of the World Student Games sometime in the 90s. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and this despite England not doing terribly well yesterday. The weather was glorious, the seat was comfortable, the people behind were only intermittently irritating, and the sledging was hilarious. My favourite chants of the day were: "There's only two David Gowers" (sung to one of the men sitting behind us, he being a dead ringer), and "Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!" (sung by hitherto silent Australians to Flintoff, departing very soon after a rapturous reception from the England supporters). The whole thing was very blokish, in a nice way.

I have a decent idea of how cricket works (if it doesn't get technical with concepts like "spin"): it took me a few balls to work out where the batsmen were standing (helped that England were in white and Australia in cream), a couple of overs to work out the score-board, and then perhaps a few more to unconfuse myself about who exactly batted when. After that I was thoroughly absorbed, and the books I'd taken along with me Just In Case remained in my bag. I'd happily go again; I'm only sorry we weren't there for today.

Comments

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"despite England not doing terribly well yesterday"

They did a little better today . . .

[mraltariel.livejournal.com]

And it turns out that they probably did quite well yesterday too...

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"And it turns out that they probably did quite well yesterday too..."

That was my conclusion, too. It was a lot of fun today watching the Oz fans whingeing about the pitch in their e-mails to cricinfo.com . . . Prunes, the lot of them.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Chiefly when I nipped out of the room.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Ah, you're that invaluable breed of spectator: the one who can be sent off to the bar/other useful place out of sight of the pitch in order to procure a wicket.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

:-D mraltariel's dad was the same.

[greylin.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had such a good time. I don't know if I can bear to watch tomorrow! :chews nails:

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have a feeling that jaws, victory, defeat and snatching will all be involved, but I'm not sure of the exact combination.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They're really dangling that victory in those jaws right now.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure whether to watch or not, given that they do much better when I don't...!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, one of the very few sporting events I've ever attended was also the only cricket match I've ever seen. It wasn't England vs Australia, but more like Ickfield vs Herstmonceux, in a local field in Sussex, about three years ago. I had just enough of it explained to me to appreciate it, and it's one of my favorite memories of all my trips to the UK.

I realize that this is one of those "Hey! I did that once too, but nothing like it, really!" comments, but I couldn't resist.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I realize that this is one of those "Hey! I did that once too, but nothing like it, really!" comments, but I couldn't resist.

:-D I bet a local match is just as enjoyable, if the day is nice enough - certainly for my level of understanding of the technicalities!

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

(envyenvyenvy...)

I'm so glad you had a good time. I love cricket, and one day, I swear, I'll get to a match rathyer than listen on the radio!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It was thoroughly enjoyable. I'm going along to a one day match next month, I suspect we'll make the effort to see some local matches now.

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Aha! A convert :-)

Cricket is a fabulous excuse to sit in the sun for a day, it's delightful. It's also a great accompaniment to revision, as myself and alcina2 spent a fair bit of time in college doing.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I don't why I never went before - there was loads of local cricket in the part behind our house when I was growing up, and both dad and oldest brother were great fans. I think we might start going to Fenners.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed yourselves even if England were snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They seem to be doing OK today *peeks through hands*

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

They could yet exercise their unequalled talent for throwing away a commanding position. Oh gods, I'm not going to be able to bear to watch tomorrow, I shall just jinx 'em if I do.

Anyway, glad you went and glad you had such a good time!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm peering over the screen of the laptop, trying to watch without jinxing.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Yay for enjoying the cricket. Like with peanut allergy, I was over-exposed at far to young an age and my enduring memories of cricket-watching are wishing that I could sit somewhere other than the blazing sun and read my book in peace.

Also I really like the title of this post. *thinks of running through treacle and Mr Tallboy*

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's exactly where I am with rugby league (at least I wasn't dragged along to it very often).

*thinks of running through treacle and Mr Tallboy*

:-D I reread it last night. My summer has been all cricket and Shakespeare too - only I'm not at boarding school, hurray!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that you had such a good time. But I'll still trying to work out which team those blokes Nemesis and Hubris that you mentioned play for. :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

LOL! In fact, it's a reference to The Cricket Term, a school story by Antonia Forest. Cricket is a particular obsession of the girls throughout that book. Talking about the cockiness of the fifth form team, they debate the meaning of hubris and nemesis, concluding that "nemesis is what clobbers you if hubris is what you've got". When they're surprisingly beaten by a poorer team from the Sixth, two of our heroines are seen cavorting around yelling, "Hubris! Nemesis!" So they are entirely linked with cricket in my mind :-)

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

:)

There's no doube that hubris and nemesis do crop up a lot in cricket, even outside school stories.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Ah, I clearly have to read that one next (I haven't yet taken Autumn Term back to work because I keep meaning to post about it... ditto The Thursday Kidnapping)

Bugger, though, quick search of the catalogue reveals we don't have Cricket Term. (bats eyes in your direction hopefully...)

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"I'm only sorry we weren't there for today."

And even more so today, I bet!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Too right! Ah well, Sky HD, the sofa, and some strawberries will have to do.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Just saw the Ponting dismissal on the news and it is a thing of beauty. As one of the reviews said, Flintoff made it look as easy as skimming a stone across a pond - despite being miles from the wicket and only having a split second to bring it off...