Spain vs. Germany on Sunday

[leandroide]

Mmmm.... Nadal

That was easy!

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

R NADAL (Spa) beat A MURRAY (SCO )
6-3 6-2 6-4

Originally Posted by leandroide

Mmmm.... Nadal

That was easy!

yah, rub it it why don't yah...

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

yah, rub it it why don't yah...

Chin Up.

A Murray could still make it to the Wimbledon final this year .

[leandroide]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

yah, rub it it why don't yah...

Ups! In english, please?

Wait!... I'm going to use my Collins Dictionary!

No use! Too much BBC english course and too few real english!

[Patricia]

Thank heavens that you aren't trying to follow cricket. That is really mystifying, chronophageous, and a very eccentric game altogether.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Chin Up.

A Murray could still make it to the Wimbledon final this year .

pffft...

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Thank heavens that you aren't trying to follow cricket. That is really mystifying, chronophageous, and a very eccentric game altogether.

oh tell me about it !!! i'm reading the mike and psmith stories by PG Wodehouse right now, and he keeps going on about the cricket games, and it's just like gibberish !!! rattling on about a "century" here and "wickets" there and posts and batting and runs and who knows what else... mystifying is the LEAST you can say. i'm hoping cricket is a little less important in the next books (i'm still in the first one of this series). i love wodehouse but i had to give up on "the oldest member" series because even he can't make golf interesting, and i fear the same may be true of cricket. although at least this book isn't principally about that.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh tell me about it !!! i'm reading the mike and psmith stories by PG Wodehouse right now, and he keeps going on about the cricket games, and it's just like gibberish !!! rattling on about a "century" here and "wickets" there and posts and batting and runs and who knows what else... mystifying is the LEAST you can say. i'm hoping cricket is a little less important in the next books (i'm still in the first one of this series). i love wodehouse but i had to give up on "the oldest member" series because even he can't make golf interesting, and i fear the same may be true of cricket. although at least this book isn't principally about that.

I feel a "locust" coming on....

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh tell me about it !!! i'm reading the mike and psmith stories by PG Wodehouse right now, and he keeps going on about the cricket games, and it's just like gibberish !!! rattling on about a "century" here and "wickets" there and posts and batting and runs and who knows what else... mystifying is the LEAST you can say. i'm hoping cricket is a little less important in the next books ....

But, but, but ... cricket is a glorious game (even the versions that take less than 5 days to reach a draw ).

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

But, but, but ... cricket is a glorious game (even the versions that take less than 5 days to reach a draw ).

glorious, possibly ; "glorious" and "mystifying" not being mutually exclusive (far from it) i believe i can let me original comment stand.

edit : sparrow, if you can explain cricket to me in 500 words or less and preferably in basic english, it would be a great help to me. i admit to a mild fascination for any game that opaque, my utter indifference towards organised sports notwithstanding.

[HarryT]

A good explanation here:

http://members.tripod.com/~scienceof...scription.html

[zelda_pinwheel]

a good example of why reading about cricket is like reading jabberwocky translated into japanese and back again :

INNINGS - An innings has actually several term usages in cricket. (1) It is a turn of a batsman to bat, (2) a turn of a team to bat, or (3) when results are being given, it is when one team still has a turn to bat but has scored more runs than the opposing team (which has completed its two innings.)

[zelda_pinwheel]

another good example :

WICKET - The word "wicket" has four meanings in cricket. First, it is the goal, consisting of three stakes, which two sticks lay on top of. The batsman defends them and the bowler attempts to hit. Secondly, it is a turn to bat. Thirdly, a wicket is, in scoring, if a side is batting last, it is the number of batsmen who have to be put out (dismissed) when the opponent's score is passed. And lastly, it is the area between two sets of stumps (also known as pitch.)

[HarryT]

The technical vocabulary of any subject is baffling to those who have no knowledge of the subject.

Cricket is basically a very simple game. You have two teams of 11 players. One side bats, the other side tries to get the batsmen out. The main method of scoring is to either run between the wickets (a length of 22 yards - one "chain"), or to hit the ball over the boundary of the field. The main methods of getting a batsman out are either that he hits the ball and the ball is caught before touching the ground, or that the bowler hits the wicket with the ball (there are various other methods, but they are less common). A team bats until all their men are out, and then they swap over, and the other team bats. The side which ends up with the highest score wins.

Questions?

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

...sparrow, if you can explain cricket to me in 500 words or less and preferably in basic english, it would be a great help to me. i admit to a mild fascination for any game that opaque, my utter indifference towards organised sports notwithstanding.

I've had a crack, it wouldn't stand up in a court of law - but here goes (495 words according to MS Word):

Cricket -
2 teams of 11 players.
1 team 'fields' while the other 'bats'.
A coin toss gives one team’s captain the right to choose whether to bat or field first.
The fielding team's captain arranges his side around the field of play.
The batting team send in two men to bat, they stand 22 yards apart in front of 'wickets' - three wooden sticks (stumps) topped with two wooden pieces (bails), their area is called the 'batsman's crease'.
One of the fielding team - the ‘wicket keeper’ will - generally be behind the batsman’s wicket, since this is a productive fielding position for catches and run outs (see below).
One of the fielding team 'bowls' at one of the batsmen, by throwing the cricket ball from one wicket towards the other. It must get within hittable distance of the batsman. The bowler must not step over the crease before releasing the ball. The delivery must be from a straight arm. If an unfair ball is bowled, the batting team are awarded an extra run, and the bowler has to try again.
The batsman attempts to hit the ball away from the wickets, and score ‘runs’ by running from one wicket to the other - one ‘run’ for each length completed. His partner likewise runs so they are always at opposite ends. Both batsmen must make it to the far crease to score one run, which is credited to the one who hit the ball.
If the ball travels to the field boundary it scores 4, if it flies over the boundary it scores 6.
After an 'over' - 6 fair balls bowled - the fielding side bowl from the other wicket.
Batsmen can be ‘out’ if a fair ball breaks the wicket (bowled), if they are caught by a fielder, if the ball would have broken the wicket but was impeded by the batsman's leg (out - leg before wicket), or if they are out of their crease when the wicket is broken (run out). (There are a few more obscure ways to be out.) The batsman leaves the field of play and is replaced by a team-mate.
A team is out when ten of their batsmen have been dismissed; their 'innings' is over.
A team can also 'declare' if they think they have scored enough runs, and want to leave enough time to dismiss the other team. They forfeit their remaining batsmen.
(In short forms of the game, an innings will not exceed a certain number of overs.)
The team that scores the most runs wins.
A draw results if time runs out before the final innings has been completed, or if the runs scored are equal.
A ‘test’ match is played by two countries over 5 days – the longest form of the game. Each team is allowed two innings – side 1, side 2, side 1, side 2.