It was the ground that made the day though. Not only was it a beautiful setting on a hill getting towards the Vale of Belvoir, but we were playing on a bit of history.
Initially the pitch had the look of some kind of neolithic burial site, and when you went to field on it you felt like you were wearing some kind of gravity boots as you undulated like a drunken sailor in a storm. Luckily our team had a geography teacher on hand to explain that we were playing on a rare surviving example of ridge and furrow farmland, dating back to the 17th century at latest. Apparently the farmer who owns the cricket ground is subsidised to maintain the site as it is.
It certainly made fielding very interesting, as the ball ran up hill and down dale, although it didn't excuse my missed catch. That was caused by the ball coming out of a tree, or course. Nor my playing all around a straight one while on a colossal 8.
An 8 that raised my final season's average to an impressive 6.00.
Si
All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.08.15
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| We're here |
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| Roller porn |
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| Old tractor porn |
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| Preparation |
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| The opening skirmishes |
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| The charming little pavilion |
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| Ridge and Furrow expert |
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| Not the best of starts |
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| More cricket |
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| A defeated batsman returns |
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| What happens when a cricketer touches an electrified fence |
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| Spot the ridges and furrows |
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| Undulations |
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| More hot action |
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| Crowd prepares to riot |
Lovely pictures Si - a perfect English Summer's afternoon.
ReplyDeleteOur pastures are what we call rig and furrow and they cannot be ploughed and reseeded because of this as the idea goes back so many centuries. I often wonder if they were ploughed what treasures would be uncovered.
Thanks! I loved playing up there, and the locals are very proud of their eccentric little ground. Where they evidently don't lose very much!
ReplyDeleteLovely atmospheric photos of an English summer and cricket. Good to see ridge and furrow remains surviving near you. There was some not far from us and now its covered in houses :(
ReplyDeleteA lovely day, seems like summer is only just starting instead of finishing!
ReplyDeleteI could have played there all day, really could. Wretched football now takes over the sporting sphere
ReplyDeleteI remember a ridge-and-furrow field in the Cambridgeshire village where I was born, the pitch itself was always along the top of one of the ridges. Old Ted, who still turned out occasionally despite being in his late 60s, reckoned there were lots of grounds like this when he "were a lad". He also thought that the gully position got its name from being down in one of the dips. I've no idea if that's true.
ReplyDeleteI haven't either John, but it might be true. You would have needed a lot of gulleys on yesterday's ground for the fielders to fill!
ReplyDeleteSuch quirks die out amid our square and characterless new builds