On Sunday we took a day off from boat chores and went and participated in a New Zealand pastime. We went to a cricket game. It was the New Zealand woman’s team playing the Aussie’s, the game started at 10:30 A.M. and finished at 5:30 P.M. quite the day. We learned a lot about cricket, it was great. We had established the basic rules by watching it on TV but learned the finer points by badgering obliging Kiwis that were sitting close to us. The game consisted of each team bowling 50 overs, an over consisting of 6 bowled balls, so that is a lot of bowling!!!
There is a ton more but I won’t bore you with the details. I learned the cricket cheer, when the batsman hits the ball if it goes out of the park they get 6, (unfortunately we did not see any women hit it out of the park) if the ball rolls over the outside boundary they get 4 so if your team hits a run and the ball is heading toward the boundary and the opposition is running to stop it from going over the line you have to holler “GO THE BALL” I am quite proud of this new cheer and I find it erupting from my lips at the most inappropriate moments. I just hope there are cricket wise Kiwis about so they will understand and sympathize with my need to cheer!!! While we were at the game we had a few other Kiwi staples such as a piece of bacon and egg pie and some beer.
On Monday we watched another sports event, the Super Bowl. We went to a local bar and were very hopeful that the Cardinals would hold on to the lead and have a fairy tale ending to their season but it was not to be. Contemplating the comparison between the two sporting events I must say that I think I preferred the very athletic and sportsmanship display put on by the women cricket players to the hype and the steroid driven testosterone match that was played in the northern hemisphere. Another cruiser and I went back yesterday to watch the end of the second cricket match between the same 2 teams (we couldn’t avoid our boat chores again) We couldn’t leave until the end of the game and I am happy to report that the Kiwis took two in a row, something that hasn’t happened in quite awhile in woman’s cricket.
The rugby league is supposed to start up this week so we are planning on heading out to a game and annoying yet more unsuspecting spectators with our questions in our quest to understand another game that is not truly popular in North America. Before we arrived here there were two things I wanted to do, go to a rugby match and a cricket game. I have accomplished both, now I will just have to wait until I get to Australia to complete my Down Under wish list when I get to figure out Aussie Rules Football!!
Curling playoffs for the Scottie’s are taking place in Canada now and I am avidly following them online, once a jock, always a jock I guess.