Photo fun at the local cricket ground

Some time ago Bruce W. invited me to watch a cricket game when he was playing for Stroud Cricket Club and I volunteered to take some photos. He plays regularly for one of their many teams and also takes photos of the action to give to his fellow players.

We’ve known each other for some years and have even worked together on a couple of projects for which he has provided his graphic design skills and occasional photography. He is from New Zealand but has lived here for many decades and married our friend Dom, which is how we got to know each other.

It is near the end of the season, so this might have been the last chance to take photos as I’m often busy at weekends. The game was between members of the club rather than another team, pitching players of differing skill levels, as well as having several women playing.

I only watched the first innings with Bruce opening the batting. Here he is standing at the bowler's end waiting to run. He was in for at least thirty minutes and scored 17 runs, so I managed to get a range of shots of his batting, but sadly not the shot from which he was finally caught in the covers! I’ve chosen to blip a picture which epitomises local cricket, as well as adding an ‘Extra’ of a ‘Howzat?’ moment when the bowler’s ball hits the stumps and the bails go flying, although you have two look closely to see them! Thank you, Bruce. I had a great time, and was made very welcome by all the players. 

If I was a bit younger and much fitter I’d think about joining the club. I did play at two schools when I was of school age, but was never as good a player as I was at hockey and rugby, but I did enjoy cricket very much and watching it is a pleasure to this day. One of the current English players even went to the same school as I did, so I follow his involvement with rather more interest than others.