And the moment I love the most (from a fielding team’s perspective of course), is watching the umpire’s finger go straight up – into the air. This moment can be even more exciting, if, after having bowled a straight ball, which has hit the batsman on the front pad, you turn, and with arms in the air, shout “zaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!” Your appeal goes on for as long as it takes for either a shake of the head, or “the finger” from the umpire.
Your “zaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!” then either ends in a dejected walk back to start of your run-up (to the collective sigh of relief from the batting team), or a whoop of joy as everyone in your team runs up to congratulate you.
The first three weeks of Prague’s indoor winter league competition have seen many “zaaaaaaaaaaaaaat’s”, many whoops of joy and many dejected “walk-backs”. Dropped catches or not, there have been some great moments for all participating. Teams ranging from the experienced and classy, to the “just pure fun” are participating at 2 levels - the Players and the Gentlefolk. Two of our teams are U13, and tend to give the adults a good run for their money.
Last Saturday I was amused to watch two adult players (who will remain unnamed) accumulate a score of minus four in one of their overs – facing a 10-year old! Be this as it may, I admire the sportsmanship of the adult teams playing against the kids. They slow down accordingly – to the level of our kids – giving them a good chance to get some runs on the board! When the match is finished (the winner always being the older team), all our young players get a handshake and a ‘well played’. So good for their morale and confidence!
We still have 4 weeks to go, so the competition is wide-open!
Chris Newton