Beach cricket
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Beach cricket is an informal ad hoc variant of the game of cricket, played by people of both sexes and all ages in back yards, on the street, in parks, carparks and (of course) on the beach. It is also referred to as backyard cricket, although the term "beach cricket" often applies regardless of the actual location of the game.
Almost everything about beach cricket is improvised: the playing ground, the rules, the teams, and the equipment. Quite often there are no teams at all; the players take turns at batting and there is usually, but not always, no emphasis on actually scoring runs. A bat of some kind (not necessarily a cricket bat) is the first necessary item. The bat can be anything, as long as it can hit the ball and can be suitably held in the hands. A ball (usually a tennis ball) is the other essential item. The pitch can be any stretch of ground that is reasonably flat. The wicket is any convenient object - a cardboard box, a rubbish bin, case of beer, telegraph pole, a tree or (especially on the beach) an insulated drink cooler. Often, the wicket is by no means close to the official size, but it is used anyway.
Play on an actual beach can be achieved either by using the flat strip of hard-packed sand along the surf line as the pitch, or by only "bowling" gentle full tosses to avoid the problem of the ball not bouncing off loose sand.
Rules
Beach cricket rules change constantly. Often they are made up on the spot. As always with informal games, it is the unspoken rules that are most important: these are usually that all participants should have a reasonable chance to play a part regardless of age, gender, or skill level, and that no-one should be injured. Typical examples of the less important but explicit rules for a particular game might include:- First ball rule - a player cannot be given out on the first ball he/she faces.
- Six and out rule - hitting the ball over the fence (or into the water, into the big hedge, or some other area where the ball may be difficult to retrieve) counts as six runs and out. If a game is being played where runs are not scored, this rule may still apply.
- One hand, one bounce - a player can catch the batsman out even after the ball bounces if he/she takes it with one hand. The ball can only bounce once however, hence the name "one-hand, once bounce." A variation on this is that a player is out if caught one-handed after the ball has bounced off an obstacle (not the ground) such as a house, car, etc.
- No LB - the more complex and subtle rules of formal cricket (like the leg before wicket rule) are often ignored. This rule is often expanded to include no-balls and most wides (unless of course, the ball is unmistakably wide). This rule came about because of the lack of umpires in this form of the game. Indeed, the bowling and popping creases are hardly ever indicated. There is simply a general consensus to deliver the ball when at a certain area.
- Tippy-go, Tippity, Tip-and-run, Tip-hit, Hit and run or similar - if the batsman hits the ball he or she must run regardless of the distance or quality of the shot played.
- Electric wicket-keeper, or electronic wicket-keeper, automatic wicket-keeper, or auto-wiky - a rule which states that if a batsman "snicks", or edges, the ball so it goes to where a wicket-keeper might have been able to catch him out, then the batsman is out, regardless of the fact that he was not physically caught out. Electric/automatic wicket-keeper is often a feature of backyard games played in house driveways and against garage doors, where it is physically impossible for any player to take the fielding position of wicket-keeper. Of course, if there is a person playing at 'keeper, the electric/automatic wicket-keeper rule does not apply; an electric/automatic slip fieldsman might be called into play instead.
- Magic Fielders, similar to the automatic wicket keeper rule, magic fielders can range from a chair to a hose, and the rule states that any magic fielder that is hit on the full will be recorded as out.
- Hit and Roll rule - a rule in which fielders who retrieves balls hit by the batsman are given the opportunity to get the batsman out by rolling the ball from that point towards the batsman's bat which is laid flat on the ground facing the fielder. If the ball rolls and hits the bat then the batsman is out and is replaced by that fielder. If the ball is only hit within a short distance, then instead of laying the bat down, the batsman swings the bat like a pendulum and the fielder targets the swinging bat. Another variant involving balls which are only hit over short distances is that the batsman holding his bat with the edge facing the fielder. The fielder aims to target this to get the batter out as above.
- Peg - after the batsman has struck the ball they do not run. Once the fielder has the ball, they may throw it at the batsman's wicket. If the fielder hits the wicket, then the batsman is out and it is the fielder's turn to bat. Alternatively, if the batsman is caught or bowled then the fielder resposible bats next.
In some parts of the world, beach cricket (and other similar games) is one of the very few truly child-like activities that modern adults may participate in without attracting social stigma, and one of the dwindling number of adult activities that are accessible to children.
In India, it is also known as gully cricket.
References
The sociology of play, especially adult play, is a curiously neglected field, but a starting point is Roger Caillois' Man, Play and Games (University of Illinois Press, 2001, ISBN 025207033X.)
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