What feels like a strange season comes to an end. Poor weather was a factor of course, cricket is supposed to be a summer game but summer never really got going this year and it is a lot less enjoyable watching cricket in the cold and damp
For the month of August, I did some photography for Cricket Leinster taking in some of the multitude of finals which are crammed into the crowded final full month of the season. Honestly, after the gloom of the earlier months, I loved it.
There are a number of reasons for this feeling, first and foremost, I get to meet cricket folk and that is satisfying, particularly people who I might not necessarily see very often in a season. Even for souls like myself whose preference is for as few spoken words as possible, it is nice to see people with whom you may have had shared experience or at least the shared interest in the game. I might not remember all the names (apologies to those folk) initially but a prompt and we are back reliving our glory days.
The games took me to different places around the city, some familiar, others less so. In fact in one weekend I found myself at games in the ground of Swords CC and Adamstown CC, at venues that despite 50 years experience of the game, were completely new to me. Swords CC is based in the Newbridge Demense which was a regular venue for family trips in years past and the vibrant club now has a lovely ground in a stunning setting in the corner of the grounds. The following day I was out in the Lucan area, in a more urban environment than north Dublin but at a hugely impressive set up of Adamstown cricket club. Specifically built for the community, the playing surface is larger than Malahide CC. Currently there are two mats but it is hoped that grass wickets will be developed in due course. Both venues have decent coffee shops too, an added bonus.
The games were a great mix, of standard, of age and of gender. What was common throughout was the competitive nature of the games. Cricket Leinster President Siobhan Bennett was a constant at the games too, always with a word for both the victors and the vanquished.
The Cricket Leinster reps were my go to men and Mick and Cillain made sure that scores, updates and arrangements were on cue, I just had to get the shot and they did the rest. I was still able to watch the games and enjoy the occasions, witness the ups and downs as pressure swung games back and forward.
And there were some crackers. A few weeks later some moments stand out. Youth sport always delivers, the drama of the closing stages of the Under 13 final between Phoenix and Adamstown stand out. And then there was the sight of my great niece delivering a remarkable final over to help her team win their final and in the process jump her own height in celebration, quite a feat.
One player stood out over the weeks for me, I saw her play in one and a half adult finals (the first one was abandoned half way through) as well as her underage final. Lily Morgan stood out as a player of great potential, playing high quality shots despite her young age and relative lack of experience. Left handers are still relatively uncommon in women’s cricket even if Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield are two of the very best bats in the women’s game, so keep an eye out for this young player. It would not be the first time that I have been accused of having a bias for left handers, but I can handle the heat.
Thinking about these games made me realise something. It struck me that the women’s and girl’s games were different to those of the men’s and boy’s versions. The same in many ways, still highly competitive, two teams trying their hardest to win, giving everything that they can to come out on top. So its not about the effort that they bring to the day but different in a number of crucial ways.
I noticed in the Terenure women’s team that the dismissed batter was accompanied off the field by their partner, just having a quiet word as their part ended. I mentioned this to their coach and one of the parents and it made them laugh. They had spoken to the team previously and suggested that this was not strictly necessary. Despite this advice the girls continued the practice. I like the idea.
The female competitors appeared, to me, to be able to handle the emotions of the day much better than their male counterparts, able to understand that while they are competing to win, the nature of sport is that for someone to win, someone must lose. Us males are too caught up in the drive to be the best to recognise that this cannot always be so. Understanding that losing is a part of sport is something the male game needs to accept and allow their players to accept.
The word “sport” originates from a French word “desporter” meaning to amuse, please or play, no mention of winning. There is no intention on my part to patronise the female game with these comments, simply I found their game more enjoyable to view and they appeared to have more fun playing. It also seemed that the female version of the game brings out the better side of the attending adults, less pressure exerted from the side, less external pressure stifling skill. It is only a small sample size but these are my views based on what I saw over the month. Maybe I am wrong but you will have to convince me.
The season ended then with the two Ireland v England games in Castle Avenue. The Sunday game of course will live long in the memories of everyone who was there. The chaos of the final over, when victory swung back and forth as each team had a chance to win only to throw it away, literally in the case of the English, But what great theatre it was. Hard on the watching parents, though. It felt a bit of a throw back over the weekend, it appeared that I knew about 75% of the audience, that in itself made the occasion, an occasion .
Whether player, former player, club member or supporter, it was hard to make your way around the ground without getting into a conversation, but it made a convivial atmosphere. While the final over was stressful to watch, the innings of Orla Prendergast was a joy to watch. Having batted beautifully on Saturday, she stepped it up even further on Sunday with an innings of the highest quality. Simply, it was a fantastic innings.
After the game the sense of that same joy was evident in the players' interactions with their predominantly young supporters, who were frankly starry eyed and indeed with each other. You got a sense of a squad that enjoyed each other's company and enjoyed each other's success.
Teams often talk about “culture” but the best culture is one that you don't actually need to work on, that seems to be the feeling you get from the senior women’s team, a bunch of mates enjoying their job. There is a lesson there.
