Cricket in Bermuda

Summer is here which for me means the beginning of cricket season. I'm playing first grade here (one below premier grade) for an expat team called the Legtrappers. Like all cricket teams, is a fantastic group of guys and always keen to celebrate or comiserate appropriately afterwards.

Cricket is taken pretty seriously over here - we play two day games in whites and one day games in colours. One day games are played with full ODI rules (power plays, white ball, duck-worth lewis and strict wides), which is pretty ridiculous considering the level here but that's just how it is.

This does come with its advantages though - two umpires are provided, we're sponsore by gatorade and have unlimited drinks, we get a cooked lunch and tea, we get newspaper and radio coverage and we get decent crowds watching. Unfortunately with the crowds comes an unbelievable amount of abuse - we're the only white team on the Island so get a fair bit of stick every time we take the field.. For those used to the gentlemen's sport in New Zealand, you wouldn't believe some of the things you hear.

Our home ground is Sea Breeze Oval (pictured below). You can't really tell very wellf rom the photo but the Atlantic is to the left, a small Island straight ahead, the harbour to the right and the main islands of Bermuda behind you. An idyllic place to play cricket with the ocean on two sides (though not very idyllic when you get hit into that ocean).

We've got a pretty handy team but are yet to prove that on the field with two losses and a draw to date - we'll definitely improve though, especially with one of Bermuda's opening bowlers (Saleem) playing for us. Is great to play alongside and against people who actually played at the cricket world cup only a few months ago.