Mango Cricket Cruisers Style

Tom at bat - note the fancy wicket

Thursday may 14th, 2015

During our previous mango scrumping, we discovered that mangoes actually make good cricket balls and baseballs and the case for a Mango Cricket match was born.  Brits Claire and James of course have a proper cricket wicket onboard their boat.  We Americans would call it a folding garden seat but never mind that.  Sv Ocean Rainbow also had a bat.  It was a actually an American style baseball bat (for protection on the boat) and not a proper cricket bat but never mind that either.  We had the tools so sv Ocean Rainbow, sv Peregrine and vs Honey Ryder dinghed ashore to the cricket pitch (field) which was actually a small, grassy area with two perfect mango trees where we had gone mango scrumping before.

James batting

Being British James and Claire, marked the pitch (field) and explained the rules of cricket - at least this cricket game.....cruisers cricket....our cricket game.  However, they didn't always seem to be in agreement - hum?  If you will remember, Tom and I attended our first ever live cricket match in Antigua not long ago.  Tom started getting the feel and idea of cricket there thanks to the Auzzies with us that day.  Me?  Not so much.  But never mind that.  Now we were IN a cricket match.  

Teammate Libby - Go Libby

James had us all take practice swings hitting the mango bowls (pitches).  Our stances were of course very American baseball like with the American baseball bat.  Sometimes the mango stayed intact but more often that not, it splattered into numerous pieces.  The teams were James, Libby, me and Claire, David, Tom.  

Claire's turn -batter, batter....swing

My team batted first.  Hilarity ensued.  Each bowler (pitcher) would bowl (pitch) three times.  Tom and David used American pitching styles.  Claire used a girls softball type style.  James got several runs. Woo hoo - good start.  Then it was my turn.  I can't even remember the last time I held a baseball bat with the intent of hitting a ball - 30 years?  AND I never played softball or baseball as a kid.  Too boring, too hot, too demanding of my summer fun - no way.  I was nervous.  Would I wiff?  But I didn't, I actually hit the mango ball!  Splat!!  I don't remember exactly but I think I got two runs before getting out.  Then Libby added to our team score as well for 16.  Some rules were clarified as we played along, although I am not sure if they were real cricket rules or perhaps just mango cruisers cricket rules.  

Tom pitching...er....bowling

Now it was time for Tom's team to bat and my team to bowl and field. I tested several different styles of pitching;  baseball style, cricket style, softball style.  In the end I went with a cricket type grip and overhand throw while high stepping in slow motion that looked like something of the Karate Kid movie meets baseball pitch after several swigs of straight rum.  No!  I did not have any rum.  FYI - I was trying to psych out the batter....wink, wink.  The first time Tom hit the mango ball he started to run to an imaginary first base instead of the wicket at the other end.  D-oh!  More rules were....ahem....added.  They had to be or Tom would have stayed at bat forever and this would end up being a test match vs a goofy cruisers pastime.  After Tom hit ten runs, it was Claire's turn.  I was concern about nepotism since James was bowling to her but James was a true cricket professional bowling the mangoes with precision trying to get her out - "big meanie" Claire cried out.  Ha!  Then it was David's turn.  He hit American style and scored several runs.  

Claire bowling

After everyone had hit, James declared a break - tea time but instead if tea and biscuits, we had water and potato chips.  Everyone was covered in some sort of mango shrapnel.  We never had a second round or inning.  After the break, it was decided that it really was lunch time and then nap time - since we didn't get naps in the day before because of our river excursion.  Plus vs Ocean Rainbow and sv Peregrine were departing the next day for new islands and needed to prep.  We hugged good-bye and headed back to our boats to wash off the mango goo.  Yes, Tom and I have proper mango rashes from the scrumping and now from the mango cricket.  But it was great fun hanging with vs Ocean Rainbow and meeting sv Peregrine.