Backyard Cricket

[Vader]

I was helping a friend with his garden over the weekend and noted that it was too small for a game of backyard cricket. Expanding my thoughts a little further, I realised that most housing estates built in the last 30 years were the same - very few McMansions have room in the back yard for even a shortened pitch, let alone somewhere for the bowler's run up.

When I was growing up I spent hours playing cricket in the backyard, against my brother and my friends. The time spent playing here far and away exceeded the time spent at formal cricket practice or playing on the weekend.

All of this begs the question.. is the shrinking of Australian backyards at least partially to blame for the decline in the standard of young cricketers in this country?

 

[ROSEMVP]

We used to play out in the driveway.

 

[big_e]

Pretty much all Andrew Hilditch's fault.

 

[Kram]

Poms seem to be going alright a the moment, I doubt many of them had backyards.

 

[kidgorgeous]

Where a lot of techniques are refined, on the greentops of the yard. Get the Academy to fix a yard there with windows at catcahble height to get the batsman to adjust and hit the ball along the ground...

 

[Tyberious Funk]

All of this begs the question.. is the shrinking of Australian backyards at least partially to blame for the decline in the standard of young cricketers in this country?

IMHO, it's a bigger issue than that.

When I was growing up, we played sports pretty much from the moment we got home from school, until we were called in for dinner. Didn't matter the sport... didn't matter the yard. If we were playing cricket, it was usually in someone's back yard. But if we were kicking a football around, we'd probably head to the nearest park or oval.

But kids these days are spending more time inside, playing computer games or watching TV. They are getting fatter, and more sedentary. And, with so many families having BOTH parents working, there is less opportunity for someone to be home to get involved and encourage kids to be active.

Smaller backyards are just a reflection of a changing society. I figure it MUST reduce the potential talent pool for champion sportspeople.

 

[ROSEMVP]

you do bring up a great point. it shrinks the talent pool.

 

[John Dorian]

This remind's me of a book I have called "First Tests" which is about the lifestyle of star Australian cricketers growing up and their games of Cricket in their living environment when they were growing up. It notes that these days, with the building of more homes, closer to each other gives a lack of backyard space required to play cricket in the backyard.

Also with parents preferring their kids to stay at home to be safe, plus the factor of television, Internet and video games, the author predicts a decline of start cricketers of the future, as all the legendary players from the past played some form of cricket, whether it be on the streets or in the backyard, as much as they could, which is something we do not see very much of today.

The book is by Steve Cannane and it is a very good read.

 

[Dan]

You might be onto something Vadar

In the house I grew up as a kid...our front yard and drive way was quite big....so it was perfect for cricket

Couple school mates live in courts...so those type of streets are also very good for some cricket.

 

[Wallaby]

Steve smith obviously learnt his batting technique in the backyard.

 

[Macca19]

Just bought a house on a double block with the perfect backyard for cricket. woohoo!

My backyard was relatively small so we played in the garage and still made it interesting, but my best mate had a great driveway for cricket and we had many many years of playing cricket out the front of his house. I recieved a mini cricket game for Xmas one year which was for playing inside the house with a mini cricket bat, stumps and ping pong balls as the cricket ball. Used to play some mad games down the hallway.

 

[Smoooothy]

my old backyard cricket pitch...

http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-34.301999,138.916106&z=19&t=k&nmd=20101007

hours of play were generally when we got home from school until tea time (which was the "scheduled" lunch break) and then once the dishes were done until we couldn't see the ball anymore

many epic battles were fought on this hallowed piece of concrete!

(was a very sad day when the olds sold this place)

 

[Belnakor]

I remember bowling a particular brand of shocking off-spin to a mate of mine for an entire saturday, i think by the end of the day he was on 600 not out. Character building

 

[stmookeyj]

So many people in high places (council) also frown upon people even having a walk around, let alone a kick on an oval these days. Schools were always a good place for a hit but they're that concerned now with stalkers and paedophiles wandering on the grounds that now you can't even go on there without having police clearance. You can't have a casual hit on the road because someone will call the cops etc.


When I was a teenager there was plenty of time and places for a hit, and enough room too. Even if there was restricted space it was like having a net. Even wander out to back paddocks that someone cracked the shits about thinking that this wasn't even a park. Heck because of the floods and the fear of no grass and flies and all that shit, the usual Australia Day bash was canned for this year a fortnight ago.