Howzat! (23 page)

We got to the library a few moments later. It was decked out in green and gold. A table in the front,
draped in a white tablecloth, had an array of small trophies and plaques spread across it. Other tables held enormous plates of food.

‘Wow!’ Jimbo said, dumping his bag and racing off to the nearest table. The place was packed with people. I recognised kids, coaches and parents from the other teams in the Under-13 cricket competition. The only club that seemed thinly represented was the Scorpions. There were rumours that it was folding. Already players were looking for other clubs. Mr Smale, its owner, had supposedly disappeared up north. No one knew exactly where.

Mr Pasquali, our cricket coach, and Alistair, owner of the amazing Master Blaster virtual cricket machine, were both there. It was good to see the two of them chatting and both looking excited. Maybe Mr Pasquali was doing a deal to get the Master Blaster to school? I would definitely have a chat with him about it.

It turned out that some of the coaches, along with Dad and David, had organised for the Best and Fairest night to be held here at the MCG—in the library. They just hadn’t got around to telling me. Jimbo, Scott and all the others knew.

I grabbed a seat next to Georgie when David finally got hold of the microphone to start the formal part of the evening. He told a few funny cricket stories and then passed the microphone over to Mr Pasquali, who as winning coach got the job of calling out the votes. The player with the most votes from each team automatically won their club’s best and
fairest. The player with the most votes won the overall Len Dalton Best Player award.

After three rounds it became pretty obvious that it was out of three players—Scott, a kid called Dean Turnbull and myself.

‘You know what your problem is?’ Georgie leaned over and whispered in my ear, as Mr Pasquali cleared his throat to start the fourth round of votes.

‘Tell me.’

‘Our team was so damn good that we’re all taking votes from you.’ I’d had the same thought myself, but now that Georgie had spelled it out I relaxed a little. I’d had a big enough year cricket-wise—and otherwise.

Scott ended up winning.

‘Geez, what’s changed him?’ Georgie whispered as he politely shook hands with the officials out the front. He stepped over to the microphone. From nowhere the image of Scott being taken over by a Grubber suddenly flashed into my mind, the spirit of an old cricketer somehow causing the major personality change. Shaking my head, I tried to banish the thought from my brain.

‘What?’ Georgie whispered.

‘I’ll tell you later,’ I said, staring intently at Scott’s face. Surely not! He began speaking.

‘Um, yeah, well it’s been a pretty eventful season, what with me changing clubs halfway through and everything.’ He looked up and met my gaze. ‘Um, I guess I really owe this to the guys at Riverwall, where I’ve played nearly all my cricket, and especially Toby
Jones, who’s shown me a few things about cricket…’ I shook my head slightly. He grinned. ‘And if he and the others at Riverwall will let me come back and play then that’d be awesome.’

He stepped away from the microphone looking almost embarrassed at the long ovation he was receiving.

While Dad and David reminisced, we walked outside to the viewing area, finding a row of seats that looked out over the ground. For a while none of us spoke, each person soaking up the atmosphere of the MCG and reliving the amazing adventures of the past few months.

‘I’m looking forward to staying in my own time and playing cricket,’ I said finally, sighing.

‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’ Jimbo slapped his legs and stood up.

‘Where are you going?’ I asked, moving in my seat.

‘Never you mind.’ The others stood but Georgie suddenly squeezed my hand.

‘Stay a moment longer,’ she said, smiling. I shrugged, relaxing back in the seat. We sat there in silence again, gazing out over the ground. Georgie’s hand was still in mine when a quiet voice started speaking from the row behind.

‘Toby, my boy, you were right about that scoreboard.’

‘Jim!’ I cried, jumping up. Behind him was a wall of people, staring down at us and smiling, Mum, Dad
and Natalie in the middle of them all. They’d snuck up behind us. Slowly they moved down, but Georgie and I managed to grab the two seats on either side of him. ‘The scoreboard?’

Jim nodded towards the large electronic scoreboard. ‘Well, we felt it was necessary to modernise a few aspects of the Timeless Cricket Match,’ he smiled. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that the old scoreboard is still there, but there’s no need for me to be there with it.’

‘And the game’s going well?’

‘Oh, it’s chugging along at a rare old rate. There’s a good crowd building and one day I’ll return, as will you, Toby.’

‘But not yet, Jim.’

Jim looked at me, his eyes twinkling. ‘Oh no, Toby Jones. Not yet. We’ve much to do here first.’

‘Like?’ I said, suddenly fearing another frightening encounter of some sort with a spook from cricket’s past.

‘Well, for a start we need to get that cover drive of yours working; and then there’s a leg cutter which I want you to develop—’

‘Oh, is that all?’

‘
Is that all?
’ For the first time in ages I saw Jim laugh; really laugh. From the belly. Finally he stopped shaking. ‘Well, perhaps the odd little escape to a cricket match in the past. What do you think, Toby?’

‘I think that’s a good idea.’

It wasn’t our home ground, but it was close enough. The organisers of the Junior World Cup had scheduled cricket matches across the suburbs. International coaches and talent scouts mingled with old men walking their dogs and people strolling with pushers. It was World Cup cricket in their backyard! But Jimbo, Scott and I, the three Victorian representatives, were familiar enough with the ground. It was the Scorpions’ home ground, and although we hadn’t played on this particular oval, it was close enough.

We lined up opposite the New Zealand team for the national anthems.

‘You reckon they’ll do a haka?’ Scott whispered as we moved forwards to shake hands a few minutes later.

‘Good luck,’ I mumbled nervously, shaking hands with each of them. We had lost the toss and were fielding. I would be bowling the first over of the game.

The day was cool and overcast but there was still a huge crowd of people gathered around the ground. Cars filled the surrounding streets. Dad and Jim had arrived earlier and grabbed a great spot. I noticed that lots of other families from the Riverwall team, including Georgie, Ally and the rest of the gang, had joined them.

There was a real tension in the air and a sudden calm descended over the ground as our captain, a guy
from Western Australia, made some last-minute adjustments to the field. I tossed the ball from hand to hand, looking around the oval.

‘Play!’ the umpire finally called, dropping his arm. Someone in the crowd started clapping and noise and excitement filled the air.

‘Come on, Toby!’ two deep, male voices suddenly yelled out. Despite my nerves I smiled. I knew who they were.

The Twenty/20 records and general cricket information contained in
Howzat!
were correct when the book was written. But cricket records change all the time, especially in Twenty/20!

To keep up with the latest, check out the worldwide web. Sites like www.cricinfo.com have all kinds of statistics.

Things that help me with my fielding:

• Good stretching program to maintain flexibility.
  
• Maintaining good balance by bending knees slightly and leaning towards the direction of the batsmen.
  
• Short sharp catching practice done repetitively in order to improve my reaction time.
  
• Keeping my arm nice and high as I throw (my elbow should be level with my shoulder when I throw).
  
• Being alert at all times.
  
• Thinking to myself as each ball is bowled that the next one is going to come to me.
  

Things I learned as a kid:

• Be enthusiastic in the field.
  
• Remain positive at all times.
  
• Believe that you can force a run-out at any position in the field.
  
• It is essential to warm up before a match to make sure your muscles and bones are prepared for physical activity.
  
• Always wear a hat and sunscreen in the field to keep you cool and allow you to remain focused.
  
• You can never practise enough.
  

Things that help me with my bowling:

• I stretch for a minimum of half an hour before I bowl to allow my muscles enough time to get warm.
  
• I measure out and mark my run-up prior to the start of each game.
  
• I practise my run-up and shadow bowl (in other words, I practise with no ball in my hand).
  
• I choose a spot on the wicket where I would like the ball to land, and I maintain eye contact with that spot while I am running in.
  
• After I let go of the ball, I complete my followthrough to allow the ball to go in the right direction to prevent a jolting motion.
  
• With two fingers down the front seam and thumb on the bottom of the seam, I try to keep this position through my run-up and bowling, which will allow the ball to swing.
  

When I was a kid:

• I practised every spare moment with my father, brothers, or friends in the backyard and down at the local park.
  
• I asked my coach as many questions as I could about any bowling tips he might have to help me become a better bowler.
  
• I attended every training session.
  
• I watched cricket videos, read cricket books and went to watch live cricket games to improve my skills and knowledge.
  
• I taped up one side of a tennis ball with electrical tape to practise swing bowling.
  
• I always practised with a friend or family member as an umpire to get a feel of a game situation.
  

Things that help me with my batting:

• Practising quick footwork to get myself in the right position, no matter what type of bowler will be bowling at me.
  
• Having a lot of net sessions over an hour period to help maintain my concentration at the crease
  
• Choosing the right weighted bat that is appropriate to my style and the playing conditions.
  
• Watching the ball like a hawk and keeping my eye on the seam as the bowler releases the ball
  
• Playing with soft hands to help with my timing of the ball.
  
• Wearing the right protective equipment for maximum comfort and protection.
  

When I was a kid:

• I listened to my coach’s advice on playing different shots (shot selection is very important!!).
  
• I hit a ball against a fence with a skinny bat or stump to work on my reflexes.
  
• I had my dad bowl to me in the backyard for hours on end.
  
• I constantly challenged myself against older bowlers to improve my batting techniques.
  
• I used a skipping rope to work on footwork and maintain fitness.
  
• I always practised batting with my elbow nice and high while I was hitting a shot.
  

T
HE 10 WAYS OF BEING DISMISSED

1. Bowled
   
2. Caught
   
3. Hit wicket
   
4. Stumped
   
5. LBW (leg before wicket)
   
6. Run out
   
7. Handled the ball
   
8. Hit the ball twice
   
9. Obstructing the field
   
10. Timed out