French cricket

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French cricket. Note upward scooping of bat and legs held close together by batter. Game being played at Jervis Bay, Australia, a popular holiday location.

French cricket is a form of cricket that creates a game similar to catch.[1] The game can be played socially at picnics and parties or on parks and beaches.[2] It is a form of cricket that can include children of varied ages.

Not all participants need to be fully involved, and spectators can make a catch and have a bat (informally).[

dubious ] In India
children often play this game with a plastic or rubber ball, it is called as "Bat-Ball" or "Catch-Catch", and in some parts of Australia the game is referred to as "toey", derived from the word 'toe' (as feet are a target for dismissal, see below).

Game play

There is only one

Leg Before Wicket", but as there are no stumps, this method of dismissal is effected by a bowled ball hitting the batter's legs typically below the knees. [a] Once the batter is dismissed, the other participant who took the catch or effected the LBW
typically replaces them as batter, and the game-play begins again. There are many varieties of additional rules. The batter may be obliged to stay with their legs in the same place, facing the same way for the whole of their innings; they may remain in the same place but be permitted to change their stance if they effect a shot by hitting the ball; or, they may be able to freely move around after playing a shot. The batter may also score runs in some variations of the game.

Rules

The batsman stands stationary with the bat protecting their legs, their legs being the "stumps" of formal cricket.[3] Whichever other player has the ball throws it at the batsman attempting to dismiss them by hitting their legs. If the batsman hits the ball, the other participants may also dismiss the batman by a catch.[4][5]

Players

French cricket is most commonly played by children, or mixed groups of children and adults. Adults sometimes play the game as an event diversion during outdoor parties or on picnics.[4] If the game is played more seriously, players take turns to bat and the player who batted for the most balls or the longest time is considered the winner.

Equipment

The type of equipment is not restricted to cricket equipment, but there are only two items used. The ball is typically a

tennis racquet
, or some other object that can be used as like a cricket bat. Albert Camus, in his book The First Man, describes (page 34) the game of Canette Vinga [6] played with a cigar shaped bit of wood rather than a ball. The batter stands in a circle and the bowler has to get the pointed piece of wood to land in the circle, whilst the batter tries to hit it far away. Camus calls the game "Poor man's tennis" (page 35) but it is much nearer to French Cricket.

Batting

The player holding the bat, the batsman, is required to block and defend their "wicket", with the batsman's legs taking the place of the stumps. The batsman is not allowed to move their legs, and in some variants, the batsman can only hit the ball in a direct upward or scooping-like motion.

Fielding

Any number of fielders can stand around the batsman, and any fielder can bowl at the batsman from any angle.

In India normally players can stand front, left and right side but can not stand behind the batsman and baller must bowl, all the balls, full toss to batsman and the batsman should hit ball in the air but he should not hit far from all filder's reach.

Rule varieties

Batting

Fielding

  • In one variation, once the fielder has fielded the ball they cannot take any steps until they have bowled the ball or passed the ball to another fielder. Passes to fielders can be thrown overarm or sidearm but to get a batter out with a direct throw the fielder must throw the ball underarm.
  • Sometimes the batsman can be caught out "one-hand one-bounce". When this rule is applied, the batsman will also be dismissed if the catcher takes the ball with one hand after it has bounced only once.

Origin of the name

Suggested possibilities include juxtaposition with the English origin of regular cricket.

French cut" in the sport of cricket is a poorly executed cut shot which almost gets a batsman out. The name may also have arisen from the similarity of the batting motion to the one used in croquet which while not a French game is sometimes assumed to be French because of its name.[citation needed
]

See also

References

  1. ^ "activityvillage.co.uk". Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  2. ^ "Mocomi.com: French Cricket". 17 August 2012. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  3. ^ "KidsSport_Frenchcricket" (PDF). Department of Sports and Recreation of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  4. ^ a b c Fennell, Tim (2009-08-13). "Sort of sport - French cricket". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  5. ^ "HITTING WITH A CRICKET BAT ACTIVITY 271 FRENCH CRICKET" (PDF). Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  6. , retrieved 2022-10-30

Notes

  1. ^ In India, in this type of cricket, batter can be out only by catching the ball by fielders and bowler.