Stygian gloom

Today I will share with you one of the many reasons I love cricket. This is more for me than for you, because I am currently very cranky with cricket—specifically with the Australian and English cricket teams—and I need to remind myself of the love.

Australia because they got out way too early: Warne? Gilchrist? I’m looking at you! Where were your centuries?

And England because they crumbled and lost five wickets. Yet a-bloody-gain.

I would like to remind you both that I have tickets for tomorrow’s play and right now I’m not seeing it go past lunch. A pox on both your houses.

I am also pretty dirty on the weather. What? You can rain all night? But barely disturb the cricket? Curse you!

But here’s my latest reason for loving cricket:

Stygian gloom has its own entry in Leigh & Woodhouse’s Cricket Glossary:

Stygian gloom: “The middle half of this game, and the end, was played out in gloom so Stygian Dickie Bird would have been reaching for the smelling-salts and a handy flashlight.” A topos for reporting on bad light at Headingley and in Hades.

5 comments

  1. Crabbi on #

    ok- you’re going to hate me for this but…can you give me a description of what cricket is?

  2. jonathan on #

    said it in email, and i’ll say it here: i understand everything that’s driving you crazy, but you get to *be there* for the closing of the curtains, the end of it all. it’ll be extraordinary, like a warnie ton, but even better.

  3. jonathan on #

    sorry it didn’t go longer, but i envy you having been there. what a moment! something to tell the grandkids about definitely.

    and now, it’s on to 20/20 on tuesday and the odis on friday. i know you prefer tests – i agree – but it’s all we’ve got for 11 months (!!) , so we might as well enjoy it.

  4. Crabbi on #

    Your guide helped me a lot. Thanks!

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