Matty Prior's Number One Fan

Hello to all expecting / hoping for a blog yesterday. I made a lovely video, edited it and it looked great. But sadly it didn't want to upload to Blogger, so I gave up.

Yesterday I went to see some cricket (shock, horror). The KFC Big Bash is the biggest domestic cricket tournament over here in Australia, and luckily enough for me, Tasmania were playing Victoria at the Bellerive Oval last night, which is only 20 mins away. With tickets being only 8 bucks (because the ticket lady thought I was still a child) I thought I'd pop along to see what it's all about.

While I have no real preference between the Tassie Tigers or the Vics Bushrangers, I don't like watching sport as a neutral, so I decided to choose a team to support to keep me interested. Tasmania had Essex's own Ryan "Ten Inch" ten Doeschate, the "Flying Doormat" Rana Naved, and Mark "Hefty" Cosgrove. However, Victoria had Dirk "The Diggler" Nannes, as well as Matt "England's Ashes Winning Hero" Prior, who was making his Big Bash dayboo. So I put on my England shirt and decided to support the Bushrangers. Go Vics! (If those names mean nothing to you, don't worry)

The Bellerive Oval is reknowned as being one of the most beautiful grounds in world cricket, and when I got there, I could certainly see why. It all seems so small, and from someone who regularly goes to Lord's (and was at the SCG last week), I'm not really used to small cricket grounds. But Bellerive really is dinky. While there is one normal sized stand at one end (and the modern pavilion at the other), square of the wicket (to the sides) are two stands with about 10 rows in them. For those of you who know - remember Coney Hall's one stand? That's about double the length and height of those two. And if it were even possible, they haven't even bothered making a new stand next to those, with a grassy hill taking up a good quarter of the perimeter. But I like it, everyone's really close to the action and feels part of the match.

After a rain delay reduced the match to fifteen a side (F15 doesn't really have the same ring to it), luckily there was no further precipation. For the game itself? Tas won the toss and stuck the Vics in to bat. Struggling with the conditions, Vics lost some early wickets, and were always behind where they should have been. Thanks mainly to Matt "Ashes Winning Hero" Prior's quickfire 50, they got to 107/8. Below par. Tas then went on to chase it down comfortably, and got there after only 11 overs. It was a thumping.

I said earlier how I was supporting the Vics. Mainly I was supporting Matty Prior. Maybe I should have thought about how everyone else in the ground was supporting Tas, and that Prior was part of an England side which had just humiliated the Aussies, so he was public enemy number one. After clapping and cheering the Vics before Prior came out to bat (on my own), I was certainly the only one who cheered his entry, with everyone else booing him. However, every run he scored, I was up applauding. I was sitting (standing because the ground was wet) on the hill, under the big screen, and when Prior hit one of his numerous boundaries (including one six that went out of the ground - sounds impressive but seriously even I could probably tonk one over the "main stand") he'd look to the screen to see how far he'd hit it. He would almost certainly have seen me with my England shirt and pink Middlesex flag giving him what appeared to be a standing ovation after every shot. So when he reached his half century (to near silence from the crowd), he first waved his bat in thanks to the Vics dressing room, and then over to the hill. To me. (Probably).

Maybe he was just being polite and waving to the crowd. But deep down, he knows. I know. That Matt Prior, who only the other day was celebrating an Ashes triumph at the SCG, waved his bat to thank his most loyal supporter, who'd flown all the way across the world, just to see him bat in this twenty20 game at the smallest ground in the world. I felt honoured. Touched. Matty P (because that's what I'd call him) would come across after the game to see me, and invite me out for drinks. He'd give me tickets to every Vics game in the Big Bash, as well as flights out to them. He'd give me his phone number, and say that we should go out back in England with Swanny, Jimmy and Straussy. While I was daydreaming, Prior took a big swipe at his next ball, missed it, and was bowled. He didn't acknowledge the hill as he walked off. Maybe not, then.

After the game finished, I was meant to get a $30-40 taxi back from Bellerive to Hobart (other side of the harbour). However, after wandering back and forth looking for a vacant cab, I saw a bus with the sign "Hobart City" on it. I jumped on, and it took me to Hobart City. I have no idea if I should have paid. I didn't. But one way or another, it took me back into Hobart, and I walked the 10 minutes back home.

Hope that epic made up for not having a blog yesterday. I have been thinking of doing a question and answer thing on here (just to keep me occupied when there isn't cricket on), so if you have a question you want to ask me just write it in the comment section below, and I'll answer them!

Stay safe, Will