The Bowled Over Cricket Blog

Over the years, the world has witnessed numerous father-son duos in cricket, where both end up forging a career playing the "gentleman’s game".  But the cricketing relationship between Don Bradman and his father, George, was a rather special one. While George Bradman was no mug on the cricket pitch, a skilled bowler in his youth, he didn’t possess the talent to take him beyond club cricket.  A carpenter by trade, George’s skills with wood came in handy for the young Don; when his son was presented with his first bat, it was far too heavy for him so George re-fashioned it to make it a more appropriate size. In February 1921, George helped to fuel his son’s passion for cricket by taking him to an Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the closest cricket stadium to their home in Bowral.   George was no stranger to the ground.  In 1896 he was part of a carpentry team that built the formwork for a cycling track that circled the SCG, a ground that would e...

Football, cricket, hockey, tennis. Four sports that have the largest number of fans worldwide. Of that quartet, football has amassed a far larger global following than any of the other three. But just what has made football (or soccer, depending on which part of the globe you’re from) so popular? Perhaps the key to football’s popularity is its simplicity. Two teams compete to get the ball in the opponent’s goal. As straightforward as that. Sure, there may be a little more to football than first meets the eye, but even a toddler could grasp the basic concept of the sport. But not only is it simple to understand, football is easy to play too; all that is required is a small patch of land, willing participants and something that vaguely resembles a ball. It’s cheap too, allowing people from all classes of society to enjoy the beautiful game. A  football can be picked up for little more than the price of a cheese sandwich, but even that expenditure isn’t necessary; water bott...

Whether it’s because of beautiful scenery (Newlands we’re looking at you), or stunning architectural features (Lords we’re looking at you), multiple different factors make these shortlisted cricket grounds so easily identifiable, stadiums you could see an image of and instantly pinpoint. Read on to discover the top 5 most instantly recognisable cricket grounds on the planet, as well as the household names that missed the cut. Newlands, South Africa Table Mountain looming over Newlands, Source: Krishna, Flickr Famed for being one of the world’s most beautiful cricket stadiums, the iconic view of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak provide a stunning backdrop to this picturesque cricket ground. Spectators can recline on the grass banks, basking in the heat of the Cape Town sun, or sit in one of the shaded pavilions. The stadium is traditionally the host of South Africa’s New Year test match, one of the biggest fixtures in the Proteas’ sporting calendar. Historically, few matches pl...

For some of us, cricket is much more than ‘just a game’.  It is a passion, almost a religion.  So, if you ever feel the desire to embark on a cricketing pilgrimage to pay your respects to the 'gentleman's game', you need to know the top spots to visit.  Thankfully, with this handy list, deciding where to go on your worldwide celebration of cricket should be slightly easier. Happy travels. Watch a Boxing Day Test at the MCG Before those folks in Ahmedabad decided to build their monumental 110,000 seater stadium (it was completed earlier this year), the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) held the record for being the world’s largest cricket stadium - and on Boxing Day close to 100,000 Aussies cram their way into the stadium on one of the biggest days in the Australian sporting calendar.  By about 4 o’clock, after the effect of copious amount of VB (Victoria Bitter), the atmosphere can be absolutely electric, especially in the infamous Bay 13. Truly epic. Score a Ton (t...