Beer, balls and boos - all part of Aussie cricket
Tue 05 February 2008
Jessica Poulton, Design and Communication
I attended the one-day match between Australia and India on February 3, my first live cricket experience, to find the behaviour of the crowd at the Gabba nearly as interesting to watch as the cricket itself.
Rain threatened the match before it even began, which I thought might dampen spectators’ spirits (no pun intended), but found that instead it seemed to do the reverse.
The rain held off for most of the first innings, before finally arriving and stopping play for about an hour. During the break in play many spectators used the time to stretch their legs or buy food and drinks, while numerous others headed to a pub across the road (presumably with cheaper beer than the Gabba), returning in an even louder and merrier state than before.
The loudest noise the Australian supporters made was the collective “boo” that arose when Harbhajan Singh walked out to bat, closely followed by the cheer that erupted when he was caught out just minutes later.
Being my first time at the cricket, it was disappointing not to see a full match due to the rain. But I also now realise that the match itself is really only a small part of the overall experience.
Several times a loud “boo” began, and I quickly looked to see what I had missed in the match, before realising it was simply a reaction to an inflatable ball having landed on the field before being deflated by a police officer or security guard.
The second time the rain stopped play, the inflatable balls came out in full force as a means of entertainment, and I think there may have been more balls than spectators. The crowd seemed to enjoy participating in the banned activities – not only throwing balls around, but also starting a now-prohibited “mexican wave” that circled the stadium about 10 times before dying off. (Let’s face it – there wasn’t much else to do while it was raining.)
Finally though, the rain took its toll. When the covers were laid back over the pitch about 8pm, after it had looked like play was about to resume, more than half the crowd gave up and went home, and I must admit I was among them.
I was happy enough to have seen Australia bowl, and to have seen Adam Gilchrist bat in his final one-day series, and I think many people in the crowd felt the same.
I also thought it was best to leave before another rain break brought on more projectile-throwing, beer-spilling and other drunken behaviour from the crowd around me – though I suppose that is all part of the Australian cricket experience.
Image(s) designed by Jessica Poulton