Best backyard cricket bar none
How to create the most Kiwi game of backyard cricket ever? Swap the backyard for a sandbar in the Bay of Islands.
Paihia man Edward Grant’s amazing cricket set-up has been showcased through an exchange on Twitter, kickstarted by former Australian cricketer Dean Jones.
Jones was asking for photos of people’s best backyard pitches, and Submarine Cricket Club ‘El Presidente’ Edward Grant responded with a photo of his cricket club at their ‘pitch’, which takes a halfhour boat trip to get out to. “Twice a year in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand,” he wrote. “Locals constantly refer to the area as our ‘backyard’.”
Speaking to the Herald, Grant said taking a bat out to the pitch had been a tradition since 2011 when two mates came up with the plan while enjoying a cold one.
“Rumour has it that cricket has been played on the sandbar for decades,” Grant said. “No one is really sure.” The team, made up of friends and family, now play for the “Submarine trophy” at what they have dubbed “Submarine Rock”. Officially, it is part of the Ngatokoparangi Islands.
“We have to time our games when we have a low tide around the middle of the day,” Grant said. “Each team gets two, one-hour innings with small drinks breaks in between.” The next club game will be in February or March and Grant said they were open to new players joining in.