WEARSIDE ECHOES
months was always football but that changed once the summer and cricket season arrived. Bats and balls were brought out of the cupboards, as eager children across Sunderland got ready for the change to the summer game. Of course, the sport of cricket required a little more equipment than football did. But if you had the bare essentials of a bat and a ball, then full-on games could easily be organised. Back lanes did not take stumps and no one had any anyway. It was the dustbins that sufficed and these were dragged into the centre of the lanes once the teams had been chosen and a match was ready to begin. Proper leather-covered cricket balls were never used and usually it was a corky (cork ball), a spongey (sponge ball) or a tennisy (tennis ball) that was played with. Pads and helmets were never seen in lanes and that meant, if the corky hit you, then you certainly knew about it. Rules were somewhat tenuous and that means of being out – lbws – was always vehemently argued over. Usually, this was because just about every player felt they were the umpire. Any bowl which was knocked over a back wall meant you were ‘six and out’ but it came with an added responsibility. The person who had hit the ball over the wall was the one who would have to walk around to the front street, knock on the door and sheepishly request the return of the ball. If the ball was struck against the wall then it had to be caught one-handed for a dismissal. Just like the professional sport of cricket, back street