The sound of leather on willow, quintessentially British but now being heard around the fields of Guatemala thanks to the efforts of a friend of this Embassy, Luke Humphries, who, with his dad and some eager friends, have launched Guatemala’s first Cricket Club. His guest blog, below, reveals all. But be warned: cricket comes with its own unique terminology, so get used to hearing about a Googly, Cow Corner, Chin Music, Chinaman, Jaffa, Snickometer – to name but a few. Over to you, Luke.
| I have always loved cricket. I remember being glued to the TV at the age of 11 watching England play a gruelling five day test match against India or battling it out for the Ashes with Australia. I was always fascinated with the idea of being padded up to the nines, cleaving onto a new English willow bat and sending the cricket ball racing away to the boundary for four.Coming to Guatemala at the age of 15 in 2005 I never really got the opportunity to play much, apart from bowling at my dad in a nearby field. The idea of officially starting the sport here came to me just before my last trip back to sunny old England in November 2011. I realised that cricket existed in El Salvador, Belize, Mexico, Honduras and other nearby countries but somehow it never made it to Guatemala. Having grown up in a pioneering missionary family, I set out on my new quest to bring the gentleman’s game to the Land of Eternal Spring! Together with two Guatemalan friends and my dad we started a rather rustic Saturday training in a patchy old piece of wooded area in the outskirts of Guatemala City. Interest grew rapidly and after five to six weeks the number went from 4 to 15! Guatemalan nationals, including many under-privileged young boys from my parents’ school, began to take a great interest in this new and foreign sport. Guatemala Cricket Club (GCC) was born. A logo was made and things started to move so fast we could barely keep up! Contact was made with neighbouring countries to spread the good news: cricket is now “Officially” in Guatemala.
On Saturday 31st of March 2012 a team composed of Guatemalan, English and Indian cricket enthusiasts will attempt to take on rivals El Salvador with the goal of winning the 4th Easter Cup. The trophy will include two legs, the first being played in El Salvador and the second leg being played on our own soil here in Guatemala. Its history in the making and it feels pretty good to be part of it! If you live in Guatemala and would love to learn to play or if you already play please Facebook us at G.C.C. We are very welcoming of anybody interested in learning and playing with us. |