LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Staff Sgt. Arnold Henry, 423rd Medical Squadron, reacts after a Longstanton Grasshopper hits the ball during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. At either end of the pitch, 22 yards apart, are the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side, which seeks to accumulate runs. The pitch is 22 yards in length between the wickets and is 10 feet wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match, and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor. The team has practiced against themselves the last couple of months to prepare for the game. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Lt. Col. Jonathan Bradley, 423rd Air Base Group, gets some tips from Derek Stebbing, 423rd Communications Squadron honorary commander, before batting during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket and then to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat, giving his partner time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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423rd ABG cricket team plays first ever game

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Master Sgt. Nathan Pollard, 423rd Security Forces Squadron, swings for the ball a Longstanton Grasshopper bowled during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. Behind each batsman is a target called a wicket. One designated member of the fielding team, the bowler, is given a ball and attempts to bowl the ball from one end of the pitch to the wicket behind the batsman on the other side of the pitch. The batsman tries to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket by striking the ball with a bat. If the bowler succeeds in hitting the wicket, or if the ball, after being struck by the batsman, is caught by the fielding team before it touches the ground, the batsman is dismissed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Cliff Walker, 423rd Air Base Group honorary commander and 423 ABG cricket coach, scores a run for the ABG team during the team's first game Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. If the batsman is successful in striking the ball and the ball isn’t caught before it hits the ground, the two batsmen may then try to score points (runs) for their team by running across the pitch, grounding their bats behind each other's crease. Each crossing and grounding by both batsmen is worth one run. The batsmen may attempt multiple runs or elect not to run at all. By attempting runs, the batsmen risk dismissal, which can happen if the fielding team retrieves the ball and hits a wicket with the ball before either batsman reaches the opposite crease. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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423rd ABG cricket team plays first ever game

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Tech. Sgt. Quami King, 423rd Medical Squadron, keeps his eyes on the ball that was bowled by the Longstanton Grasshopper during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. Behind each batsman is a target called a wicket. One designated member of the fielding team, the bowler, is given a ball and attempts to bowl the ball from one end of the pitch to the wicket behind the batsman on the other side of the pitch. The batsman tries to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket by striking the ball with a bat. If the bowler succeeds in hitting the wicket, or if the ball, after being struck by the batsman, is caught by the fielding team before it touches the ground, the batsman is dismissed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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423rd ABG cricket team plays first ever game

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Maj. Randy Leach, 423rd Medical Squadron, swings for the ball a Longstanton Grasshopper bowled during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. Behind each batsman is a target called a wicket. One designated member of the fielding team, the bowler, is given a ball and attempts to bowl the ball from one end of the pitch to the wicket behind the batsman on the other side of the pitch. The batsman tries to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket by striking the ball with a bat. If the bowler succeeds in hitting the wicket, or if the ball, after being struck by the batsman, is caught by the fielding team before it touches the ground, the batsman is dismissed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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423rd ABG cricket team plays first ever game

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Members of the 423rd Air Base Group pose for their team picture between innings Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. This was the first ever cricket game the 423rd ABG has played. The team has practiced against themselves the last couple of months to prepare for the game. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

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423rd ABG cricket team plays first ever game

Published Aug. 23, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom -- Taking up the challenge from their honorary commanders that anyone can learn cricket and practicing six or seven times during the last couple of months, the 423rd Air Base Group cricket team ventured into the local community to do battle with someone other than themselves Aug. 19.

Under the direction of Cliff Walker, 423rd ABG honorary commander, and Derek Stebbing, 423rd Communications Squadron honorary commander, the team's first game came against the Longstanton Grasshoppers Cricket Club.

The game was played in a Twenty20 format. Twenty20 is a form of cricket originally introduced in England and Wales for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each having a single inning, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 games are completed in about 3.5 hours, with each inning lasting around 100 minutes, thus bringing the game closer to the time span of other popular team sports.

"We are not worried about the score," said Col. Michael Reiner, 423rd ABG commander. "We are trying to learn the game and build relationships with the local communities."
As team members took their turn to bat, Reiner compared his time batting to a sport most familiar with Americans.

"The hardest part is learning a new motion," said Reiner. "Compared to baseball, everything is different. Batting is different because it is straight in front of you. Bowling, or pitching, is different because you throw it down. But, I can say we are getting better."

At the end of the day, the 423rd ABG cricket team got some much needed practice with a team that plays cricket all the time, and the village of Longstanton got to play England's national sport against Americans.