By nhà cái tặng tiền trải nghiệm Okay, so here’s the thing. My kid has been driving me nuts lately about playing cricket. Yeah, cricket. Like, bat-and-ball cricket, not the noisy insect! Said he saw it online, called it “little master cricket.” He was dead serious too, wouldn’t let it drop. “Dad, WHERE can we actually play?” Honestly, I didn’t have a clue right off. Not exactly brimming with dedicated cricket grounds round here.
So, this morning, I figured enough was enough. Kid wants cricket, I’ll find us somewhere to whack that ball. Grabbed my phone, obviously. First stop? Just typed “places to play cricket near me” straight into the search bar. Simple as that.
Trouble began when the first few hits tried showing me stuff miles away. I’m talking “leaving this county” miles. Nah, that wasn’t gonna work for a quick knockabout after school. Needed something closer, maybe free, definitely not super official. Scrolled down further, past the fancy clubs with membership fees.
The Unexpected Gems
Then, I started seeing mentions of these places:
- Big public parks: I mean, we’ve got loads! Just needed massive open space with mowed grass. Found people asking online if specific parks near us had flat enough areas. Lightbulb moment!
- Empty car parks: Sounds weird, right? But later in the evening? Those huge, mostly empty lots behind supermarkets? Concrete, sure, but totally flat and spacious. Few traffic cones as wickets? Done.
- School fields: This one was golden. Found a local school website saying their outside fields were open for the community after hours if no school stuff was on. Perfect! Had to check their schedule online, though.
Scouting Mission Time
Right, got a few options.
- Option one: Drove past Ridgeway Park after lunch. Sure enough, massive flat grass area near the kids’ playground section. Only a few folks walking dogs miles away. Huge space. Potential.
- Option two: Hit up the big car park behind Tesco Express around 7 pm. Dead quiet. Tons of space. Hard ground though, better bring that plastic ball.
- Option three: Checked Elmwood Primary School’s online calendar. No events listed for Friday evening. Their sign says fields open from 5:30 pm.
The Test Run
Picked up the kid straight from school, grabbed his cheap plastic bat and ball set. “We’re going cricket hunting,” I told him. Kid practically jumped in the car.
First stop: Elmwood School field. Walked right in at 5:45. Empty. Green grass, flat enough. Was kinda perfect. We just started right there. Kid swung that bat like mad, I bowled terrible underarms. We ran around like crazy people setting up our own boundaries. Laughed loads. Nobody bothered us. Felt totally legit.
Worked a treat. Easy to find, easy to play, easy fun.
So What Did We Actually Do?
Basically got sick of the kid asking, grabbed my phone thinking “surely there must be somewhere nearby” even if it wasn’t a proper pitch. Googled simple phrases. Ignored the fancy, far-away places. Looked for the common, accessible spots people actually use around here. Took 10 minutes to drive past and eyeball them quickly during the day.
Tried the easiest one first. School field was open, walked on, started playing. Simple as that. Told him tonight we might try batting in that big car park just for laughs and harder ground. Park is weekend backup.
Truth is, you don’t need a “cricket ground.” You need open space and a bat and ball. Found it. Kid’s buzzing. My turn to bat next time.
