Electric Light Cricket

[spell_check]

Has anyone played it? I haven't, only read about it and seen some results in the Sunday Mail. I think I heard somewhere that this state is they only place that plays it.

[Gilly]

Played it years ago. There's a comp run in the South Parklands (Peacock Ave). It's played in a fenced area the size of a basketball court and a tennis ball is used. Runs are scored depending on where the ball is hit (e.g outside the concrete area is 1, hits the fence is 2, back fence is 4). It's like indoor cricket. You face four overs and don't actually get out but you lose runs if you lose your wicket.

[spell_check]

There's quite a few more fielders in there compared to indoor, isn't there?

[redandblack]

I played it regularly many, many years ago.

[auto]

I played it regularly many, many years ago.

Who did you play for R&B...i played for the Magpies and after that the Dragons for about ten years.

[scooter_]

Has anyone played it? I haven't, only read about it and seen some results in the Sunday Mail. I think I heard somewhere that this state is they only place that plays it.

I remember my grandma telling me how she used to play it in the 50s i think.

Does anyone know if there are any comps in the mid north of the state still going ? highly doubt it, but don't know if you don't ask?

[Ted]

Has anyone played it? I haven't, only read about it and seen some results in the Sunday Mail. I think I heard somewhere that this state is they only place that plays it.

I remember my grandma telling me how she used to play it in the 50s i think.

Does anyone know if there are any comps in the mid north of the state still going ? highly doubt it, but don't know if you don't ask?

so there's a good chance your Grandma is a better cricketer than you??

[scooter_]

Has anyone played it? I haven't, only read about it and seen some results in the Sunday Mail. I think I heard somewhere that this state is they only place that plays it.

I remember my grandma telling me how she used to play it in the 50s i think.

Does anyone know if there are any comps in the mid north of the state still going ? highly doubt it, but don't know if you don't ask?

so there's a good chance your Grandma is a better cricketer than you??

lol !! that wouldn't be hard let me tell you !

[redandblack]

I played it regularly many, many years ago.

Who did you play for R&B...i played for the Magpies and after that the Dragons for about ten years.

I'd be pretty sure it nwas before your time, auto.

I played for a team called "Internationals" in A grade on Monday nights (I don't think there was much difference betwen the grades, just what night they played on).

The catch phrase of Electric Light cricket was :

Some of the teams I played against (from memory) were Flinders Park, Thebarton Ramblers, SANFLUA (umpires), Sturt Footballers, etc.

"That'll do the bat" when a player had to retire after making a hundred. It also wasn't whether byou made a hundred, but how long it took you.

[auto]

I played it regularly many, many years ago.

Who did you play for R&B...i played for the Magpies and after that the Dragons for about ten years.

I'd be pretty sure it nwas before your time, auto.

I played for a team called "Internationals" in A grade on Monday nights (I don't think there was much difference betwen the grades, just what night they played on).

The catch phrase of Electric Light cricket was :

Some of the teams I played against (from memory) were Flinders Park, Thebarton Ramblers, SANFLUA (umpires), Sturt Footballers, etc.

"That'll do the bat" when a player had to retire after making a hundred. It also wasn't whether byou made a hundred, but how long it took you.

Yeah when i played it twas only on Wednesday night in town, id always heard how it used to be a few nights a week and also down the port.

I did play against Flinders Park, St George, Thebby Ramblers.... Great game to play and as layed back as you wanted. In town if you went past where the lights lit up the parklands there would be numerous people all smoking cones waiting for a bat. People drinking beers from eskies in their cars. Batting/fielding in jeans. Wish there was one court left for a bit of a reminiscant game. "That'll do the bat"...i had forgotten bout that....classic

[auto]

Remember one of my mates filling in, an average cricketer at best and not a good driveway cricketer, was bagging the game saying how easy it looked. He batted last (15th) and ending up making a hundred, having only hit 2 shots for 8 runs, the rest from no-balls/wides......funniest thing

Remember also we were fined $30 for not attending a meeting or something, we passed a large jar around our team and got everyone to donate 5 cent pieces. When we paid the $30 fine it was a large jar absolutely chockers of 5 cent pieces...looks on the faces of the exec was priceless

[Goat Herder]

I was brought up around the Courts on Peacock Rd and down at Riverside as a kid. Me & other players kids used to swap stray bottles (real glass Coke, Fanta, bottles..) for a bag of mixed lollies at the canteen. Eventually played for Port Adelaide when I was about 12 with my ol' man and my uncle. Previously they'd played for Outlaws with the great Neil Schier, among others, and the breakaway club Port Adelaide Magpies was formed. I remember playing in 2 winter seasons down at (then) St Ives Rec Centre in The Port (approx. '82/'83), but the concept didn't continue. Riverside had already gone by then. I remember back in the my Dad's days how competitive it was and how fired up the players would get. And in this confined space.. I wondered how people could ever get so worked up about what was basically backyard cricket..

I played 2-3yrs at Peacock Rd before the ol' man pulled the pin when I was about 14. 15yrs later a teammate of mine at Walkerville asked me to fill in for his team, which happened to be St George - an arch-rival of P.A.M.. The ELC landscape had changed considerably by then with significant loss of teams, and St George and Flinders Park dominating the competition, with stiff resistance from 'Power' when they had a full side. By now, numbers had dwindled so much, everyone was in the one division, with the top 12 teams competing for Div 1, 2 & 3 premierships at the end of the minor round. I played the next 8 seasons until the eventual extiction of the game, and each of those years the GF was contested by St George vs Flinders Park. St George won the last 4 Div 1 flags until about 4-5yrs ago when there were less than 10 teams all up nominated to play in the upcoming season. As per SAELC constitution (allegedly..) the competition would become defunct if this ever happened. And that was that..

We always used to have an esky or 2 packed (thanks to Tony Whennan!), ready to quench our thirst after the match. $2 beers. Every now & then used to have a barby. Always had a barby on GF night. Listening to the likes of Bob Hinkley, Roger Woodcock & Steve Sims dribbling crap always ensured sore jaws were had by all (and not because Simsy was re-enacting the '91 SANFL GF either.. ). If Bobby Hinkley were on safooty, he'd be able to provide an entire anthology of ELC's history! The game itself attracted many other fine cricketers & footballers ; Wayne & Rod Phillips, Andrew & Darren Jarman, Sims, Woodcock, former SANFL maggot, I mean umpire Des Foster, and it's rumoured that The Don even dabbled in it for a while, but found it wasn't good for his outdoor game.

Just to clarify the scoring options, back in the 80's & beyond, the back net was worth 2 and the left, right and back nets were 4. Sometime in the 90's (Allegedly..), the back net was divided into 3 sections - in the corners (1m from the side fence) was worth 4, between the corners was 2 and the sides & back net worth 6. So you could technically get a hundred in 18 balls if you were lucky!

The Adelaide City Council left the courts there for about 12mths before they were demolished. It was a great game and it's truly missed by those who played it & enjoyed it. RIP ELC..

[the spoon]

played the game for 20 years, old man played it for 30 and his old man played it before him, cracking game to play, real shame when it went down a few years back, played @ Thebarton Rabblers then we merged with Lockleys. Awesome fun

[Booney]

Anyone who ever saw ELC played would know the name Jeff Worrall.

Western Youth Centre cricket club legend.

[piccachu]

Neil Schier

Neil is now the Head trainer at the Portland football club, hes a great bloke also heard John Wilson was a rather sharp bowler back in the day

[Goat Herder]

Neil Schier

Neil is now the Head trainer at the Portland football club, hes a great bloke also heard John Wilson was a rather sharp bowler back in the day

Johnny Wilson used to send them down fairly sharply.. John, Harold & Ian all played for Outlaws IIRC, and of course, who could ever forget old Ma' Wilson scoring?!? Used to hear her WELL before you'd see her.

[Magpies96]

Johnny Wilson used to send them down fairly sharply.. John, Harold & Ian all played for Outlaws IIRC, and of course, who could ever forget old Ma' Wilson scoring?!? Used to hear her WELL before you'd see her.

Not sure if I should say this, but Ma Wilson is my wifes Grandma. I played for Magpies

[Goat Herder]

Small world hey mate? They don't get much more Port Adelaide than the Wilson Family.