Excited chatter drifted through the air at the football pitch as the girl’s second football game ended on Friday, August 5. The campers in dorms 1G and 2G were a smidgen tired from their trip to Stratford-upon-Avon the day before, but the excessive amount of running required in football livened them up nicely.

As they grabbed their belongings and took a quick drink, a couple of the girls found breath enough to ask, “What is our next activity?” I glanced at the schedule printed out on my camp binder. “Cricket!” I answered. A collective cheer went up from all the girls in 2G because learning the classic British sport three days beforehand had really tickled their fancy.

One dorm cheer and a quick walk later, we arrived at the tennis court, where the cricket games were being held. Cricket instructors Kiall Lorenz and Jessica Dalton began setting up as the girls dropped their bags off by the side fence and filled their water bottles. After 10 short minutes, the first cricket game of pyc Edstone was underway!

Dorm 1G was up to bat first, and the girls of 2G scattered around the court to field the hits. Hit after hit, 1G’s run count rose. There were several different ways for them to score runs: If a batter could hit the ball beyond the side fences of the tennis court and into the outlying areas, it tallied up as one run. If she could hit it and smack the high fence lining the back of the court, it counted as four runs. And in case that wasn’t good enough, hitting the backboard of the basketball hoop and getting a “basket” was worth a whopping six runs.

Once all members of 1G had cycled through the hitting phase, they switched with the girls from 2G so that they could try their hand at batting the British way. Cricket balls sailed through the air, landing both within the confines of the tennis court and into the Edstone landscape beyond. At one point, 2G’s Cathryn sent a ball flying toward the basketball hoop, causing it to hit the backboard and drop satisfyingly through the hoop chains. Six runs! The tennis court’s entire populace erupted in various jubilant cheers.

The game continued, and just when the excitement level seemed to reach a steady pace, Savannah from 2G sent a ball directly toward the back fence, where it lodged itself securely between the fencing spaces. Four runs! Several girls from both dorms threw up their hands in excitement and yelled their praise as the two batters exchanged positions.

The game continued, with 2G’s run count steadily climbing to meet 1G’s. Throughout the inning, 1G’s Willow was positioned on the field as wicket keeper. She watched every batter intently, waiting for a chance to knock the bails off the top of the wicket, which would result in negative runs for the opposing team. In turn, all of the staff and campers watched her closely, for she seemed to play like a professional, and we were still learning the fundamentals of the game.

The game soon came to a close, and Mr. Lorenz checked the scorebook. He built the suspense before he announced the final tally: 43-41, with 2G taking the lead! All of the girls smiled and exchanged enthusiastic high-fives—mostly because cricket had been a lot of fun, but also because lunch was the next activity.