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[TangoWhiskey]

We were sat in the bar with the Oppo at their ground after our friendly on Sunday during which I was shepherded to a fifty by my team, needing 1 to win but being on 48. My team had signaled the situation and I duly hit four to end up 52*. After the game the bowler was saying how he was worried about chucking down a wide and looking like a prat, which reminded me of a situation that arose when I was playing in my first year of Uni.

We (Portsmouth Uni) were playing against Havant (A Premier League club) in a friendly. They had a couple of first teamer's out there including their overseas, and a couple of up and coming colts. We batted first and scratched around to about 200. One of these up and coming Colts was a 15 year old chap who was batting exceptionally well against us, bearing in mind most of us were 19-23 and we had a damn near full strength 1's out (if you left me out that is!). He'd played beautfiully and was on 98* when the 1st team Captain came to bowl, and Havant required 4 to win or something along those lines. The first team skipper came steaming in and bowled the worst ball I've ever seen, missed the track by almost a pitch down the leg side and went off for 5 wides and letting Havant win.

I was really paying much attention to the situation but I was fielding at mid off and was taking the mickey out of him for such a terrible ball when he laughed, called me a mug and said "I did it on purpose so that ****** wouldn't get his ton."

Having not played too much league cricket at that point in my career, I was pretty shocked at his admission. The kid was playing well above his age group and looked very good for a ton and despite it only being a friendly I'm sure he would have appreciated his knock.

The joke was on our skipper though, he had already failed his first year twice and went on to fail too many of his exams that year which saw him get kicked out of the Uni altogether. Perhaps this was a measure of his intelligence.

Anyway, what's the worst but yet slightly unusual displays of sportmanship you've come across. We've all played games were blokes have hit the cover off it and not walked or claimed a bump ball. Any others?       

[WalkingWicket37]

We had a touring game a couple of years ago and one of our guys was on 98* (common theme here?)

Our number 5 went in with 3 to win, plenty of time to spare and 1 ball of the over left, being told "block it and let him get his ton!"
He came down the track and hit a 4, then when he came off he was laughing. Someone said it was against the spirit of cricket, to which he replied "you can shove the spirit of cricket up your (No Swearing Please)! I didn't want him to get a hundred."

Other than the guy on 98* hearing and wanting to wrap a bat round his head for about 6 months it was all taken well, and they've just about started speaking to each other again now!

[TangoWhiskey]

Yeah I'd be a little pissed off. I was on course for a ton earlier in the season, was on about 80 with about 25 minutes left until tea and my mate down the other end came in after the fall of a wicket. 30 minutes later I'd faced 6 balls as he ruthlessly stole the strike, including sending me back from his end twice. The second one of them I walked back to the non strikers from pretty much stood next to him to prove a point and survived a run out appeal! 

[geeders]

This happened to one of our players a couple of weeks ago - scores tied with guy facing on 96.
Their bowler who had bowled a steady line and length all game let one slide about 3 foot outside off stump.

The batsmen chased it and couldnt find the boundary (I think they ran 3). A few choice words were exchanged on the way off the field.

[TangoWhiskey]

Harsh that, did he expect the bowler to bowl him a floaty half volley?

[WalkingWicket37]

This happened to one of our players a couple of weeks ago - scores tied with guy facing on 96.
Their bowler who had bowled a steady line and length all game let one slide about 3 foot outside off stump.

The batsmen chased it and couldnt find the boundary (I think they ran 3). A few choice words were exchanged on the way off the field.

So he had 97* then, as the game ended (and the ball was therefore dead) after they completed the winning run.
To have scored a hundred he would've had to hit a boundary and not run at all...

[GarrettJ]

This happened to one of our players a couple of weeks ago - scores tied with guy facing on 96.
Their bowler who had bowled a steady line and length all game let one slide about 3 foot outside off stump.

The batsmen chased it and couldnt find the boundary (I think they ran 3). A few choice words were exchanged on the way off the field.

id have bowled a wide.

I was once stranded on 99 and the lad at the other end, england u19 batsman played out a maiden in the 50th over of the first innings!!

Its a harsh game. Im sure if he had ran harder through his innings he would have been over 100.

[smilley792]

Not really poor sportsmanship(although might have been).

I was on 86 with 2 overs left. Only second time I'd got past 50 and the first was about 6years previously.

Partner side. I'll drop one and give you strike. He proceeded to miss and drop back to bowler 6 balls.
I then took 12. 6 twos of the last over to finish on 98*.
I was gutted. But lived wth it.
Would I have been happy if one of the fielders had let a ball slip through(they had click face on) probably not.



Another one at our club involving me, a serial 90s getter(out 20x in the 90s) was on 94 with 4 overs remained. And the rain came. The oppo was getting a beating. And I sensed they was gonna try call game off. So I declared.
Was glorious sunshine for the rest of the day 10mins later.
He still brings it up on occasion.

[ProCricketer1982]

When playing in a game and you have an older guy and a young kid batting near the end of the innings, the older guy keeps intentionally taking suicidal singles in the hope of a)keeping the strike and b)running said kid out because he isn't going to hit boundaries.

I hate that, especially in friendlies. Ok, so you might not win the game but maybe, just maybe in a few years time the experience that youngster is gaining will keep him participating in the game and improve him.. Running him out is a sure fire way IMO of making him think 'sod that' and giving up.  We just let him run his singles and stick everyone ont eh boundary, not even bothering to keep four men inside teh imaginary circle for him.. Players hate that on a big boundary when needing to hit boundaries

[uknsaunders]

I've had all kinds of issues with my team mates and getting to a ton:-

1. Got to my 50 with about 20 mins to go. Unknown to me (I was past being able to count by that point), I thrashed 48 in the next 15 minutes. Very helpfully my team mates saw no need to tell me I was on 98*. Not wishing to muck the game up I declared at what I thought was a reasonable target (time game) and walked off the field thinking I was on 80 odd. My very unhelpful team mates, knowing full well I was going to declare around that point saw no need to say anything while I was batting. They took the p*ss after, very kind bunch. We lost as well, bowled like drains and they romped home. Should've been more selfish but I was dropped badly on 90 odd at cowcorner so maybe it was about right lol.

2. Got to 98* with one over left. Other batsman says "play for your hundred", I tell him we'll play for the team and get as many as possible. I get 4 balls in the over to face and drive the first one down to long off, I call for the run and my partner refuses. Guy mis-fields and we could've walked 2!. Next 3 balls are all yorkers and I'm stranded on 98*.

3. Same season, different oppo. Get to 96* with 1 over to go. My partner is told from the boundary to get me on strike and he proceeds to block, miss, nudge a maiden.

Just as well I have a couple of ton's to may name or I would of taken it personally by now lol

[Alvaro]

Just the attitude of big time Charlies who sledge/give send offs and think they're better than they think they are ...

[edge]

I cocked it up for one of my teammates completely accidentally when I ended up playing a game for our 3s this season after our match got cancelled. The guy's never made a 50 before and was batting well with us in trouble, I came in low down the order at 8 and just played with him to get us up from 50odd-6 up to close to the 140ish target. Had just been pushing the bad balls for 4 and trying to support the other bat as I didn't want to be that dick who drops down divisions and melts the bowling everywhere, and had a guess that we were both in the 40s. Called for a drink and found out he was on 43* with 9 to win (didn't ask what I was on), plenty of overs left in the game so decided I'd block and try and get him to a maiden 50. Opening bowler comes back on, I pat back or leave the first 3 balls before I got one on leg stump that I blocked, ran away down the hill and the fielder missed it, 4 runs. Doh! Cue huge jeers from the rest of the team.

[Seniorplayer]

Last season i played a foreward defensive missed the turning ball by a mile the opposition appealed for a caught behind the wicket keeper who was up to the stumps said to me the umpires given you out so without looking at the umpire I walked off
At the end of the match I told the umpire he had got the decision wrong he gave me a blank look and said I didn't give you out.
He also told me that he  had reported the wicket keeper in previous matches for knocking the bails off with his knees and appealing as the ball was passing the bat.

On Saturday one of our players was on 99 at the non strikers  end with 1 wanted to win a new batsman arrived at the crease in the knowledge that the non striker wanted 1 run for his 100
1st ball he  charges down the wicket with his bat up around his ears and whacks the ball back over the bowlers head for 4 to win the match he then walks up to the guy at the non strikers end on 99  and says sorry I didn't mean to do that it was the bat What a clown

[Cin88]

"Local" rivals last year caused a first team match to be abandoned because they kept making us move the sight screens after every single they ran (left and right hander batting at the same time), eventually the lads refused to move it if they're only running singles and their opening batsman decided it was a perfect opportunity to get the handbags out and have a little bit of a fight. End result being an abandoned match and some players ending up with multiple match bans.

People that hog/don't rotate the strike wind me up a bit. Whilst I fully support my club's groundsman's policy of "one of us needs to hold one end down and bat a long innings", he doesn't half take the micky with his batting, he honestly took 35 balls to reach 1 in one of the games this year. I can understand his viewpoint, given that we're prone to monumental batting collapses for some reason this year, but 1 from 35 balls in a 40 over game is just plain annoying. Apparently the single was him attempting to keep the strike for the next over. That kind of thing really annoys me, especially if one of the two batsmen is trying to go along at a decent pace whilst the other is just stood there hogging the strike and blocking everything.

[jamferg]

with most of the above I'd be off looking for a new team. I like to play with like minded fair people not arseholes.. lifes to short to play with t%ssers