A sporting time in Canberra (PM's XI v England)

Fresh from our trip to see an Asian cup football game the three of us went to watch the annual PMs XI cricket game at Manuka (Canberra’s cricket ground). Each year a bit of a hotch-potch side are invited by the Prime Minister to play the touring international team. This year the England team are in Australia in preparation for the Cricket World Cup (which is due to start in Australia in February). The PM’s XI game probably meant something once, but now it’s just a bit of a fun run-around – the lights of Manuka giving the game a bit more excitement but basically a game without much consequence to either team whether they win or lose.

The kids had been at a play-date all day and when I collected them, and I told them of my plan to go to the game when we were all in the car. Audrey told me how much she hated cricket and went as far as saying that if I took her she would turn away from the action and not watch.
As it turned out we got into the ground quite easily and then sat in really great seats. We’d missed the England innings, but it was still good to watch Anderson and Broad running in. There were a few wickets and a couple of sixes.

I bought the kids ice creams. Before too long a Mexican wave went round the crowd, fuelled by a combination of the sunny evening, beer and general apathy towards the result and the kids loved it.

I was conscious that it was growing dark and Audrey and Eli needed to go to bed, but both of them were enjoying the spectacle. In the end I had to remind Audrey how much she hated cricket in order to get them out of the door and home.