Government and industry tech luminaries (all names withheld to protect the muscle-sore) turned out in force on Friday for MeriTalk’s 5th Annual Government and Industry CIO Cricket Match, batting and bowling for bragging rights and everlasting glory on the regulation pitch at Bellapais-on-the-Potomac.
Under bright blue skies, warm sun, and a cool breeze, the mixed teams of lifelong players and enthusiastic newbies battled it out over 20 overs to a final score of 162-140.
If you can decipher exactly what those figures mean, congratulations because you are far ahead of many both on the pitch and amid the boisterous crowd.
Here’s how players and fans alike summed it up with their top reasons to love the match:
“I have zero trust that any of the players on other team are going to hit for six (in baseball terms, a home run)”;
“It was a tragedy of errors, only nobody was laughing”;
“I was far from alone in fumbling my way through the match, it’s all about the comic relief”;
“We saw some of the most amazing athletic efforts out of some of the most out of shape people, and that’s how you know people are giving it their all”;
“Bails, stumps, yorkers, and golden ducks – you might want to googly that”;
“I love the humor, the British comments – you don’t understand half of it and that’s probably for the best”;
“They’ve been trying to get me to understand cricket for years, but I’m still one step ahead of them”;
“Where else can you stand in the sun with a bowler pitching and swinging a bat with all of your closest friends – it’s perfect”;
“I learned everything I needed to know from Monty Python”;
“It’s magical, and I’d like to thank the tree that donated itself to make this bat.”
“A wonderful reason to enjoy cold drinks all afternoon”;
“I love how all the rules were carefully explained, it’s confusing as herding cats”;
“I once asked a guy in a bar in Australia if he could explain the rules of cricket to me, and he said, ‘no, but I’ll buy you a beer’”; and
“Cricket was magical and of great help to Pinocchio, so I don’t miss a single match.”
We’re looking forward to the 6th Annual Government and Industry CIO Cricket Match right around this time next year, and will keep you in the loop with all the details.
