00:00G'day, my name is Ben Hand, sports journalist at The Examiner, and I know what you're thinking,
00:05ashes are on, Australia is belting England, life's great. Of course, Christmas is around the corner
00:10and you know what that means, plenty of backyard cricket. But before we get started, I've got to
00:17say a big thank you to Balls and Bumpers here in Launceston, they've given us the equipment for
00:21today. If you want your backyard cricket to be as good as possible, make sure you go and check
00:26them out. And as well, if you want to make sure your backyard cricket is as good as possible,
00:30check this video out and the story linked to it, because I'm going to give you the greatest tips
00:35to make sure your backyard cricket is as good as it can be. Now, number one, now this one's a bit of a
00:42controversial one. Obviously, if you've got a big space like what we've got here, a wooden bat is,
00:46of course, you know, accessible, but I think a plastic bat is the best way to get yourself into
00:52the backyard cricket. A, it's light so everyone can use it, the little kids, the grandparents,
00:57anyone really in particular. It also means that you can play a few more heavy strokes without
01:03the ball going flying or breaking windows, costing thousands of house damage. And I think it is
01:10a bit more accessible to everyone and makes the game a bit more interesting. So please, instead
01:14of Willow, use a plastic bat. Now, the ball, this little red cherry is obviously really good on a,
01:24on game day, a professional cricket sense, and they're not bad for backyard cricket. My personal
01:28favourite, however, though, is the tennis ball with the tape. It can be electrical, it can be ducked,
01:34whatever you can get your hands on. But a tennis ball with a bit of tape on one side, make sure it swings,
01:39it gets a little bit of seam, it can have a variable bounce, and it makes things a bit harder for the
01:43batter. Now, as a batter, some people might be thinking, well, that makes it harder. I want to
01:49be batting for longer. Well, the crease is where everyone wants to be. That's where everyone wants
01:52to be batting. So the more wickets, the better as far as I'm concerned. So a tennis ball, I think,
01:58provides a bit more friendliness for the bowler. Of course, if you have a swimming pool as well,
02:04there's extra points. If the ball goes in the swimming pool, a tennis ball just gets a little bit of
02:07extra pace when it's nice and wet. So that's my tip for which ball to use for backyard cricket.
02:16Now, one of the main things to remember when you're having a few snags and burgers on the barbie,
02:20watching the Boxing Day Test and heading out into the sun playing a bit of backyard cricket,
02:25is that this is time to be spent with family and friends or whoever you're playing your backyard
02:29cricket with, and it's time to have fun and create some memories. So try not to be a ball hog or a bat hog,
02:35and make sure you enjoy every moment because that's what a showing Christmas is all about,
02:40is having this quality time with each other in the summer sun and playing a bit of backyard cricket.
02:45But most of all, have a happy Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and make sure you play plenty of
02:51backyard cricket. If you want the full tips and tricks to make sure your backyard game is
02:56as perfect as it can be, make sure to check out our story on the website for the full story,
03:01and make sure you guys make heaps of runs and take plenty of wickets.
03:39You
03:41wissen
03:44me
03:47You
03:47You
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