100 Not Outby bobdatChaptersChapter One: IntroductionChapter Two: PracticeChapter Three: BattingChapter One: Introduction“COME ONNNNN” she raged, pounding the rubbery gym floor with her hooves. Competitive Streak (known only as 'Streak' because it took WAY too long to say 'Competitive') knew she was drawing looks from the crowd, but she didn't care. This match was more important than anything else she'd ever done, and now that stupid foal was Messing. It. All. Up. In her bedroom, Streak had a wall covered in rosettes, ribbons, cups, trophies and shields commemorating her sporting successes. She'd already won the regional soccer trophy, the prestigious 'rising hockey star' cup and the national lacrosse championship winner's shield. Although if you asked her she'd never admit it, Streak knew that this was partly to do with her high school, City High, being one of the best sporting schools in all of Equestria. The Comets were Equestrian champions in lacrosse, football and basketball, and currently they were competing in the Heart's Warming Championship for Volleyball. The HWC, played two days before the holiday, determined the Equestrian Champions for the sport. Of course, City High had reached the final, because Streak was playing. She was setting blazing records for the season and was close to breaking a couple of all-time records across every school in Equestria. But, of course, there was one pony who was letting them down. And she was standing right in front of Streak. In fact, if she could make her eyes shoot lasers, that pony's mane would currently be on fire. “Competitive Streak! Calm down!” the Coach shouted, waving her hoof. Streak rolled her eyes and waited for the ball to be served. It flew over the net and Streak took her chance, diving forward and knocking it in a perfect arc back towards the net. With that, she was guaranteed an assist. But no, that foal jumped for it. Streak could just see the match slipping away as the other pony leapt and smacked her hoof into the rubber ball, sending it flying straight off the court. “Aaaaaaargh!” Streak screamed, storming towards the bench. “We've definitely lost it now!” Sulking, she sat on the bench and scowled, despite the entire crowd staring at her. “Hey, take five Competitive Streak. There's no call for that behaviour.” Coach said, shaking her head and substituting her star player. “You really need to work on that attitude, or you'll be out for the rest of the game.” “Hah, I wouldn't be caught dead playing on the same planet as these losers.” Streak replied acidly, pulling the hair band out of her blonde mane. She scooped up a white towel and mopped her brow. “At least it'll be over soon and I can go home.” The Coach just shook her head and went back to focusing on the game, leaving Streak to pull the band out of her tail and stalk off to the changing rooms for an early shower. No way she was watching the rest of that shambles. The hot shower did nothing to dampen Streak's anger, but a seed of doubt was sown as she dressed in her tracksuit. She didn't care for those foals who she formerly called team-mates, but it was going to be an awkward coach ride home. She sighed and sat on a bench, annoyed that she'd miss out on the winner's medal. Of course, the Comets crashed and burned without her. They were beaten easily, and the Streak could hear the crowd's applause once the game finished. Once the medals had been presented, they'd all be back, telling each other how well they did and how hard they tried. Competitive shook her head. What a waste of time. She wasn't even going to bother getting her silver medal. If it wasn't gold, she didn't want it. As she'd predicted, Streak spent the coach ride home sat on her own at the back. Nopony wanted to talk to her after her so-called betrayal of the team. Not that Streak wanted to talk to them. She just looked out of the window and sulked, trying to make herself feel better by thinking of how awfully the red strip went with her snowy white coat. Made her look like a cheerleader or some other stupid thing. By the first day back, Streak was already getting geared up for baseball try-outs. She'd been pretty good over the past couple of years, but now she was ready to join the senior team. In fact, she'd forgotten all about the volleyball mess until she found herself summoned to the Principal's office first thing in the morning. After the obligatory wait outside the office, Streak plonked herself down in the leather upholstered chair and looked at the smartly-dressed Principal with mild disinterest. “Competitive Streak, I've called you here because of your attitude during the Heath's Warming Bowl.” Streak didn't reply. She wanted to answer back, but it usually only ended in detention, so she just stared defiantly. The Principal sighed. “I'm sure you know your behaviour was not only unsporting and rude, but it reflected badly on our school's sports programme. Now, when people think about the City Comets, they'll think about you storming off.” She still didn't give the Principal the satisfaction of a reply. “Now, the coach spoke to me over the holiday, and I've decided that you've got to be punished.” A few detentions was actually better than Streak had expected. By the time the baseball season started, she'd be free of all her punishment. A smirk played on her lips. “Now, this decision is my responsibility, so this is how it works. You've got a choice.” “Between what and what?” This idea of a choice was different, and Streak felt uncomfortable. She flicked her mane back a little and narrowed her eyes. “You are banned from trying out for any sports teams this summer. With two exceptions. Either, you can stay with the volleyball team, apologise to them, and go to summer training ready for next year.” Streak snorted with contempt, stinging from her epic baseball career being wiped out before her eyes. “Or, you may join the cricket team for this summer. I hear they're recruiting, and I think it might suit you.” Now that was a curve ball, Streak thought. “What?” “You heard what I said. Miss the summer and play volleyball next year, or play this summer and play for the cricket team.” “What's cricket?” “What's your decision?” The Principal smiled from behind her glasses. “Well no way am I wasting a summer when I could be winning trophies. And Volleyball sucks anyway. Sign me up for whatever cricket is, I'm sure I'll be amazing at it.” “In that case, I'll introduce you to the team captain. Her name is Demon Bowler, you'll find her in the gym at lunch. That's all, Competitive Streak, you may go back to class.” Streak shrugged and left the room, shutting the door with a little more force than perhaps necessary. The secretary gave her a strange look, but Streak ignored it. No baseball was really hurting, Streak thought, as she daydreamed her way through double maths and a chemistry lesson. She never liked to show it when ponies got the better of her, but the Principal had really ruined her summer. She didn't even know the school had a 'cricket' team, so they clearly weren't Equestrian Champions. And this Demon Bowler... yet another pony her age that she'd never heard of. This was going to be a totally terrible summer. Unless she could break a few school records in this cricket thing. At lunch, Streak wandered over to the gym, not really in a hurry. Any sport played indoors in summer wasn't worth the bother. Inside the cavernous space, Streak noticed something new. There had always been large white nets pinned to the wall at one end, but she'd never really thought about them. But now they'd been pulled out, and they formed three sort of tunnel things leading to the wall. Standing around were four ponies who looked to be the same age as her. As she approached, they turned to look at her. “Ah, you're Competitive Streak?” The tallest of the ponies asked, casting a haughty eye over Streak that made her naturally defensive. “Yeah, what's it to you?” The tall pony laughed derisively. “And I see the legendary attitude is still the same.” With that, the pony just walked away, heading for the store cupboard. “Ignore her, she can be a little weird sometimes.” This came from a well-built pony with shoulders verging on the colt-like. Streak just shrugged. “So, what's this cricket thing? Apparently the captain is what, Demon Roller?” “Demon Bowler.” The correction was courtesy of a pony with long legs who looked permanently off-balance. “Yeah, which one is she?” “She would be the one you just met.” The colt-like pony said, shrugging a little. Streak had been sure she'd just end up on a team full of foals, and it seemed to be true. Although, they did seem very open and welcoming. As if on cue, the colt-like pony spoke up. “Well, welcome to the cricket team. We're all here, except for Coach Nets, who isn't coming to this session because it's more of a team meeting than a training session.” “Okay. To make things clear, I'm here before I'm forced to be.” Streak said, tossing her mane to one side. “Oh yes, we all heard about the volleyball thing. Don't worry, we're giving you a second chance. Cricket is much more fun.” “Doubt it.” Streak muttered, just as Demon Bowler returned. Demon was holding a red ball, and she threw it gently at Streak once she was close enough. Immediately the white pony noticed how hard the ball was. “What's this made out of, rock?” “No, it's cork. Like a baseball but more civilised. Covered in leather, with stitching all the way around. That white stitching is called the seam.” Demon explained. “So it's just baseball, but using this?” Then Streak noticed the other object Demon was carrying. “No, we use a bat like this. The best way to demonstrate is by showing you how we play.” Demon said, handing the bat to the colt-like pony. “Bus, you can bat. I'll bowl.” “Oh, we haven't done introductions.” Bus said, seeming a little flustered. “We all know you're Competitive Streak, but what do you like to be called?” “Just Streak.” “Okay Streak, well I'm Parked Bus, you can call me Bus. I play opening bat.” This was still the colt-like one. “You probably already know I'm Demon Bowler. They call me Demon, and I'm opening bowler.” The tall one. “I'm Butter Fingers, and everypony calls me Butter. I play as the wicket-keeper, but you'll see what that is in a minute.” This was the pony with long legs. The other pony didn't say anything and just looked at the floor. “This is Googly Spinner. She's a spin bowler.” Bus said, giving Googly a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just call her Googly. She's a little shy.” “Okay, let's do this demonstration.” Demon said. Only Googly hung back, the other three took up positions. Demon was holding the ball, standing about thirty yards away from Bus, who was holding the bat. She was holding the handle and tapping the other end on the gym floor. Between her and Butter were three wooden sticks, which were slotted into a wooden base. About ten yards behind Bus was Butter, wearing a pair of gloves and crouching down. Googly didn't say anything as Demon ran forwards, ball in hoof, and then suddenly spun her arm around when she reached a line on the floor. It was a weird action, with her rear hooves on the ground, one hoof close to her face, and the other (holding the ball) making a vertical circle. She let go of the ball and it rocketed down towards Bus like a baseball pitch, but it bounced about three yards in front of the batting pony. Bus used the flat face of the bat to knock the ball away, and it hit the net and came to a stop. Butter looked a little relieved as she pulled off her gloves and jogged over the retrieve the ball. All three ponies made their way back over to where Streak and Googly were stood. “Hah, foul ball?” Streak smirked. Of course, the ball wasn't allowed to bounce. “Not at all.” Bus said brightly. “It was quite a good delivery, actually.” “Eh? But it bounced.” “Oh no, in cricket it's supposed to bounce. The bowler tries to make the ball bounce a little in front of the batspony.” Streak was a little confused. “Okay, I think I need the rules of this explaining.” “I'll tell you what. How about we go and get something to eat after school, and we'll explain it all to you?” Bus suggested in her usual bouncy manner. “Um, yeah I suppose...” Streak replied, a little taken aback to be asked to go out with some ponies she only just met. “Great. We'll meet at the cupcake shop on the corner.” Demon said, shrugging. “You can bring a notebook if you want to write things down or draw diagrams.” Streak nodded. “This is going to be great fun!” Bus said happily. “We might even be able to get a whole team together.” “Don't get too ahead of yourself, Bus.” Butter said. “We still need another six players.” “There are eleven on a cricket team, Streak.” Bus added. “But if we put up adverts, we can definitely find six ponies to play for us.” “Let's just take small steps for now.” Demon said, already halfway to leaving. Bus pulled Streak into a hug. “I can't wait for this season! I'm sure we'll be great!” If you like this, PLEASE like/comment/favourite. I know it's annoying, but continuing a story is much more fun when people are positive about it! Chapter Two: Practice“You play for how long?!?” Streak didn't react well to discovering that cricket matches took four days. “Five days for test matches, which are internationals.” Demon added with a smirk. Streak just looked gob smacked. “Hey, we only play a few of those games each season.” Bus said, trying to reassure her new team-mate. “There are also lots of limited-over games, which only take a day.” “Four days?!?” Streak was still getting over her shock as Demon explained how the season worked, taking occasional sips from the hot drink in front of her. “We play five long games, four days each. That's played in a league-style competition, we play all the other teams once. This year we've got three home games and two away.” She said, pointing at the calendar at the back of her diary. “Then we've got two one-day games scheduled. They are both in tournaments, so if we lose them both we won't have any more.” “Do you often get through the first round?” Streak asked, feeling a little mischievous. She had guessed the answer. “No, we've never got through.” Demon said, a little irritated by the question. “So we're going to try hard this year.” “So there's only seven games in total?” Streak asked, studying the schedule. “That doesn't sound too hard.” Demon nodded. “But we've got weekly training on Saturdays, and a team meeting on Tuesday nights. Games are played from Friday to Monday, so when it's during school time you have to get exempted from classes.” “Really? That's totally awesome.” “There's a lot of catch-up work to do, though.” Bus added, shrugging. “So it's not all fun.” “Anypony want another drink?” Butter asked, looking at the bottom of her empty mug. Once Butter had departed, Demon went on. “Do you think you're better at bowling or batting?” She asked Streak. The blonde pony shrugged. “I don't know, bit of both maybe.” “You could try being an all-rounder. They have to bowl and bat.” “Sounds perfect, that way I'm good at everything.” Demon was unimpressed. “Try it before you start bragging. It's not that similar to any other sports.” “Whatever.” Butter returned with three mugs, handing one to Googly and one to Bus. “Streak wants to have a go at being an all-rounder.” Bus said to fill her in. “Oh, cool! We need a good all-rounder in the middle order.” “What's the middle order?” Streak asked, before taking a few big gulps of her drink. Demon sighed. “The order in which players come out to bat is called the batting order. Only two batsponies can be on the field at once, so you get a number from one to eleven. Bus is always number one.” Bus smiled. “Because I don't bowl, I can focus on batting, which means I'm fairly good at it. You always put your best batsmen high up the order.” The tall pony nodded. “Bowlers like Googly and I are generally weaker batsponies, so we bat last. The middle order is for players who can bat, but also do something else. Usually all-rounders or wicket-keepers like Butter.” Butter just waved. “The job of the middle order in long games is to score as many runs as possible and adapt to the situation. That could mean getting runs quickly, or playing very defensively to avoid getting out.” Demon said, nodding. “What are runs?” Streak only realised it was an obvious question when Demon smacked her hoof into her face in frustration. Bus was more sympathetic. “The aim of the game is to score more runs than the opposition. You score runs by hitting the ball then running from one end of the wicket – that's where the three stumps are – to the other.” “If you hit it to the edge of the pitch, you get four runs automatically. If it doesn't bounce, you get six.” Butter said. Streak nodded. “So the bowlers have to stop this from happening?” “Yes” Demon said, nodding as if it were obvious. “You have to get the batsponies out, then they can't bat any more. After you get ten batsponies out, they can't bat any more and you can swap over.” “How do you get them out? Three strikes?” “No, it's different.” Bus said. “But it's easier to explain when we're practising.” “Speaking of practice, you are free this Saturday?” Demon asked. “Should be.” “Okay, well come along to the playing field after school. Coach Nets will be there, and he'll be interested in meeting you.” “Oh, and you can try bowling and batting.” Bus said enthusiastically, tapping Streak on the shoulder. “I'm sure you'll be great.” Streak just shrugged. “I'll try my best.” Modesty wasn't really her thing, so she quickly drained the rest of her drink to avoid the awkward silence. *** “Okay fillies, it's time to get ready for the new season.” Coach Nets said, striding up and down past the bench where the five of them were seated, his short brown mane sticking up wildly as usual. “Demon will be our team captain again. Butter, wicket-keeper. We need another six players though.” He paused when he was opposite Streak. “Pleased to meet you pet. I heard you need a little introduction to the rules, but we can sort that out, no problem.” He smiled and continued walking. “Today, we're going to do a little light game practice to get back into the swing of things. Our goal for next week will be to find new players.” He said, jogging a little on the spot to avoid the cold. “It'll be tennis balls until the ground gets softer, though.” The team got up and collected equipment, leaving Streak just sat on her own, unsure of what to do. Coach Nets sat beside her. “Do you think you can join in, or do you need more explanation?” Streak considered this. Saying she needed help was weak, but she had no idea what was going on. “I don't know...” “Try fielding. All you have to do is stop the ball if it comes your way, and I can explain then.” This seemed a reasonable compromise, so Streak agreed and took up her place on Bus' left. She was batting, and Demon was bowling, so Googly was batting at the other end. Butter was waiting behind the wickets with her gloves on. “Why are they wearing helmets?” Streak asked, noticing the grilled helmets which reminded her of the ones that the football team wore. “To get used to it. The real ball can do some damage, so they wear helmets for protection.” Personally, Streak thought that the excessive padding was a little silly. Baseball players didn't wear anything like that much. But her mind was changed when Demon unleashed a delivery. It shot down the wicket and crashed harmlessly into Bus' leg pads. She didn't even bother hitting it. “Wow.” Streak said, admiring the bravery. “How fast was that ball?” “Oh, not great. Sixty miles per hour? It's difficult to throw a tennis ball very fast. Demon can touch ninety m.p.h. with the real thing.” Now that was impressive, Streak thought. Demon had gathered the ball and was walking back to her end, ready for another delivery. “Demon is a fast bowler, which means she bowls very quickly to try and give the batspony the shortest possible time to react. The ball bounces off the seam or swings in the air.” The Coach explained. “Googly, who you'll see in a minute, does it differently.” The next ball was equally fast, but Bus simply knocked it towards Coach Nets before setting off for a run. She and Googly swapped over as the coach picked the ball up and returned it to Demon. “That's worth one run.” He explained when he got back. “Now Googly has to bat.” Streak nodded. There was a lot of stuff to learn. Demon bowled again, and Googly just blocked it with her bat. “Each bowler bowls six balls in a row, then they swap ends. Demon's already had three, so she's got three more.” Nets explained as the next ball was just blocked again. Ball four had more of an impact. It seemed a little faster, and Googly wasn't fast enough with her block. The little wooden things that sat on top of the wickets went flying, and Butter cheered. “Demon just bowled Googly. That's where you hit the wickets with the ball and knock the bails off. The bails are those little wooden things.” Streak smiled. “So that's good?” “Yes, when you're the side bowling. Demon is our best bowler and Googly is out worst batspony, so it's unsurprising.” Nets chuckled a little, then shouted over to the other ponies. “Okay, Demon and Googly swap. Bus, you take the strike.” Bus went back to the other end, whilst Googly took off her pads and picked up the ball. Demon did the opposite, picking up a bat. “Taking the strike means you're the one facing the bowler.” Nets added. “Now watch how Googly bowls.” The shy pony had a much shorter run-up, and she threw the ball much more slowly. The ball arced through the air, then landed a little in front of Bus. Bus just left it, and it bounced through to Butter. “Why didn't she hit it? That was so slow, surely it was easy runs?” Streak said. “Come with me.” Coach Nets said, a little mysteriously. He led Streak over to the wickets from which Googly was bowling. “Go again, Googly.” The pony stepped up again and bowled a similar delivery. This time, Streak could see what happened when it bounced. Instead of carrying on straight, it veered sharply to the left. Bus left it again. “Wow, you can make the ball bounce like that?” Streak said, astounded. “It's called spin bowling. You spin the ball, and when it hits the ground it bounces off in one direction. Instead of giving the batspony too little time to hit it, you make the batspony guess where it's going. If they guess wrong, they could be bowled.” Googly smiled a little. “We call each group of six balls an over. At the end of the over, the bowler swaps with another bowler, who bowls from the other end.” Coach Nets informed Streak as they headed back to their original position. “It can seem a little confusing, but you always have to swap end, and always have to swap bowler. Just remember that.” “So does it just go on like that?” “Yes. You keep bowling overs until the intervals, which are for lunch and tea. In limited-over games, you can only bowl forty or fifty overs before you have to swap over with the batting side.” Streak hoped she understood. “So what do I do when I'm not batting or bowling?” “You field, like we are now. You have to stop the ball and throw it back to the wicket-keeper or bowler, to stop them from scoring runs. Usually there's eleven people on the team, so it's better covered than this.” “Field?” “Yes. You're a fielder, doing some fielding. In the field, I suppose.” The coach chuckled. They did a few more practice overs before the coach called them all in. “Okay, that was promising. Butter, Demon and Googly, I want you three fillies going to make posters to try and get more players for our team. We need another six, so we can't waste time.” The three of them headed for the changing rooms. “Bus and Streak, you two are going to the nets. Bus, I want you to introduce Streak to bowling and batting, and show her the techniques. I need to know what position she's going to play.” “Okay coach.” Bus said. “Come on Streak.” They began walking towards the outdoor nets which had suddenly appeared. “What about coach? Isn't he helping?” Streak asked when she noticed him wandering off. “Oh, he'll be going to work something out. He's always doing something.” Bus explained, unzipping a kit bag. “Do you want to bat or bowl first?” Streak shrugged. “You can bowl.” Streak was handed a tennis ball and Bus guided her over to the wicket. “There's one golden rule. The arm holding the ball has to be dead straight.” “So it's not like a throw?” “Throwing is against the rules.” Bus smiled. “It's a little difficult to get the hang of, but keep trying. Then, stand sideways on so your other arm is facing the batter.” As she explained, Bus gently nudged Streak into the right position. “Then, use your free arm to aim a little, and try to bowl the ball at the wickets.” Streak tried, and the ball flew high and wide. “That was great for a first try!” Bus squealed. “It was terrible.” Streak said, lacking any enthusiasm. “No, no it wasn't!” “You don't have to be nice.” “I'm not! Well... I am, but well, I don't know. Anyway, you did well because your arm was straight. That's the hardest bit to master!” To Streak, it seemed that hitting those tiny little sticks from twenty yards away was the hard part. “Try again.” Her second try was equally terrible, but it bounced at least. “Oh, no no. You bent your arm.” Streak sighed and tried again, with no success. “I'll tell you what. Just keep trying and I'll do and collect the balls. Practice makes perfect.” Bus beamed with her usual happiness and trotted away to fetch the tennis balls at the back of the net. In the end, Streak ended up taking a ball home so she could practice in her back yard. Bus promised they'd work on batting after school on Tuesday, but Streak wasn't convinced she would be any better. Chapter Three: BattingStreak had decided that if she was going to be forced to play the game, she might as well get good at it. And anyway, she spent most of her time after school each day practicing anyway, so it wouldn't do any harm to practice this bowling business. By Tuesday she'd spent over four hours wheeling her arm around and bowling the ball at the back of the house, and now she could get it to bounce every time, even if it missed the target almost every time. The team meeting was held in the gym first thing after school on Tuesday, whilst the hockey team were getting changed. Then the cricket team could go home and practice, or stay and use the facilities. Streak turned up on time and found everypony else already there, just waiting for the coach. "Hi Streak." Bus said. "Did you bring your kit?" "Yeah. Are you going to go through batting with me?" "Oh no, Googly is. She knows the basics and she can bowl at you." Googly smiled, and Streak noticed that her and the spin bowler were the only two to have their kit. She took a seat on the bench as Coach Nets walked in. "Hi, sorry I'm late. Anyway, just a quick one. Streak, you and Googly can go and work on batting in the nets. The rest of you need to work on recruitment and just general exercises - I want to see you building strength, Bus. And Demon, if I'm not clocking your bowls at eighty-five miles per hour by this time next week, you'll be doing an intensive one-on-one session with me." He was interrupted by the chatter of voices coming into the hall, the acoustics amplifying them. It was the hockey team, now changed and ready to have their meeting before going outside to practice. "Oh. My. God." One of the players said. Streak recognised her but couldn't remember her name. She was the captain of the hockey team and occasionally broke some of the school's records in the sport. Streak had no interest in a sport like hockey, but she resented occasionally having to share the school's honours. "Is that really Competitive Streak? Record-breaking pony, playing whatever stupid sport this is?" The pony turned to her companion. "You know, they have never won anything in the history of the sport. The school's worst team." All the members of the cricket team burned with embarrassment, including Streak. She was annoyed that she had to be seen with a bunch of losers. Before she could think of any smack-talk to reply with, the hockey players had laughed to themselves and stalked past, giving condescending looks to the cricket players. "Ignore them." Coach Nets shrugged. "Hockey is a sport for princesses anyway. Let's have a good day, everypony." He clapped his hooves together and headed for the sports office. "I hate those ponies." Streak complained as she and Googly made their way towards the nets. She cast an evil eye at the hockey players, who were cheering and having a team hug. "Just listen to coach." Googly suggested as she pulled the nets away from the wall. "Anyway, they'll be gone in a minute. You should put the kit on." Streak retired to the changing rooms. Whilst they only had to wear their athletic kit for proper practices, Googly had given her a second-hand set of batting pads and a battered helmet that didn't fit properly. They were awful, like wearing somepony else's sweaty catching mitt. But she dutifully strapped on the leg pads, put on the helmet and pulled on a pair of padded gloves that had holes in them. Then she went back into the gym, relieved that the hockey team didn't have to see her looking so stupid. "Okay Streak, just pick up a bat out of the kit bag and go and stand in the nets." Googly said. She'd made a pile of six balls next to where she was standing. Streak did as she was told and stood in front of the wooden sticks, holding the rectangular bat awkwardly. Googly walked over. "Okay, the first and most important thing is the stance. You have to stand side-on, like in baseball, but the bottom edge of the bat should touch the ground." She pushed and prodded Streak until she was in the correct position, face of the bat facing the pile of balls. "Now, your main aim is to stop the ball from hitting the wickets behind you. For now, just focus on hitting the ball with the bat. It doesn't matter if you miss." The other pony went back and picked up one of the balls. "Ready?" Streak nodded, feeling the helmet slip down her face a little. She remembered how when Googly had bowled at the practice session, the ball had spun in all kinds of directions and been impossible to predict. Batting already seemed difficult. Googly bowled the first ball, which arced straight towards her. She swung the bat as hard as the could, missing the ball entirely. The ball crashed harmlessly into the net behind her, but her powerful swing meant she'd moved out of her batting stance and now had to try getting back into it. "Don't swing so hard. Try just stopping the ball with the bat, like a bunt." "Do they have bunts in cricket?" "Not if you want to score runs. You only bunt a ball if you can't otherwise score a run from it, and you think it will hit the wickets. We call it a forward defence." Googly's next ball was equally straight, so Streak just held the bat in front of her and hoped it would hit. It missed again. "Just keep your eyes on the ball at all times and guide the bat to it." The next ball hit the bat exactly as Streak had intended. "Well done!" Googly enthused. "That's a good start." Streak wasn't used to being so terrible at a sport, so she resolved to try harder. "So how do I do this forward defence thing?" "Simple. When you see the ball coming straight towards you, step forward with your left hoof, so that your leg is on the left of the ball. Then move the bat with you and angle it so it points downwards. The ball will hit the bat, bounce into the ground, and go nowhere." "Okay." Streak tried this, with Googly's guidance. Before long, she knew how to do it, in theory. "Try it on this ball." Googly said. The ball was another slow, straight one, and Streak stepped forwards. The bat accidentally hit her leg though, and ended up swinging weirdly. The ball passed straight through and hit the wickets with a thunking noise. "Don't worry. Try again." Googly said, trying to soothe Streak who now felt like an idiot. The next ball was exactly the same, but this time Streak executed the shot perfectly and the ball rolled slowly across the gym floor to Googly. "Perfect! If you played that shot in one of our games, it wouldn't be out of place." The bowling pony said happily, hopping up and down on the spot. "You're very good for a beginner." "Yeah, but your bowls are too easy to hit." Streak complained. "Give me one of your best!" She was far more confident now she could pull it off. "Oh no, we'll start easy." "Come on, you're on the sixth ball. Give me a tough one." Streak maintained. Googly shrugged and bowled the final ball. Streak saw it coming straight towards her and smiled, stepping forward perfectly and angling her bat just right. But when the ball bounced, it veered towards her left leg and passed cleanly through the gap between the bat and her leg. It then continued and hit the wickets again. "Sorry Streak. The forward defence isn't very good against spin bowling like mine." Googly apologised as Streak looked dumbly at the spot that the ball had bounced. "Seriously, how do you do that? I can't even get the ball to hit the wickets." "With practice. You're probably better as a fast bowler anyway." She replied, nodding a little shyly. "Anyway, send me the balls back and we can practice the forward defence more. A good player can get the forward defence right every single time." After two hours of endlessly repeating the same stroke over and over, Streak was confident that she could not only pull it off every time, but decide which balls to block and which not to. Googly said she should only block fast, straight balls, or spin bowling where the ball spins into the middle. They'd tried spin bowling at the end, but it was too difficult for Streak to get the hang of. Streak took a shower quickly, trying to get rid of the old sweat that had come from the pads and helmet before the hockey team returned. Googly was tying her mane up when Streak returned the old kit to the office. "That kit is horrible." Streak said as the two of them headed towards the school gates. "Sorry you have to wear it, but it's the only spare kit we have. Everypony on the team at the moment has their own." "I need to buy some or something. No way am I wearing that again." "Oh, you should go shopping with Bus. She's the best batspony, so she'll be able to get you the right equipment." They reached the corner of the street outside school, and Streak was about to say goodbye when she realised that Googly was walking the same way as she was. "Oh, you live in this direction too?" "I live on Rhododendron Drive. What about you?" Googly asked, hiking her kit bag up her shoulder. "Oh, that's just two streets across from where I live, on Acacia Avenue." "Do you want to walk back together?" Googly suddenly sounded very shy. "Yeah, okay." Streak was grateful that Googly had spent the afternoon teaching her, so didn't mind talking a walk back with her teammate. "So what batting technique do I learn next?" "Oh, you'll probably need to work on the forward defence more. It's very important." "I mean after that." Googly thought for a few moments as they crossed the street. "Probably the off drive. It's the closest thing to the forward defence." "How do you do that one?" "When you stop your bat so that the ball bounces off it, you instead swing it forwards, sending the ball back towards the bowler. You can only use it on straight balls, really. An off drive would be to the right of the bowler, a leg drive to the left, nearest your legs." Streak considered this for a moment. "Okay I suppose that makes sense. But wouldn't the bowler stop it?" "You have to hit it hard enough for the bowler to not reach it quickly enough." "I think I can hit stuff. That's the best part?" "Oh, I'm not a very good batspony. You'd be better off asking Bus for the finer points." Streak just nodded and looked at the street sign. They were at Fir Place, about halfway to Rhododenron. "So what other shots can you teach me?" "I suppose the backward defence. Instead of stepping forward in the defence, you step backwards. This means you can lift the bat up higher and stop balls that bounce high." "Don't high balls not count? Like in baseball, if it's not near the wicket it doesn't count?" "Oh, no. If it's too wide for the batspony to reach, then it's called a wide and you get a free run. It's possible for a very high ball to be called a wide, but it hardly ever happens." "So if it's going over the top of the wickets, you have to hit it?" Streak asked. "You can leave it, but you have to make the decision." Googly replied. "You use it when a forward defence would be too low." Streak only sighed. There had been a lot to learn, and she still only really knew one shot. "This cricket stuff is really difficult." "I think Demon is going to get you a book that you can read, now you know the very basics." Googly replied, pausing at a set of pedestrian lights. "You have to learn from books? This is just like school." Streak complained, shaking her head. "Well, keep trying. Anyway, I'm going to go to the shop on the way back, so I'll go this way." The bowling pony replied, pointing to the left. "I'll see you at practice on Saturday. You need to keep trying, because our first game is the weekend afterwards." Streak waved as Googly walked away. She decided on a plan of action; firstly she needed to get herself some kit, secondly she needed to master the forward defence, and thirdly she needed to bowl a bit better. "Hi, can I speak to Bus please?" "Erm, okay. Who's speaking?" "I'm Streak." "One moment, Streak." Streak tapped the phone impatiently. She hadn't rung up one of her teammates for years and felt slightly stupid for doing so. The faster she got it over with the better. "Hello Streak." Bus said, her voice sounding pleased. "Hi, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me to help me get some kit." Streak said quickly. "Oh, of course. Tomorrow after school, or is that too soon?" "No that's fine. See you then." "Meet me on the other side of the road outside school." "Okay. Bye Bus." She put the phone down and rolled her eyes. She had no idea how much the kit would cost, but she'd probably be able to persuade her parents. Cricket was just begging to have some school records beaten, and that's what her parents liked to hear.
Chapter One: Introduction“COME ONNNNN” she raged, pounding the rubbery gym floor with her hooves. Competitive Streak (known only as 'Streak' because it took WAY too long to say 'Competitive') knew she was drawing looks from the crowd, but she didn't care. This match was more important than anything else she'd ever done, and now that stupid foal was Messing. It. All. Up. In her bedroom, Streak had a wall covered in rosettes, ribbons, cups, trophies and shields commemorating her sporting successes. She'd already won the regional soccer trophy, the prestigious 'rising hockey star' cup and the national lacrosse championship winner's shield. Although if you asked her she'd never admit it, Streak knew that this was partly to do with her high school, City High, being one of the best sporting schools in all of Equestria. The Comets were Equestrian champions in lacrosse, football and basketball, and currently they were competing in the Heart's Warming Championship for Volleyball. The HWC, played two days before the holiday, determined the Equestrian Champions for the sport. Of course, City High had reached the final, because Streak was playing. She was setting blazing records for the season and was close to breaking a couple of all-time records across every school in Equestria. But, of course, there was one pony who was letting them down. And she was standing right in front of Streak. In fact, if she could make her eyes shoot lasers, that pony's mane would currently be on fire. “Competitive Streak! Calm down!” the Coach shouted, waving her hoof. Streak rolled her eyes and waited for the ball to be served. It flew over the net and Streak took her chance, diving forward and knocking it in a perfect arc back towards the net. With that, she was guaranteed an assist. But no, that foal jumped for it. Streak could just see the match slipping away as the other pony leapt and smacked her hoof into the rubber ball, sending it flying straight off the court. “Aaaaaaargh!” Streak screamed, storming towards the bench. “We've definitely lost it now!” Sulking, she sat on the bench and scowled, despite the entire crowd staring at her. “Hey, take five Competitive Streak. There's no call for that behaviour.” Coach said, shaking her head and substituting her star player. “You really need to work on that attitude, or you'll be out for the rest of the game.” “Hah, I wouldn't be caught dead playing on the same planet as these losers.” Streak replied acidly, pulling the hair band out of her blonde mane. She scooped up a white towel and mopped her brow. “At least it'll be over soon and I can go home.” The Coach just shook her head and went back to focusing on the game, leaving Streak to pull the band out of her tail and stalk off to the changing rooms for an early shower. No way she was watching the rest of that shambles. The hot shower did nothing to dampen Streak's anger, but a seed of doubt was sown as she dressed in her tracksuit. She didn't care for those foals who she formerly called team-mates, but it was going to be an awkward coach ride home. She sighed and sat on a bench, annoyed that she'd miss out on the winner's medal. Of course, the Comets crashed and burned without her. They were beaten easily, and the Streak could hear the crowd's applause once the game finished. Once the medals had been presented, they'd all be back, telling each other how well they did and how hard they tried. Competitive shook her head. What a waste of time. She wasn't even going to bother getting her silver medal. If it wasn't gold, she didn't want it. As she'd predicted, Streak spent the coach ride home sat on her own at the back. Nopony wanted to talk to her after her so-called betrayal of the team. Not that Streak wanted to talk to them. She just looked out of the window and sulked, trying to make herself feel better by thinking of how awfully the red strip went with her snowy white coat. Made her look like a cheerleader or some other stupid thing. By the first day back, Streak was already getting geared up for baseball try-outs. She'd been pretty good over the past couple of years, but now she was ready to join the senior team. In fact, she'd forgotten all about the volleyball mess until she found herself summoned to the Principal's office first thing in the morning. After the obligatory wait outside the office, Streak plonked herself down in the leather upholstered chair and looked at the smartly-dressed Principal with mild disinterest. “Competitive Streak, I've called you here because of your attitude during the Heath's Warming Bowl.” Streak didn't reply. She wanted to answer back, but it usually only ended in detention, so she just stared defiantly. The Principal sighed. “I'm sure you know your behaviour was not only unsporting and rude, but it reflected badly on our school's sports programme. Now, when people think about the City Comets, they'll think about you storming off.” She still didn't give the Principal the satisfaction of a reply. “Now, the coach spoke to me over the holiday, and I've decided that you've got to be punished.” A few detentions was actually better than Streak had expected. By the time the baseball season started, she'd be free of all her punishment. A smirk played on her lips. “Now, this decision is my responsibility, so this is how it works. You've got a choice.” “Between what and what?” This idea of a choice was different, and Streak felt uncomfortable. She flicked her mane back a little and narrowed her eyes. “You are banned from trying out for any sports teams this summer. With two exceptions. Either, you can stay with the volleyball team, apologise to them, and go to summer training ready for next year.” Streak snorted with contempt, stinging from her epic baseball career being wiped out before her eyes. “Or, you may join the cricket team for this summer. I hear they're recruiting, and I think it might suit you.” Now that was a curve ball, Streak thought. “What?” “You heard what I said. Miss the summer and play volleyball next year, or play this summer and play for the cricket team.” “What's cricket?” “What's your decision?” The Principal smiled from behind her glasses. “Well no way am I wasting a summer when I could be winning trophies. And Volleyball sucks anyway. Sign me up for whatever cricket is, I'm sure I'll be amazing at it.” “In that case, I'll introduce you to the team captain. Her name is Demon Bowler, you'll find her in the gym at lunch. That's all, Competitive Streak, you may go back to class.” Streak shrugged and left the room, shutting the door with a little more force than perhaps necessary. The secretary gave her a strange look, but Streak ignored it. No baseball was really hurting, Streak thought, as she daydreamed her way through double maths and a chemistry lesson. She never liked to show it when ponies got the better of her, but the Principal had really ruined her summer. She didn't even know the school had a 'cricket' team, so they clearly weren't Equestrian Champions. And this Demon Bowler... yet another pony her age that she'd never heard of. This was going to be a totally terrible summer. Unless she could break a few school records in this cricket thing. At lunch, Streak wandered over to the gym, not really in a hurry. Any sport played indoors in summer wasn't worth the bother. Inside the cavernous space, Streak noticed something new. There had always been large white nets pinned to the wall at one end, but she'd never really thought about them. But now they'd been pulled out, and they formed three sort of tunnel things leading to the wall. Standing around were four ponies who looked to be the same age as her. As she approached, they turned to look at her. “Ah, you're Competitive Streak?” The tallest of the ponies asked, casting a haughty eye over Streak that made her naturally defensive. “Yeah, what's it to you?” The tall pony laughed derisively. “And I see the legendary attitude is still the same.” With that, the pony just walked away, heading for the store cupboard. “Ignore her, she can be a little weird sometimes.” This came from a well-built pony with shoulders verging on the colt-like. Streak just shrugged. “So, what's this cricket thing? Apparently the captain is what, Demon Roller?” “Demon Bowler.” The correction was courtesy of a pony with long legs who looked permanently off-balance. “Yeah, which one is she?” “She would be the one you just met.” The colt-like pony said, shrugging a little. Streak had been sure she'd just end up on a team full of foals, and it seemed to be true. Although, they did seem very open and welcoming. As if on cue, the colt-like pony spoke up. “Well, welcome to the cricket team. We're all here, except for Coach Nets, who isn't coming to this session because it's more of a team meeting than a training session.” “Okay. To make things clear, I'm here before I'm forced to be.” Streak said, tossing her mane to one side. “Oh yes, we all heard about the volleyball thing. Don't worry, we're giving you a second chance. Cricket is much more fun.” “Doubt it.” Streak muttered, just as Demon Bowler returned. Demon was holding a red ball, and she threw it gently at Streak once she was close enough. Immediately the white pony noticed how hard the ball was. “What's this made out of, rock?” “No, it's cork. Like a baseball but more civilised. Covered in leather, with stitching all the way around. That white stitching is called the seam.” Demon explained. “So it's just baseball, but using this?” Then Streak noticed the other object Demon was carrying. “No, we use a bat like this. The best way to demonstrate is by showing you how we play.” Demon said, handing the bat to the colt-like pony. “Bus, you can bat. I'll bowl.” “Oh, we haven't done introductions.” Bus said, seeming a little flustered. “We all know you're Competitive Streak, but what do you like to be called?” “Just Streak.” “Okay Streak, well I'm Parked Bus, you can call me Bus. I play opening bat.” This was still the colt-like one. “You probably already know I'm Demon Bowler. They call me Demon, and I'm opening bowler.” The tall one. “I'm Butter Fingers, and everypony calls me Butter. I play as the wicket-keeper, but you'll see what that is in a minute.” This was the pony with long legs. The other pony didn't say anything and just looked at the floor. “This is Googly Spinner. She's a spin bowler.” Bus said, giving Googly a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just call her Googly. She's a little shy.” “Okay, let's do this demonstration.” Demon said. Only Googly hung back, the other three took up positions. Demon was holding the ball, standing about thirty yards away from Bus, who was holding the bat. She was holding the handle and tapping the other end on the gym floor. Between her and Butter were three wooden sticks, which were slotted into a wooden base. About ten yards behind Bus was Butter, wearing a pair of gloves and crouching down. Googly didn't say anything as Demon ran forwards, ball in hoof, and then suddenly spun her arm around when she reached a line on the floor. It was a weird action, with her rear hooves on the ground, one hoof close to her face, and the other (holding the ball) making a vertical circle. She let go of the ball and it rocketed down towards Bus like a baseball pitch, but it bounced about three yards in front of the batting pony. Bus used the flat face of the bat to knock the ball away, and it hit the net and came to a stop. Butter looked a little relieved as she pulled off her gloves and jogged over the retrieve the ball. All three ponies made their way back over to where Streak and Googly were stood. “Hah, foul ball?” Streak smirked. Of course, the ball wasn't allowed to bounce. “Not at all.” Bus said brightly. “It was quite a good delivery, actually.” “Eh? But it bounced.” “Oh no, in cricket it's supposed to bounce. The bowler tries to make the ball bounce a little in front of the batspony.” Streak was a little confused. “Okay, I think I need the rules of this explaining.” “I'll tell you what. How about we go and get something to eat after school, and we'll explain it all to you?” Bus suggested in her usual bouncy manner. “Um, yeah I suppose...” Streak replied, a little taken aback to be asked to go out with some ponies she only just met. “Great. We'll meet at the cupcake shop on the corner.” Demon said, shrugging. “You can bring a notebook if you want to write things down or draw diagrams.” Streak nodded. “This is going to be great fun!” Bus said happily. “We might even be able to get a whole team together.” “Don't get too ahead of yourself, Bus.” Butter said. “We still need another six players.” “There are eleven on a cricket team, Streak.” Bus added. “But if we put up adverts, we can definitely find six ponies to play for us.” “Let's just take small steps for now.” Demon said, already halfway to leaving. Bus pulled Streak into a hug. “I can't wait for this season! I'm sure we'll be great!” If you like this, PLEASE like/comment/favourite. I know it's annoying, but continuing a story is much more fun when people are positive about it!
Chapter Two: Practice“You play for how long?!?” Streak didn't react well to discovering that cricket matches took four days. “Five days for test matches, which are internationals.” Demon added with a smirk. Streak just looked gob smacked. “Hey, we only play a few of those games each season.” Bus said, trying to reassure her new team-mate. “There are also lots of limited-over games, which only take a day.” “Four days?!?” Streak was still getting over her shock as Demon explained how the season worked, taking occasional sips from the hot drink in front of her. “We play five long games, four days each. That's played in a league-style competition, we play all the other teams once. This year we've got three home games and two away.” She said, pointing at the calendar at the back of her diary. “Then we've got two one-day games scheduled. They are both in tournaments, so if we lose them both we won't have any more.” “Do you often get through the first round?” Streak asked, feeling a little mischievous. She had guessed the answer. “No, we've never got through.” Demon said, a little irritated by the question. “So we're going to try hard this year.” “So there's only seven games in total?” Streak asked, studying the schedule. “That doesn't sound too hard.” Demon nodded. “But we've got weekly training on Saturdays, and a team meeting on Tuesday nights. Games are played from Friday to Monday, so when it's during school time you have to get exempted from classes.” “Really? That's totally awesome.” “There's a lot of catch-up work to do, though.” Bus added, shrugging. “So it's not all fun.” “Anypony want another drink?” Butter asked, looking at the bottom of her empty mug. Once Butter had departed, Demon went on. “Do you think you're better at bowling or batting?” She asked Streak. The blonde pony shrugged. “I don't know, bit of both maybe.” “You could try being an all-rounder. They have to bowl and bat.” “Sounds perfect, that way I'm good at everything.” Demon was unimpressed. “Try it before you start bragging. It's not that similar to any other sports.” “Whatever.” Butter returned with three mugs, handing one to Googly and one to Bus. “Streak wants to have a go at being an all-rounder.” Bus said to fill her in. “Oh, cool! We need a good all-rounder in the middle order.” “What's the middle order?” Streak asked, before taking a few big gulps of her drink. Demon sighed. “The order in which players come out to bat is called the batting order. Only two batsponies can be on the field at once, so you get a number from one to eleven. Bus is always number one.” Bus smiled. “Because I don't bowl, I can focus on batting, which means I'm fairly good at it. You always put your best batsmen high up the order.” The tall pony nodded. “Bowlers like Googly and I are generally weaker batsponies, so we bat last. The middle order is for players who can bat, but also do something else. Usually all-rounders or wicket-keepers like Butter.” Butter just waved. “The job of the middle order in long games is to score as many runs as possible and adapt to the situation. That could mean getting runs quickly, or playing very defensively to avoid getting out.” Demon said, nodding. “What are runs?” Streak only realised it was an obvious question when Demon smacked her hoof into her face in frustration. Bus was more sympathetic. “The aim of the game is to score more runs than the opposition. You score runs by hitting the ball then running from one end of the wicket – that's where the three stumps are – to the other.” “If you hit it to the edge of the pitch, you get four runs automatically. If it doesn't bounce, you get six.” Butter said. Streak nodded. “So the bowlers have to stop this from happening?” “Yes” Demon said, nodding as if it were obvious. “You have to get the batsponies out, then they can't bat any more. After you get ten batsponies out, they can't bat any more and you can swap over.” “How do you get them out? Three strikes?” “No, it's different.” Bus said. “But it's easier to explain when we're practising.” “Speaking of practice, you are free this Saturday?” Demon asked. “Should be.” “Okay, well come along to the playing field after school. Coach Nets will be there, and he'll be interested in meeting you.” “Oh, and you can try bowling and batting.” Bus said enthusiastically, tapping Streak on the shoulder. “I'm sure you'll be great.” Streak just shrugged. “I'll try my best.” Modesty wasn't really her thing, so she quickly drained the rest of her drink to avoid the awkward silence. *** “Okay fillies, it's time to get ready for the new season.” Coach Nets said, striding up and down past the bench where the five of them were seated, his short brown mane sticking up wildly as usual. “Demon will be our team captain again. Butter, wicket-keeper. We need another six players though.” He paused when he was opposite Streak. “Pleased to meet you pet. I heard you need a little introduction to the rules, but we can sort that out, no problem.” He smiled and continued walking. “Today, we're going to do a little light game practice to get back into the swing of things. Our goal for next week will be to find new players.” He said, jogging a little on the spot to avoid the cold. “It'll be tennis balls until the ground gets softer, though.” The team got up and collected equipment, leaving Streak just sat on her own, unsure of what to do. Coach Nets sat beside her. “Do you think you can join in, or do you need more explanation?” Streak considered this. Saying she needed help was weak, but she had no idea what was going on. “I don't know...” “Try fielding. All you have to do is stop the ball if it comes your way, and I can explain then.” This seemed a reasonable compromise, so Streak agreed and took up her place on Bus' left. She was batting, and Demon was bowling, so Googly was batting at the other end. Butter was waiting behind the wickets with her gloves on. “Why are they wearing helmets?” Streak asked, noticing the grilled helmets which reminded her of the ones that the football team wore. “To get used to it. The real ball can do some damage, so they wear helmets for protection.” Personally, Streak thought that the excessive padding was a little silly. Baseball players didn't wear anything like that much. But her mind was changed when Demon unleashed a delivery. It shot down the wicket and crashed harmlessly into Bus' leg pads. She didn't even bother hitting it. “Wow.” Streak said, admiring the bravery. “How fast was that ball?” “Oh, not great. Sixty miles per hour? It's difficult to throw a tennis ball very fast. Demon can touch ninety m.p.h. with the real thing.” Now that was impressive, Streak thought. Demon had gathered the ball and was walking back to her end, ready for another delivery. “Demon is a fast bowler, which means she bowls very quickly to try and give the batspony the shortest possible time to react. The ball bounces off the seam or swings in the air.” The Coach explained. “Googly, who you'll see in a minute, does it differently.” The next ball was equally fast, but Bus simply knocked it towards Coach Nets before setting off for a run. She and Googly swapped over as the coach picked the ball up and returned it to Demon. “That's worth one run.” He explained when he got back. “Now Googly has to bat.” Streak nodded. There was a lot of stuff to learn. Demon bowled again, and Googly just blocked it with her bat. “Each bowler bowls six balls in a row, then they swap ends. Demon's already had three, so she's got three more.” Nets explained as the next ball was just blocked again. Ball four had more of an impact. It seemed a little faster, and Googly wasn't fast enough with her block. The little wooden things that sat on top of the wickets went flying, and Butter cheered. “Demon just bowled Googly. That's where you hit the wickets with the ball and knock the bails off. The bails are those little wooden things.” Streak smiled. “So that's good?” “Yes, when you're the side bowling. Demon is our best bowler and Googly is out worst batspony, so it's unsurprising.” Nets chuckled a little, then shouted over to the other ponies. “Okay, Demon and Googly swap. Bus, you take the strike.” Bus went back to the other end, whilst Googly took off her pads and picked up the ball. Demon did the opposite, picking up a bat. “Taking the strike means you're the one facing the bowler.” Nets added. “Now watch how Googly bowls.” The shy pony had a much shorter run-up, and she threw the ball much more slowly. The ball arced through the air, then landed a little in front of Bus. Bus just left it, and it bounced through to Butter. “Why didn't she hit it? That was so slow, surely it was easy runs?” Streak said. “Come with me.” Coach Nets said, a little mysteriously. He led Streak over to the wickets from which Googly was bowling. “Go again, Googly.” The pony stepped up again and bowled a similar delivery. This time, Streak could see what happened when it bounced. Instead of carrying on straight, it veered sharply to the left. Bus left it again. “Wow, you can make the ball bounce like that?” Streak said, astounded. “It's called spin bowling. You spin the ball, and when it hits the ground it bounces off in one direction. Instead of giving the batspony too little time to hit it, you make the batspony guess where it's going. If they guess wrong, they could be bowled.” Googly smiled a little. “We call each group of six balls an over. At the end of the over, the bowler swaps with another bowler, who bowls from the other end.” Coach Nets informed Streak as they headed back to their original position. “It can seem a little confusing, but you always have to swap end, and always have to swap bowler. Just remember that.” “So does it just go on like that?” “Yes. You keep bowling overs until the intervals, which are for lunch and tea. In limited-over games, you can only bowl forty or fifty overs before you have to swap over with the batting side.” Streak hoped she understood. “So what do I do when I'm not batting or bowling?” “You field, like we are now. You have to stop the ball and throw it back to the wicket-keeper or bowler, to stop them from scoring runs. Usually there's eleven people on the team, so it's better covered than this.” “Field?” “Yes. You're a fielder, doing some fielding. In the field, I suppose.” The coach chuckled. They did a few more practice overs before the coach called them all in. “Okay, that was promising. Butter, Demon and Googly, I want you three fillies going to make posters to try and get more players for our team. We need another six, so we can't waste time.” The three of them headed for the changing rooms. “Bus and Streak, you two are going to the nets. Bus, I want you to introduce Streak to bowling and batting, and show her the techniques. I need to know what position she's going to play.” “Okay coach.” Bus said. “Come on Streak.” They began walking towards the outdoor nets which had suddenly appeared. “What about coach? Isn't he helping?” Streak asked when she noticed him wandering off. “Oh, he'll be going to work something out. He's always doing something.” Bus explained, unzipping a kit bag. “Do you want to bat or bowl first?” Streak shrugged. “You can bowl.” Streak was handed a tennis ball and Bus guided her over to the wicket. “There's one golden rule. The arm holding the ball has to be dead straight.” “So it's not like a throw?” “Throwing is against the rules.” Bus smiled. “It's a little difficult to get the hang of, but keep trying. Then, stand sideways on so your other arm is facing the batter.” As she explained, Bus gently nudged Streak into the right position. “Then, use your free arm to aim a little, and try to bowl the ball at the wickets.” Streak tried, and the ball flew high and wide. “That was great for a first try!” Bus squealed. “It was terrible.” Streak said, lacking any enthusiasm. “No, no it wasn't!” “You don't have to be nice.” “I'm not! Well... I am, but well, I don't know. Anyway, you did well because your arm was straight. That's the hardest bit to master!” To Streak, it seemed that hitting those tiny little sticks from twenty yards away was the hard part. “Try again.” Her second try was equally terrible, but it bounced at least. “Oh, no no. You bent your arm.” Streak sighed and tried again, with no success. “I'll tell you what. Just keep trying and I'll do and collect the balls. Practice makes perfect.” Bus beamed with her usual happiness and trotted away to fetch the tennis balls at the back of the net. In the end, Streak ended up taking a ball home so she could practice in her back yard. Bus promised they'd work on batting after school on Tuesday, but Streak wasn't convinced she would be any better.
Chapter Three: BattingStreak had decided that if she was going to be forced to play the game, she might as well get good at it. And anyway, she spent most of her time after school each day practicing anyway, so it wouldn't do any harm to practice this bowling business. By Tuesday she'd spent over four hours wheeling her arm around and bowling the ball at the back of the house, and now she could get it to bounce every time, even if it missed the target almost every time. The team meeting was held in the gym first thing after school on Tuesday, whilst the hockey team were getting changed. Then the cricket team could go home and practice, or stay and use the facilities. Streak turned up on time and found everypony else already there, just waiting for the coach. "Hi Streak." Bus said. "Did you bring your kit?" "Yeah. Are you going to go through batting with me?" "Oh no, Googly is. She knows the basics and she can bowl at you." Googly smiled, and Streak noticed that her and the spin bowler were the only two to have their kit. She took a seat on the bench as Coach Nets walked in. "Hi, sorry I'm late. Anyway, just a quick one. Streak, you and Googly can go and work on batting in the nets. The rest of you need to work on recruitment and just general exercises - I want to see you building strength, Bus. And Demon, if I'm not clocking your bowls at eighty-five miles per hour by this time next week, you'll be doing an intensive one-on-one session with me." He was interrupted by the chatter of voices coming into the hall, the acoustics amplifying them. It was the hockey team, now changed and ready to have their meeting before going outside to practice. "Oh. My. God." One of the players said. Streak recognised her but couldn't remember her name. She was the captain of the hockey team and occasionally broke some of the school's records in the sport. Streak had no interest in a sport like hockey, but she resented occasionally having to share the school's honours. "Is that really Competitive Streak? Record-breaking pony, playing whatever stupid sport this is?" The pony turned to her companion. "You know, they have never won anything in the history of the sport. The school's worst team." All the members of the cricket team burned with embarrassment, including Streak. She was annoyed that she had to be seen with a bunch of losers. Before she could think of any smack-talk to reply with, the hockey players had laughed to themselves and stalked past, giving condescending looks to the cricket players. "Ignore them." Coach Nets shrugged. "Hockey is a sport for princesses anyway. Let's have a good day, everypony." He clapped his hooves together and headed for the sports office. "I hate those ponies." Streak complained as she and Googly made their way towards the nets. She cast an evil eye at the hockey players, who were cheering and having a team hug. "Just listen to coach." Googly suggested as she pulled the nets away from the wall. "Anyway, they'll be gone in a minute. You should put the kit on." Streak retired to the changing rooms. Whilst they only had to wear their athletic kit for proper practices, Googly had given her a second-hand set of batting pads and a battered helmet that didn't fit properly. They were awful, like wearing somepony else's sweaty catching mitt. But she dutifully strapped on the leg pads, put on the helmet and pulled on a pair of padded gloves that had holes in them. Then she went back into the gym, relieved that the hockey team didn't have to see her looking so stupid. "Okay Streak, just pick up a bat out of the kit bag and go and stand in the nets." Googly said. She'd made a pile of six balls next to where she was standing. Streak did as she was told and stood in front of the wooden sticks, holding the rectangular bat awkwardly. Googly walked over. "Okay, the first and most important thing is the stance. You have to stand side-on, like in baseball, but the bottom edge of the bat should touch the ground." She pushed and prodded Streak until she was in the correct position, face of the bat facing the pile of balls. "Now, your main aim is to stop the ball from hitting the wickets behind you. For now, just focus on hitting the ball with the bat. It doesn't matter if you miss." The other pony went back and picked up one of the balls. "Ready?" Streak nodded, feeling the helmet slip down her face a little. She remembered how when Googly had bowled at the practice session, the ball had spun in all kinds of directions and been impossible to predict. Batting already seemed difficult. Googly bowled the first ball, which arced straight towards her. She swung the bat as hard as the could, missing the ball entirely. The ball crashed harmlessly into the net behind her, but her powerful swing meant she'd moved out of her batting stance and now had to try getting back into it. "Don't swing so hard. Try just stopping the ball with the bat, like a bunt." "Do they have bunts in cricket?" "Not if you want to score runs. You only bunt a ball if you can't otherwise score a run from it, and you think it will hit the wickets. We call it a forward defence." Googly's next ball was equally straight, so Streak just held the bat in front of her and hoped it would hit. It missed again. "Just keep your eyes on the ball at all times and guide the bat to it." The next ball hit the bat exactly as Streak had intended. "Well done!" Googly enthused. "That's a good start." Streak wasn't used to being so terrible at a sport, so she resolved to try harder. "So how do I do this forward defence thing?" "Simple. When you see the ball coming straight towards you, step forward with your left hoof, so that your leg is on the left of the ball. Then move the bat with you and angle it so it points downwards. The ball will hit the bat, bounce into the ground, and go nowhere." "Okay." Streak tried this, with Googly's guidance. Before long, she knew how to do it, in theory. "Try it on this ball." Googly said. The ball was another slow, straight one, and Streak stepped forwards. The bat accidentally hit her leg though, and ended up swinging weirdly. The ball passed straight through and hit the wickets with a thunking noise. "Don't worry. Try again." Googly said, trying to soothe Streak who now felt like an idiot. The next ball was exactly the same, but this time Streak executed the shot perfectly and the ball rolled slowly across the gym floor to Googly. "Perfect! If you played that shot in one of our games, it wouldn't be out of place." The bowling pony said happily, hopping up and down on the spot. "You're very good for a beginner." "Yeah, but your bowls are too easy to hit." Streak complained. "Give me one of your best!" She was far more confident now she could pull it off. "Oh no, we'll start easy." "Come on, you're on the sixth ball. Give me a tough one." Streak maintained. Googly shrugged and bowled the final ball. Streak saw it coming straight towards her and smiled, stepping forward perfectly and angling her bat just right. But when the ball bounced, it veered towards her left leg and passed cleanly through the gap between the bat and her leg. It then continued and hit the wickets again. "Sorry Streak. The forward defence isn't very good against spin bowling like mine." Googly apologised as Streak looked dumbly at the spot that the ball had bounced. "Seriously, how do you do that? I can't even get the ball to hit the wickets." "With practice. You're probably better as a fast bowler anyway." She replied, nodding a little shyly. "Anyway, send me the balls back and we can practice the forward defence more. A good player can get the forward defence right every single time." After two hours of endlessly repeating the same stroke over and over, Streak was confident that she could not only pull it off every time, but decide which balls to block and which not to. Googly said she should only block fast, straight balls, or spin bowling where the ball spins into the middle. They'd tried spin bowling at the end, but it was too difficult for Streak to get the hang of. Streak took a shower quickly, trying to get rid of the old sweat that had come from the pads and helmet before the hockey team returned. Googly was tying her mane up when Streak returned the old kit to the office. "That kit is horrible." Streak said as the two of them headed towards the school gates. "Sorry you have to wear it, but it's the only spare kit we have. Everypony on the team at the moment has their own." "I need to buy some or something. No way am I wearing that again." "Oh, you should go shopping with Bus. She's the best batspony, so she'll be able to get you the right equipment." They reached the corner of the street outside school, and Streak was about to say goodbye when she realised that Googly was walking the same way as she was. "Oh, you live in this direction too?" "I live on Rhododendron Drive. What about you?" Googly asked, hiking her kit bag up her shoulder. "Oh, that's just two streets across from where I live, on Acacia Avenue." "Do you want to walk back together?" Googly suddenly sounded very shy. "Yeah, okay." Streak was grateful that Googly had spent the afternoon teaching her, so didn't mind talking a walk back with her teammate. "So what batting technique do I learn next?" "Oh, you'll probably need to work on the forward defence more. It's very important." "I mean after that." Googly thought for a few moments as they crossed the street. "Probably the off drive. It's the closest thing to the forward defence." "How do you do that one?" "When you stop your bat so that the ball bounces off it, you instead swing it forwards, sending the ball back towards the bowler. You can only use it on straight balls, really. An off drive would be to the right of the bowler, a leg drive to the left, nearest your legs." Streak considered this for a moment. "Okay I suppose that makes sense. But wouldn't the bowler stop it?" "You have to hit it hard enough for the bowler to not reach it quickly enough." "I think I can hit stuff. That's the best part?" "Oh, I'm not a very good batspony. You'd be better off asking Bus for the finer points." Streak just nodded and looked at the street sign. They were at Fir Place, about halfway to Rhododenron. "So what other shots can you teach me?" "I suppose the backward defence. Instead of stepping forward in the defence, you step backwards. This means you can lift the bat up higher and stop balls that bounce high." "Don't high balls not count? Like in baseball, if it's not near the wicket it doesn't count?" "Oh, no. If it's too wide for the batspony to reach, then it's called a wide and you get a free run. It's possible for a very high ball to be called a wide, but it hardly ever happens." "So if it's going over the top of the wickets, you have to hit it?" Streak asked. "You can leave it, but you have to make the decision." Googly replied. "You use it when a forward defence would be too low." Streak only sighed. There had been a lot to learn, and she still only really knew one shot. "This cricket stuff is really difficult." "I think Demon is going to get you a book that you can read, now you know the very basics." Googly replied, pausing at a set of pedestrian lights. "You have to learn from books? This is just like school." Streak complained, shaking her head. "Well, keep trying. Anyway, I'm going to go to the shop on the way back, so I'll go this way." The bowling pony replied, pointing to the left. "I'll see you at practice on Saturday. You need to keep trying, because our first game is the weekend afterwards." Streak waved as Googly walked away. She decided on a plan of action; firstly she needed to get herself some kit, secondly she needed to master the forward defence, and thirdly she needed to bowl a bit better. "Hi, can I speak to Bus please?" "Erm, okay. Who's speaking?" "I'm Streak." "One moment, Streak." Streak tapped the phone impatiently. She hadn't rung up one of her teammates for years and felt slightly stupid for doing so. The faster she got it over with the better. "Hello Streak." Bus said, her voice sounding pleased. "Hi, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me to help me get some kit." Streak said quickly. "Oh, of course. Tomorrow after school, or is that too soon?" "No that's fine. See you then." "Meet me on the other side of the road outside school." "Okay. Bye Bus." She put the phone down and rolled her eyes. She had no idea how much the kit would cost, but she'd probably be able to persuade her parents. Cricket was just begging to have some school records beaten, and that's what her parents liked to hear.
