Hattrickers - and the art of Cricket

"What do they know of cricket who o­nly cricket know?"
wrote the cricket writer and historian CLR James. He could well have talked about the Hattrickers cricket team.

The Hattrickers cricket team came into existence about
7 years ago and has always played its cricket in accordance with the intensity and desire expected of Tennisball Cricket in the Bay area. Not for them the mundane weekly practice sessions or the extensive pre-game strategies or the equally exhausting post-game scrutiny. No siree, just come, play, enjoy, win and go home.

Luckily most of the players of the team are naturally gifted sportsmen,most of them have represented their schools, colleges, universities and companies in various sports ranging from Football(Soccer) to Hockey to Water Polo to Basketball to Table Tennis and of course Cricket in their earlier lives.With so much natural talent at their disposal the Hattrickers maintained a high ranking throughout their BATS, TCA and Cricbay stints.

The 2005 season saw the Hattrickers rank as high as number 3 in the TCA rankings. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were o­ne of the better teams in the Bay area playing Tennisball Cricket. However, the team collectively decided to try out the new Cricbay league as it promised lesser red-tape and even lesser organizing hassles. The philosophy of Cricbay seemed to fit the Hatrrickers mindset to a T.

Having lost a few players from the team, the Hattrickers started the year a little slower than usual but all the while they were confident that they will end up in the Finals to live up to the Numero Uno seeding accorded to them at the beginning of the season. Through the diligent efforts of the team management, the Hattrickers lured players who gelled into the team, both with respect to talent and attitude. Soon they began to display the same strength and aura of previous years. The team did face a few bumps along the way, with a few key players off injured and o­n paternity leave, the Hattrickers had to give a few walkovers in the tournament and play a few matches with 9 players, all this while blooding their new recruits.


Luckily neither the Scorers nor Statisticians in Cricbay were professionals and these facts were lost easily in oversight. Soon teams found out o­ne by o­ne that they underestimated the Hattrickers, whenever the Hattrickers gathered in full strength, the win was easy. Statistics, like they say, hide as much as they reveal.

All in all, the Hattrickers is a great team to be part of, not o­nly do they know how to play, win and party, but, more importantly they realize that attending their son's Soccer game, or their daughter's dance recital or their cousin's wife's uncle's birthday is equally crucial in this foreign land where family is not as abundant as in Desh. The Hattrickers have become a true family, not just a Cricket team; and just like a family, the interests of the various members are varied - ranging from Appletinis to Bartending to Surfing to Wind Surfing to Yoga to Zen.

After all - "What do they know of cricket who o­nly cricket know?"