Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Alisia Lawson

IF YOU can't beat 'em, lick 'em for six between the book covers. After seeing their partners glued to the television screen, watching a strange game that never seems to end but somehow causes delight and fury in equal proportions and quick succession, Alisia Lawson and Tanya Stephens decided to level the gender cricket field.

And the result is the 26-page Cricket Lovely Cricket: How to Play the Game of Cricket, which explains the sport of gentlemen - and ladies - in as basic terms as a 'batsman' and as exotic a description as 'zooter', the last word in a nine-page glossary. Throughout, there are illustrations by noted cartoonist Clovis.

"It started because my partner loves cricket and so does my father. It is dedicated to women who really just want to enjoy the game with their partner," Lawson said. "Ideally, I wanted to learn thegame so I can enjoy it with my partner."

"I did not understand it. I thought World Cup was for four months, not for one," she said.

Even though the premier event in the game's short format is only a quarter of the time Lawson anticipated, still it was just too much to wade through in ignorance of a sport that was intruding on 'my TV time and my man time'.

Same problem

"My friend had the same problem," Lawson said of Phillips. So the mothers of five and four children respectively hoisted their research bats, adjusted their writing helmets and strode to the pitch, beginning a three-month innings of enquiry.

That cricket-loving partner and father, deejay Tony Rebel and Winston Lawson Sr. respectively, had to field many questions, the pair also delving into some of what had already been written about cricket.

In the end, they triumphantly hoisted their pens and posted a Cricket Lovely Cricket: How to Play the Game of Cricket on the scoreboard of sports books (and

closer relationships) in December 2006, a book that is 'designed so that the entire family can enjoy the game. It is not just for World Cup. Cricket happens through the year'. It is written in simple terms and printed in large type, for everyone who is able to 'read and understand'.

With former Gleaner sports editor and noted cricket columnist Tony Becca editing the book and former standout West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh writing the foreword, the book is raised over any notions of 'curry goat' level.

"The book is designed for you to take to the game. When the commentator says something you can flip through to the back," Lawson said. That back is where the glossary is, but 'Cricket Lovely Cricket: How to Play the Game of Cricket' plays off the front leg with a brief history of the game, then gets into the definition of the players' roles, the dimensions of the field and fine points such as the difference and relationship among bails, stumps and wicket. 'Timed out' is the last of nine ways a batsman can get out,that happening when the person takes more than two minutes to reach the wicket.

The scoreboard

And those wonderful waggles of the umpire's hand as he 'signals the play' are explained, from the infamous 'juk' to that rare touch of the fingertips to the shoulder. As is that often confusing set of digits called the scoreboard.

The response has been tremendous, Lawson saying 'everybody loves it'.

That 'everybody' includes chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the Cricket World Cup 2007, Robert Bryan, who was encouraging from the start when he heard of the idea. Now that it is out, "he endorses it all the way," Lawson said.