Fog and confusion out west

The opening of ProCricket in San Francisco took place on a day shrouded by fog -- not unusual for those used to the city's changeable weather, but something of a dampener to those who were expecting July sunshine.

The visiting team, Texas, scored 124 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, San Francisco got 128 for 2 in 14 overs, including one over (five balls, as they all are in this competition) off which San Francisco scored 29 runs. This happened early in the innings, and the result was not in doubt from that point on.

There had been some confusion about when the match was to start. Kezar Stadium was sparsely populated at the beginning of the game, but more people started drifting in as the match progressed, helped by the decision to waive the $6 admission charge. Unofficial estimates put the crowd at around 1000 when the game finally ended -- not bad for the West Coast's first foray into professional cricket.

When compared to the facilities available for the opening match in Florida, those at Kezar Stadium were not especially impressive. ProCricket managers had their problems with the scoreboard (which is designed for US football), and were finally only able to make it function in what was described as "a vaguely plausible way". The available lights had some difficulty with the fog, and may need upgrading if this kind of inclement weather is to be overcome. The pitch did not seem to have been well prepared either; it looked to the naked eye to be a marked area on the center of the grass field, perhaps mowed a bit shorter. That it had only been mown by a slightly bewildered local groundsman 10 minutes before the scheduled start might account for its less-than-perfect appearance.

As a result, both teams dispensed with pace bowling, relying almost exclusively on spin for their respective attacks. And, the boundary rope didn't extend all the way around the field, and this led to some confused umpiring decisions. It is quite clear that all the facilities around the country for hosting ProCricket matches are not up to the same standards, and some uniformity needs to be introduced if the league is to develop a consistent standard for the game.

The quality of cricket did not seem to impress serious spectators. According to them, there was too much sloppy running and fielding -- perhaps due to the inexperience of these newly minted "professionals", as well as the hastily prepared facilities for the match. But the crowd in attendance was enthusiastic, and the colorful uniforms provided an interesting diversion. That may be enough for ProCricket in the West Coast to build on.