It’s raining here in Providence, but a few miles south it sounds like perfect cricket weather. So, naturally, there are Australians there.

There’ll always be an Australian

For many from a land down under, coming to this neck of the woods is a sporting dream come true. “This is my first trip outside the country,” says Bern from Melbourne. “I’ve thought about this my whole life and now I’m here. The weather’s warm, the beer’s cold and there’s wonderful cricket in the centre. Does life get any better than this?” Bern’s brought along his green-and-gold wig for the occasion. “It’s a beauty isn’t it?” he says, patting it proudly. “I’ve been offered a lot of money for it, but it’s not coming off my head. It’s a kind of cultural-exchange gesture.”

The actual games sound pretty good. I rather wish I was down there. It is somewhat disappointing that my cable TV package includes a dedicated golf channel, a dedicated motor sports channel, more dedicated home improvement/cooking/whatever channels than I can imagine, but not a single channel showing cricket. Some young entrepeneur should start up The Cricket Channel.