By Blake Bint
As a very wet autumn comes to a close, you may assume success in cricket is low on the list of priorities in university sport.
Not at the University of South Wales, though.
Step forward the USW Indoor Cricket squad, who have served notice that a bright future lies ahead with bat and ball.
They are currently reflecting on a victory against previously all-conquering Cardiff Met that caused shock waves in Welsh university cricket.
Against a Met side who hadn’t lost for nine years and contained contracted professional and Jersey international, Asa Tribe, along with a number of players who have played for professional counties’ second XIs such as Xavie Clarke, brother of franchise cricket starlet of past years Joe, USW memorably prevailed.
It earned them a fourth-place finish in the Western regional division which did scant justice to their played seven, won five record, the other notable success coming against a Cardiff University outfit that plays two tiers higher than them in the BUCS outdoor competition.
USW’s indoor success in the two years prior to this has been limited.
A win over a Cardiff University 2nds was the highlight last year, but USW, nicknamed the Otters, are very much a team on the rise.
They are captained by 23-year-old Master of Chiropractic, Rob Stoyle, who said: “It has been a really promising start to the season for the team.
“Squad numbers are as high as they have ever been with quality throughout, making this season one of the most anticipated in years.
“The team showed real promise with some stunning indoor performances, notably against Cardiff Met with every player making a meaningful contribution.
“I am really excited to see what the team can achieve outdoors as we are just going from strength to strength.
“We just need to improve our consistency as we really are capable of beating anyone on our day, we just need to turn those 50-50 games into wins more often.
“Despite this being my last year, the team are set for many years to come with a group of great younger players who are more than capable of taking the Otters to new heights.”
The BUCS indoor competition in the autumn is highly prioritised as it gives cricket teams their first chance to give a glance to opposition about their strength for the following summer.
Yet not all talented and established outdoor players make a seamless transition.
Indoor cricket can vary in format in subtle ways.
In the UK variant of the game, a 10 overs per innings match is played between two six-a-side teams in a tightly-spaced hall.
Runs can be scored through wides and no balls as in normal circumstances, however, where the game mostly differs from the outdoor variant is the frequency of run-outs and how runs are scored off the bat.
Sixes and fours can be scored by batters hitting the back wall (behind the bowler and standing umpire). These are usually recognised in the same way as outdoor cricket – a six for hitting the back wall without bouncing and a four if it does bounce.
One run is also awarded to batters for hitting either side wall (or net), the wall behind the wicket-keeper and the ceiling (depending on rule variations across different leagues, this is sometimes given out).
Players can also run between the wickets, being awarded double for any ‘physical run’ completed.
For example, a common sighting on an indoor cricket scorecard is three runs. This is because a batter may hit a side wall and complete one physical run.
Due to the nature of the tightly-spaced playing area and short format, run-outs are usually the most common dismissal along with catches, which can be completed off all walls (or nets), except the back wall which awards four or six.
Ultimately, while fundamentals and techniques remain the same, meaning the strongest team still has a prevailing advantage, tactics and suitability to indoor cricket is very much different.
In the famous win against Met, it was USW newcomer Ethan Dallaway who arguably shone brightest with a score of 25 retired not out on his debut in a USW shirt.
Dallaway was backed up by strong spells with the ball by Sri Lankan under-19 international, Caniston Gunaratnam and former Surrey youth product, Alfie Winter.
The latter held his nerve to hit the winning runs to chase 112 with a ball to spare in a USW innings which saw the pendulum swing back and forth throughout.
This indoor success has led to suggestions USW may have a chance for silverware in cricket when the outdoor season begins in five months’ time
BUCS are yet to reveal the leagues and fixtures for the 11-a-side season but USW expect to turn out in Western Tier 2 for their first season, alongside Cardiff University 3rds, Swansea University 1sts and 2nds, University of Gloucestershire 1sts and Bristol University 3rds.
However the division comes together, 2024 looks set to be the most exciting yet for cricket at USW.