November 2005
Howzat?
Munich cricket club's captain talks bats, balls, beer and Bavaria...
Of all the mysteries of cricket, one of the most inexplicable—at least to an outsider—is how a game that appears so intrinsically boring can be so enthralling to its adherents. “It’s a cultural thing I suppose. Cricket is a funny old, quirky English sport, but it’s something you grow up with—like radishes and beer in Bavaria,” explains Andrew Bostock, captain of the Munich Cricket Club (MCC). “And cricket is complex. That makes it difficult to explain to the casual observer, but it also makes it all the more challenging as a player.”
One of the mysteries of Andrew Bostock—at least to Germans who talk to him—is how a New Zealander can spend so much of his life in Munich instead of living in the verdant paradise of Aotearoa. “That,” says the 33-year-old from Auckland, “can be even harder to explain. Most Germans have an image of New Zealand gathered from travel shows and tourist brochures. They don’t appreciate that life on a day-to-day basis is different and, in many ways, Munich is a much more comfortable place to live.”
Happy as he is to talk about compari-sons between the Land of the Long White Cloud and Germany, Bostock prefers to steer the conversation back to cricket: about the game in general; the success or otherwise of the New Zealand Black Caps team; and, of course, the performance of the MCC. With its myriad of rules and complex scoring system, cricket is a game that often appeals to bean-counting personalities, but Bostock says the statistics hold minimal appeal to him. When he talks about the game—about “striking a cover drive, or sending an off stump cart-wheeling across the turf”—it is as if the game has an almost Zen-like quality.
“Cricket is a game that provides me with a release from whatever else is going on in my life,” he explains. “I’ve seen cricket played all over the world, catching a game wherever I happen to be, and even watching the intricacies of the game has the same effect. It takes me away from the grind of day-to-day life. It is a form of relaxation.” The son of English parents who emigrated to New Zealand before he was born, Bostock started playing soccer and cricket when he was eight years old. Although he continued with both games for many years, cricket was always his first love. He represented Auckland Grammar School in the First Eleven and later went on to play second grade for Cornwall Cricket Club, a renowned Auckland Club, as a quick bowler.
In 1998, after a stint of several years traveling around the world and working in England, he arrived in Munich to work at the Munich Reinsurance Company. He was soon involved in the local cricket scene. Initially he played for the Munich Inter-national Club (MIC) and captained the team in 2001. Then, in 2002, he switched to the MCC. He be-came captain there at the start of the 2004 season. Bostock, who has worked at the European Patent Office since 2002, says he intends remaining in Munich and playing cricket for years to come.
“To be honest, we haven’t had that great a year this year,” says Bostock. “We have a good solid core of players, but at this level chance plays a big part. Germans tend to see cricket as a game in which people stand around not doing anything, but it can be hard—some of our key players have been hit by injuries. Which is why bumping into the right guy at the pub, or someone being transferred here for work—if they are talented or have experience at a high level—can make the difference between the club being competitive and winning. We need to find a few good cricketers over the off season.”
Founded in 1982, the MCC is a true institution for expatriates in Munich. The club competes in the six-team Bavarian Cricket League and hundreds of nationals from England, Australia, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand and the West Indies, as well as a few Germans, have graced the team books over the years. Based at the Hirschanger Ground in the English Garden, the MCC were last top of the league in the 2003 season, which meant they then went on to play in the German Championships in 2004, losing to Berlin Cricket Club in the semi-finals.
In 2005, the MCC have already played a total of 28 games, including tours to Italy, Switzerland, Hamburg and Slovenia. Such a high number of games requires a high number of players, so there are opportunities for everyone to have a game, says Bostock.
“Very much for the Kiwis,” Bostock responds in a typical New Zealander vowel-lacerating accent, when asked about his allegiance in international clashes. “My parents are English, but I spent my formative years in New Zealand. So, although I live in Germany and have an English passport, when it comes down to it, I am a Kiwi and I barrack for them in everything.”
