Why I Keep Turning Up for Cricket with SLW..

Let me start with a confession: I am not the best cricket player.

I hardly make runs. I seldom bowl. If cricketing talent alone was the selection criteria, I would probably spend more time carrying drinks than carrying a bat.

On top of that, my body has spent years reminding me that I am no longer twenty. I have had a hip replacement. A shoulder injury that required a CT-guided injection. Most recently, tennis elbow has joined the ever-growing list of complaints. Then there is the social side of things – Saturday night parties that somehow stretch late into the night, followed by a very ambitious Sunday morning alarm for cricket.

If you looked at it logically, there are plenty of reasons for me to stay in bed.

Yet every single week, I look forward to cricket with SLW.

And the reason is simple: cricket is not just a game. In fact, what keeps me coming back has very little to do with runs, wickets, or scorecards.

1. Camaraderie – The Friendships You Choose

As adults, most of our friendships happen by circumstance.

We become friends because our kids are the same age. Because we work together. Because our partners know each other. Because we happen to live in the same neighbourhood.

SLW is different.

These are friendships we chose.

People from different professions, cultures, backgrounds and ages come together because of one common passion. Over time, those teammates become mates, and those mates become family. There is something special about friendships formed in a sporting environment because they are built on shared experiences, wins, losses, banter, and memories.

2. Your Own Time – A Break from Routine

Life eventually becomes a cycle.

Office. Home. Kids. Responsibilities. Bills. Repeat.

Cricket is the one place where all of that pauses.

For a few hours, it is not about work deliverables, school schedules, mortgage payments, or life admin. It is purely your own time.

You can be yourself again.

You can laugh, joke around, talk absolute nonsense, relive your college days, and forget about being a responsible adult for a while. The banter in the dressing room, the conversations before the match, and the laughs after a dropped catch are often worth more than the cricket itself.

Sometimes we all need a space where we can simply be ourselves.

3. Keeping the Competitive Fire Alive

Even if we pretend otherwise, there is a competitor inside all of us.

We smile, we laugh, we have fun—but once the game gets serious, you see it.

You see people diving to stop a boundary.

You see someone desperate to take a wicket.

You see the determination to chase down a target.

You see the fight.

Sport keeps that competitive spirit alive. It reminds us that striving to improve, pushing yourself, and wanting to win are not bad things. They are part of what keeps us motivated in life.

4. Learning Teamwork the Hard Way

People often talk about leadership and teamwork in corporate training sessions.

Try managing a cricket team of 30 grown adults.

I promise you—it is harder than managing 30 two-year-olds.

Everyone comes to play. Everyone wants to bat. Everyone wants to bowl. Everyone wants an opportunity. Everyone believes they can contribute to a winning performance.

And they are not wrong.

When you become captain, you suddenly realise how difficult it is to keep things fair. You learn how important communication is. You learn that what you say matters, but how you say it matters even more.

You also witness sacrifices. Players who step aside for others. Players who play roles they don’t necessarily enjoy because it helps the team.

Sport teaches teamwork in a way no PowerPoint presentation ever can.

5. Pride in Being Part of Something

Most people eventually settle into a routine.

Work. Family. Responsibilities.

There is nothing wrong with that.

But there is a certain pride in knowing that despite all the challenges of life, you still make time for something you love.

You are part of a club.

You wear a jersey.

You represent a team.

You celebrate victories.

Maybe you even win a trophy.

Those things may seem small to others, but they create a sense of identity and belonging that is incredibly powerful. It makes you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself.

6. More Than Cricket

People join social networking groups hoping to find a community.

The funny thing is, a cricket club gives you all that naturally.

Someone brings breakfast.

Someone organises drinks.

Birthdays get celebrated.

Camping trips get planned.

Road trips happen.

Food becomes an event.

Friendships extend far beyond the boundary rope.

What started as cricket becomes a social network, support network, travel club, food club, and friendship group all rolled into one.

7. The Biggest Reason – Brotherhood in a Foreign Land

For many of us living in a foreign country, family can often be thousands of kilometres away.

That is where SLW becomes much more than a cricket club.

It becomes a support system.

People often say it is difficult to make genuine friends after university. I used to believe that too.

But SLW has remained strong for the last five years, and I can honestly say this: if you ever need help, you will find SLW people standing beside you.

Not because they have to.

Because they want to.

And there is no trophy, no century, and no championship that can match that feeling.

8. Yes, We Fight Too

Of course, we have disagreements.

We argue over selections.

We debate captaincy decisions.

We get frustrated.

Sometimes we have fights.

But that is okay.

In fact, if you never disagree, it probably means you don’t care enough.

The reason those disagreements happen is because people are invested. They care. They want the team to succeed.

And at the end of the day, we move on because the friendships matter more than the arguments.

Final Thoughts

So when someone asks me why I still wake up early on a Sunday despite the injuries, despite the sleepless Saturday nights, despite making very few runs and taking even fewer wickets, the answer is simple.

I don’t go for the cricket alone.

I go for the friendships.

I go for the banter.

I go for the competition.

I go for the teamwork.

I go for the memories.

I go for the pride of belonging.

And most importantly, I go because SLW has become much more than a cricket club. It has become a community, a support system, and a group of mates who will stand with you when it matters most.

The older I get, the more I realise that the scorecard will eventually be forgotten.

But the people won’t.