17/2/15

Dear Diary,

Today is the big day. The first match of Scotland's World Cup campaign. The day we get to measure ourselves against one of the best nations on earth. When we get to see how all the preparation over the last 4 years has come together. When we get to show off our talent to the rest of the world. A rare chance to shine. I hope we make the most of it.

On the way to the ground I reminisce about the 2007 world cup. Scotland’s highest score in that comp was 185 and that still remains our highest team total in World Cups. I said at the time that Scotland really need to be scoring 220 on a regular basis to be taken seriously at the world level and I think the bar has been raised since then. These days its more like 250 minimum every game to be taken seriously. But never fear, I have confidence that this Scotland team can easily top out previous high score and set a challenging total (or make a good fist of chasing one down for that matter).

Mum dropped me off at the ground and Murray jokes that they will see me before lunch since the game will be over by then. That kind of arrogance is a hard attitude for the supports of full member nations to shake off and one I find irritating in its sheer repetitiveness, even if it is in jest, and I slam the car door a little harder than usual.

When I eventually make it into the ground (top tip: if you're going to the games and are bringing your own cola bottle in make sure it is in a 1 litre or less bottle and not the standard 1.25 litre size that is sold in every shop !!! it was a lesson learnt the expensive way and no amount of polite conversation managed to change the rules.) The toss is taking place. New Zealand win it and choose to bowl. A groan goes up from the crowd who all want to see their home team bat for the full 50 overs. I try to persuade the people sitting around me that its all fine, Scotland will post a challenging total and we will get a full days cricket out of the game but the locals aren't hearing it. It’s that full member attitude again.

McCullum says the conditions will suit bowling for the first hour or so and he wants to exploit that as much as possible. He’s right, and in the second over two Scottish wickets fall. In the fourth over another two go down. There are still people making their way to their seats (perhaps they were arguing with security about the size of the cola bottles) and some of them want to turn right around and leave again saying that the game is basically over already. At 4/12 it’s hard to argue with them and as I reach for my sandwiches and have an early lunch, Murray’s joke about being home early rings loud in my ears.

Thankfully Machan and Berrington stand firm and give us something to hold onto. We need centuries from both of them if a decent total is to be reached . They both pass 50 and then both get out to undisciplined shots and Scotland suddenly has no hope of getting anywhere near 200. Turns out we can't even get anywhere near our highest World Cup score and fall well short or the already ridiculously low target to fall all out for 142 with 11 overs left unused.

Scotland manage to claim seven Kiwi wickets (while dropping at least two chances along the way) to make the scoreboard look better than it was but there was never any chance of a victory for Scotland as there just wasn't enough runs to apply any pressure with. For example, when Vettori came it to bat a eight New Zealand only needed 10 runs to win off 25 overs!!!

A game that was due to finish at 7pm was done and dusted by 4:30pm and there is no way to look at this other than a humiliating loss to Scotland.

I had to phone my stepdad Murray and ask him to come pick me up two and a half hours early and the gloating down the phone line made me even angrier at Scotland's performance today than I already was.

Hot and bothered (it was a cloudless and roasting hot day in Dunedin today. A perfect day for cricket really) not to mention bitterly disappointed in the performance I had traveled half way round the world to watch, I went back to the hotel, had a cold bath for the rest of the afternoon, and smouldered and fumed for the rest of the night.

Mase (my almost sister) tries to console me by saying that perhaps things can't get any worse for us and therefore things will only get better, but as any cricket fan will tell you things can easily get worse, and probably will. The Scottish misinthrantorp part of me says that it probably will.

Scotland's next game is against the English.

I don't know what to expect from that now.

"Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it." Jules Renard - (1864 - 1910)