Review of Beyond the Backyard
India's tour of Australia has been an emotional rollercoaster. From Sydney's Bollyline to Perth's love-in to the snoozefest of Adelaide (does boredom qualify as an emotion?). And the wounds of Bollyline were opened again yesterday. Coincidentally, a cricket documentary Beyond The Backyard airs on the ABC tonight. I received a review copy earlier this week so I thought I'd give cricket-blog readers a heads-up (note - if any bat manufacturers care to send me some free bats, I'd be happy to review them!)The film tells the tale of a group of Aussies who as kids dreamt of playing for Australia until reality (and a lack of ability) kicked in. 20 years down the track, they've formed the Guild Cricket Club and organised an ambitious tour of India, playing local clubs along the way. Their goal - one last glorious innings before sporting oblivion. It's basically a road movie as they tour throughout India with an unexpected detour into the Himalayas as they take on the might of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The results have a sense of inevitability as the Indian clubs hammer these ageing part-timers. It doesn't help when one of the clubs features an ex-international with 200+ Test wickets.
The cricket is entertaining as the fielding is around the same level I see each Saturday at our club games. But more interesting is their interaction with Indian culture. As they travel from city to city, locals challenge them to a game of cricket on the spot. It happens on fields, highways, even bus platforms. One impromptu game occurs on a busy road with a swelling crowd milling metres away from the stumps (a propped up suitcase). Talk about crowding the batsman!
Another startling image is a field where dozens of games are played simultaneously, practically on top of each other. Meanwhile, the Cavs struggle to field eleven each Saturday. It made me wonder how can India not be bristling with a dozen Tendulkars and Kumbles at any one time? Surely with such a huge, cricket mad population, it's a statistical inevitability that a Bradman should emerge every couple of years. I'm sure there's a myriad of complicated reasons that Indian bloggers would be happy to explain :-)
I confess I watched the show with some degree of jealousy. Having just come out of a 20 year retirement, many of the themes were close to my heart. A passionate love of the game, a desire to challenge yourself, the triumphal delight over a success and self deprecating introspection after a hammering. To travel through a different culture playing the greatest game would be a dream for any cricket tragic. Maybe one day we'll organise a game of Australian bloggers versus Indian bloggers?
It's heartening to witness the meeting of cricketers from different countries sharing their passion for the game, developing friendships and increasing their understanding of each other's culture. Or as TA puts it, "bridging gaps, not burning bridges". With all the knucklehead stuff going on lately, it's a timely reminder of what cricket can and should be.
Beyond The Backyard airs on 9.30pm Thursday 31 January, ABC TV
| Posted by JC on Thu 31 Jan |  15 comments |
If I'm not wrong JC, isn't this a re-release of a doco shown on SBS in 2004 or 2005?
Posted by TA on 2008-01-31 11:13:31
Posted by TA on 2008-01-31 11:13:31
The very first review of Beyond The Backyard in the history of man and monkey kind.
Posted by Tony T on 2008-01-31 11:15:13
Posted by Tony T on 2008-01-31 11:15:13
I'd be surprised if BTB had been on telly before. This week there have been at least eight reviews of it in the newspapers I read and not one has mentioned it is a re-release.
But I sit to be corrected.
Posted by Tony T on 2008-01-31 11:18:46
But I sit to be corrected.
Posted by Tony T on 2008-01-31 11:18:46
TA, the production date is 2006 and it won a few awards at some 2007 film festival so I think this is first dibs. I dunno if you can get it where you are though - I can post you the DVD once the Cavs are done with it if you like (or there's always bit torrent)
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 11:24:38
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 11:24:38
Hi guys, I remember what I saw now. It was August 2005 and it was an SBS doco called Abbotsford Anglers Cricket Club's tour of India. Same one?
Posted by TA on 2008-01-31 11:35:40
Posted by TA on 2008-01-31 11:35:40
The Abbotsford one is a different film - never heard of it till now but they do have their own website (quite nice website too). Looks like this whole club tour of India is the thing to do for obscure Aussie cricket clubs. Will have to get the Cavs going before I get too old!
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 11:56:37
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 11:56:37
It sure sounds funny. I just watched the Abbotsford trailer (it is funny). Does anybody know, how I can watch either films on the internet.
dozens of games in a cricket ground in india!! try 50s.
I remember, we had back to back (I mean back to back wicket keepers) pitches (well they were not really any pitches).
Some times the pitches were right intersecting each other. Pretty funny, when I think about it now. It was pretty cool though some how we all enjoyed it.
I think the key reason india does not have many Bradmans is because of poverty and lack of infrastructure to nourish young poor/lower-middle-class talented passionate players.
There hasnt been a cricketer from a poor family who has made it big (that I know of).. I am sure (or hope) that will change, but for now it is the rich who can afford the Batting and Bowling Academies. Given the money that is involved, it is going to be worse.
That is my beef with BCCI, they act as if they are running a business (which they may) and dont do anything to identify some talents who cant afford proper training or direction.
But then, what the heck.. we all love cricket
Posted by Alter Ego on 2008-01-31 18:00:02
dozens of games in a cricket ground in india!! try 50s.
I remember, we had back to back (I mean back to back wicket keepers) pitches (well they were not really any pitches).
Some times the pitches were right intersecting each other. Pretty funny, when I think about it now. It was pretty cool though some how we all enjoyed it.
I think the key reason india does not have many Bradmans is because of poverty and lack of infrastructure to nourish young poor/lower-middle-class talented passionate players.
There hasnt been a cricketer from a poor family who has made it big (that I know of).. I am sure (or hope) that will change, but for now it is the rich who can afford the Batting and Bowling Academies. Given the money that is involved, it is going to be worse.
That is my beef with BCCI, they act as if they are running a business (which they may) and dont do anything to identify some talents who cant afford proper training or direction.
But then, what the heck.. we all love cricket
Posted by Alter Ego on 2008-01-31 18:00:02
Intersecting pitches. Awesome.
I'm not too familiar with how the BCCI operates but from what I hear, they're rolling around in the cash Demi Moore style so its a shame if they're not reinvesting that in developing the game and helping youngsters improve their game.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 18:03:10
I'm not too familiar with how the BCCI operates but from what I hear, they're rolling around in the cash Demi Moore style so its a shame if they're not reinvesting that in developing the game and helping youngsters improve their game.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 18:03:10
Cricket, unlike Soccer or other games have always been elitist. Carried and Preserved that way, from England to Colonial India.
See, BCCI is sitting on too much cash and more importantly cash potential. The only good thing that should happen is creation of many private leagues and distribution of wealth so that BCCI doesnt have that much weight and act just as a regulatory body.. honestly people in india dont sue enough :-)
My impression is that they (BCCI) are giving money to cities to improve the Grounds, stands etc. But they dont have any good programs to identify poor talents.
But then again 700Million active cricketers (of the 1.2B) is no joke :-) So no worries we will have plenty of cricket.
Posted by Alter Ego on 2008-01-31 18:35:10
See, BCCI is sitting on too much cash and more importantly cash potential. The only good thing that should happen is creation of many private leagues and distribution of wealth so that BCCI doesnt have that much weight and act just as a regulatory body.. honestly people in india dont sue enough :-)
My impression is that they (BCCI) are giving money to cities to improve the Grounds, stands etc. But they dont have any good programs to identify poor talents.
But then again 700Million active cricketers (of the 1.2B) is no joke :-) So no worries we will have plenty of cricket.
Posted by Alter Ego on 2008-01-31 18:35:10
700 million of 1.2 billion? More than half the population are active cricketers? That doesn't sound right, surely not!
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 19:46:58
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 19:46:58
There are about 25-40 different groups of players playing cricket in the same ground here!
And hence comes with it a heavy price, that of losing atleast 3 balls, 1 bat, and a dozen water bottles per day.
It may seem statistically sensible that one great would emerge from all the youngsters who take to the game early, but it doesn't always work out like that. A career in sports is still a strict no-no in India unless you have been at it from a very young age with good backing financially, and also knowing the right people certainly helps!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-31 20:06:49
And hence comes with it a heavy price, that of losing atleast 3 balls, 1 bat, and a dozen water bottles per day.
It may seem statistically sensible that one great would emerge from all the youngsters who take to the game early, but it doesn't always work out like that. A career in sports is still a strict no-no in India unless you have been at it from a very young age with good backing financially, and also knowing the right people certainly helps!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-31 20:06:49
Ajesh, so you're still playing? Academia hasn't squeezed cricket out?
What you need is a ball with a string joined to it - plus hats with drink bottles stuck to the top and straws leading into your mouth.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 20:43:38
What you need is a ball with a string joined to it - plus hats with drink bottles stuck to the top and straws leading into your mouth.
Posted by JC on 2008-01-31 20:43:38
Sure academics has squeezed me out, esp for the last few weeks, but that hasn't diminished my will to play one bit! Whenever the opportunity arises to play any form of cricket- from gully cricket to even sponge ball cricket, that desire still exists to go out there and beat the hell out of the other guy!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-31 20:48:55
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-01-31 20:48:55
It appeared to me that their cricket population was divided into silos based on anything and everything, be it class, religion, economics etc perhaps without the ability of natural talent to rise to the top or crossover these barriers. As compared to our grade system?
Looking forward to seeing Davinda? Singh in action.
Posted by Hanuman on 2008-02-01 10:17:51
Looking forward to seeing Davinda? Singh in action.
Posted by Hanuman on 2008-02-01 10:17:51
Hi There
"Beyond the backyard" is a rip off of "Save your legs" a documentry put
together by the Abbotsford anglers cricket club, who went to india in 2001,Beyond the Backyard may have better
production values but as far as the story goes its pure self indulgence!
an original idea would not go astray!
Check Out www.saveyourlegs.com
Posted by Mike Baker on 2008-02-01 12:39:58
"Beyond the backyard" is a rip off of "Save your legs" a documentry put
together by the Abbotsford anglers cricket club, who went to india in 2001,Beyond the Backyard may have better
production values but as far as the story goes its pure self indulgence!
an original idea would not go astray!
Check Out www.saveyourlegs.com
Posted by Mike Baker on 2008-02-01 12:39:58
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