MVP: Imbibing Cricketer Hadleigh Churchill

The name Bashers sounds pretty violent, where did it come from?

I believe it originates from the style of playing that the Bashers play–we just bash the heck out of the ball.

How did you get involved with the Bashers?

I was looking for something outside of work that would keep me entertained on the weekends. I hadn’t played for 10 years. I went along and met all the Bashers guys, and they are great– heaps of Kiwis and Aussies.

What kind of equipment do you guys use?

You’ve got your bat, your leg pads and a box to protect your jewels and basically that’s all you need.

Teach us some cricketing terminology.

If you hit the ball and someone catches it then it’s a “golden duck.” Also, there are lots of different positions for the fielding team–one position is called “silly mid off,” basically because it’s a dumb place to be standing when guys are hitting the ball at you.

The Bashers website seems really extensive.

Yeah! We’re actually probably one of the only cricket clubs with a weekly podcast, where different players and special guests talk about current cricket issues and other leagues in the world.

“Leaning is a specialty of the Bashers, often indulging to horizontal extents.” Could you expand on this intriguing sentence found on your website?

Well, we lean on the bar drinking a lot. We have a bus that picks us up from Big Bamboo before the game, and then we travel out to Pudong. We have beers on the bus going there, and beers on the way back.

Have you guys ever played drunk?

Regularly, but it’s not a problem because most people have been out the night before on Saturday and need a few to get started.

Tell us in one sentence why we should join the Bashers.

The Bashers are just a really good bunch of guys who want to have fun and get a little bit of exercise on the side– beer with a side of activity!

Danielle Jenster

When: Every Thursday (training)
Where: San He Yuan, Yanping Lu 三河花园, 延平路
Email: play@basherscc.org
Web: http://www.basherscc.org