Bowling a Maiden Over
Title : Bowling a Maiden Over
Author : shocfix
For : auntee_mame
Pairing : Harry/Ron
Prompt : their first Cricket match.
Rating : 332
Words : PG


Bowling a Maiden Over
****
“So,” Ron said, opening a beer and sitting with his elbows on his parted knees, his bottle swinging back and forth between his thighs and distracting Harry. “No brooms.”

“No.”

“One ball?”

“One.”

“No hoops.

“No, no hoops. But each batsman defends three stumps,” Harry said encouragingly. “That comes from the three hoops.”

Ron grunted.

“And only one Chaser…”

“Bowler,” Harry interrupted.

“…bowler can throw the ball at him?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, deciding the subtle difference between throwing and bowling could wait for another day. “And he has to hit the ball with his bat, and then they can run.”

“Where?”

“What?”

“Where do they run to?”

“Up and down.”

Ron looked straight up and Harry rolled his eyes.

“Up and down the pitch,” he said, “from one wicket to the other.”

“Right,” Ron said, taking a drink. “’Course. No brooms.”

There was a ripple of applause as the players took the field.

“No bats,” Ron said, narrowing his eyes.

“That’s the fielding side,” Harry said.

“There’s millions of them,” Ron complained.

“There’s eleven,” Harry said. “And they are our team, and they’re called Middlesex.”

Ron sniggered.

“What?”

“Middle-sex,” Ron said, leering absurdly. “Supported only by poofs, are they?”

“I know you know Middlesex is a county,” Harry said firmly.

Ron grinned.

“And here come the batsmen,” Harry said.

The two Derbyshire opening batsmen came out of the pavilion and down the steps onto the field, whirling their arms and squinting at the cloudy sky.

Ron watched them take their places and Harry watched Ron.

“So,” Ron said. “What happens now?”

Harry shushed him and the Middlesex opening bowler thundered towards them.

The batsman blocked the first few balls, then managed an outside edge that almost carried to third slip.

The crowd moaned and Ron whispered, “what?”

“He was nearly out.”

“Out?”

“If the fielder had caught the ball, the batsman would have been out.”

“The one crouching down, with his arse sticking out?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “He’s waiting for a tickle.”