By Claire Aronson From Brandenton Herald

The annual International Cricket Tournament was in its second day on Friday at Parry Field in Lakewood Ranch. Video Claire Aronson, Bradenton.com. Bradenton Herald BRADENTON HERALD

Lakewood Ranch cricket tournament reconnects old friends

LAKEWOOD RANCH — The last time Michael Reid was in Florida, it was warm outdoors, so when the temperature dropped into the 50s for the second day of the four-day International Cricket Festival, he was not prepared.

Reid, who came from the Cayman Islands for the 21st annual Six-A-Side Festival, said his teammates dressed accordingly for the weather, wearing sweaters on top of the Cayman Greenies’ green cricket uniforms. This is Reid’s first time competing in this tournament.

“It’s been good,” he said as he watched his team play the Houston Memorial Cricket Club at Parry Field in Lakewood Ranch. “I’ve been to Florida, which is why I expected a little bit warmer weather.”

While the cooler conditions doesn’t affect the play, the wind makes it harder for the bowlers (pitchers) to control the ball, said LaurenceParry. And in the early morning games, the dew on the grass can be problematic for the fielders, he said.

“You can break fingers in early morning games, but nothing serious this festival so far,” he said, adding that the team from Nashville was delayed one day because of bad weather in the Midwest and was expected to arrive Friday.

Cricket players traveled to Lakewood Ranch from as far away as the United Kingdom, Cayman Islands and Bermud and from as nearby as West Palm Beach for the tournament. The games at Parry Field, 7401 University Parkway, continue Saturday and Sunday, with games beginning at 9:45 a.m. both days, Parry said. There is no admission.

Over the years, Anne Greathead has come to all but three of the 21 Thanksgiving-weekend tournaments with her husband, Michael, who is captain of the Houston Memorial Cricket Club.

“It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if it wasn’t in Sarasota for cricket,” Anne Greathead said Friday. She was bundled up watching her husband play.

Through the tournaments, Anne Greathead has made lifelong friends, which is her favorite part of the weekend.

“We are catching up with people from all over the world and it is just like you saw them yesterday,” she said.

The yearly tournaments allow Dolores Trayner, who now lives in England, to reconnect with her old friends from Houston, where she used to live with her husband, Phil.

“It is lovely,” she said. “We come back and catch up with all of our friends. We’ve made friends in Sarasota as well as Houston. People were like our family.”

Trayner is hoping her daughter and boyfriend attend next year’s tournament and bring a team from England to participate in the festival.

By watching her first cricket tournament in Lakewood Ranch, Nicole Heyland said she’s realized that sports is a good bridge for connecting people from all over the world.

“Its been really fantastic,” said Heyland, who came from Houston with her fiancee for the tournament. “Everyone is extremely helpful in explaining the game.”

Claire Aronson, University Parkway/Sarasota reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024 or at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.bradenton.com/2014/11/28/5501832_cooler-weather-leaves-some-cricket.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy