Cricket Match

"So do you, come on, let's have fun." I hooked into her arm and we set off for the dining room.

It had been a lovely evening and I'd enjoyed myself, apart from one thing. Yvonne Green, one of the senior support staff, had caught me alone, when we were in the toilet and said, "You do know that Hayley's gay, don't you? Be careful or people will talk and you don't want to get that sort of label."

I was stunned, "What sort of label? I don't understand."

"Well, you don't want people to think you're one of those lesbians." There was venom in her speech and I was too stunned to reply for a moment. I was about to tell her that I was already 'one of those,' when she flounced out of the door leaving me gasping for breath. I'd known that Hayley was gay, but thought nothing of it, I was as well, so why would it be a problem, but I realised that she disapproved.

I put the whole conversation out of my mind and enjoyed the rest of the evening until we headed for our rooms just after ten.

Almost as soon as we entered the room Hayley said, "You looked as if you had fun and you look lovely."

"Thank you, ma'am." I curtsied as I replied, giggling as I did so and then told her about the conversation with Yvonne. I'd stepped out of my dress as I finished the tale and was standing close to her.

"Maybe she has a point, maybe you don't want any gossip." It was an unguarded response that I'm sure she meant casually.

"I don't care about the gossip; I like you and I'm happy in your company and sharing a room with you." I smiled and so did she. Then I took another half step towards her, leaned forward and almost face to face said, "Maybe we should give them something to gossip about." I have no idea where the bravery came from, but I leaned further forward and kissed her.

It took all of ten seconds for her to respond, but by that time something had tripped inside me, this was incredible, I felt as if I was on a cloud and the kiss was something hard to describe, so I'll settle for momentous. I gave it everything I had and Hayley responded in much the same way. I pulled back a little and felt myself tremble; I knew that I wanted more of that. Hayley looked at me, "What was that about?" I didn't get the chance to reply before she continued, "Jesus, that was something special. I liked it, a lot."

"So, did I. I'd like more."

"What sort of more?" Her eyebrows were up almost at her hairline and her eyes wide.

"Everything, everything that you have."

"You mean you want to sleep with me?"

"I hadn't really thought about it until now, but yes, although I'd rather we had sex and not so much actual sleep."

"You're crazy, are you serious? How much did you have to drink?"

"Two bottles of beer and yes, I fancy you. As I said, I hadn't thought about this until now, but I'd love to strip you naked, lie beside you and do things to you."

"What sort of things?"

"Not sure, but sexy things."

We closed and kissed again, I unclipped her bra and brought my hands to her breasts, she sighed, "If you keep that up, I can't be responsible for my actions."

"Please don't hurt me, apart from that..."

I pushed her back onto the bed and followed her down lying on top of her. She looked shocked but amazingly beautiful and very sexy, "I want to make love to you and it's not alcohol, it's... I want you." I slid down and took her left breast between my lips and toyed with her right nipple using my thumb and forefinger, she squirmed and sighed but that didn't matter, I could feel how it was affecting her and she wriggled her hips. I suspect that it was a signal that she wanted more and in particular to be touched between her legs. I let go of her nipple and moved that hand to her mound and as soon as I touched the top of her slit, she almost melted.

"If you're teasing me...." Hayley said.

I didn't reply but slid down until I was between her wonderful thighs and I laid my tongue on her mound and licked, long and slow, stroking her belly with a free hand. These were uncertain waters for me, yes, I'd had sex with a couple of girls before, but they'd been my age and in the same inexperienced boat as me, now I had the most wonderful, beautiful, sexy woman at my mercy and I wasn't going to pass this opportunity, so I got to work. In fairness she wasn't hard to figure out, she squirmed and sighed providing all the information that I needed to satisfy her. I slipped my tongue inside her and her hips came off the bed to meet my mouth, she liked that! I slid a finger inside her and then nibbled at her clit, "Fuck yes, fuck me, please Sarah, please."

She came and I kept going until she came again and went limp. I fell back onto my pillow with an arm wrapped around her and knew for certain that it had been something very special, something that I hoped could be repeated.

I don't know how long passed, I just lay there with her hand on my leg and suddenly she was over me and two fingers were inside me. I looked up at her smiling face, "That was the best sex I've ever had and now I want to please you."

"You don't have to do..." My mouth and brain had stopped working. Something started in my toes, raced to my brain and back down to the junction between my legs and the second her tongue touched me I exploded like a balloon that had been over-inflated. I screamed and then it started again. I didn't scream as I came for the second time, I just sighed and fell back feeling more satisfied than I'd ever been or even thought possible.

"Thank you," I muttered as we gently kissed. "That was the most wonderful thing ever, thank you. What..." I hesitated.

Hayley interrupted, "What happens now? I don't know, but that was special and tomorrow we have a game so I suggest some sleep and sweet dreams."

With that, I relaxed into a delightful slumber.

*****

The first rays of the sun were peeking over the horizon and stirred me. Hayley was behind me, nestled with an arm over my hip. I cast my mind back a few hours, the kiss, the touching, the sex, the satisfaction and the love that I felt for her. Was this a one-time thing? Had it been a mistake? Would she have regrets? Was there a future for us and if so, what would it look like? She'd been my inspiration when I first picked up a bat, but I'd never expected to play for England or even play professionally. She was my hero and had become my friend and training partner and now, here on this trip, my what?

There was a time once, about a year ago, when I realised that it wouldn't take much for me to fall in love with her, but I'd dismissed the idea as stupid, one-sided, unrealistic and that it would get in the way of the future I wanted to try to achieve. Now we'd had sex, we'd kissed. Was there a chance and what would it mean?

She stirred, her hand moved, she muttered, "Oh." I rolled over and she smiled as she spoke, "It wasn't a dream then?"

"No. Good morning, I've been awake about ten minutes thinking about last night, about us and what now. I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, Sarah." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "I don't regret one second of it, it makes me happy, but I don't know what comes next and we need to talk, but first we have a game today. So, get that sexy bum into some clothes and let's go for a leg stretch."

I felt my smile develop. She said that she didn't have any regrets and she was right, this, whatever it was, would have to wait.

It was game day, so we kept our beach run to a mile out, turned and came back, before some more stretches, a shower and into training kit before breakfast. There was little time to talk and what talk there was involved cricket.

Test match

I was on the list of twelve players for the game and the Coach had told me that she would make her decision about who to leave out when she'd had a look at the pitch. I thought that she was likely to choose Lisa and leave me out. As sad as I felt about that, I was pleased to have been named in the twelve and knew that I'd get on the field as a substitute fielder at various times during the game. I'd called Mum earlier to tell her and she promised to phone Grandad and let him know.

During the warm-up, I did quite a bit of bowling in the nets to give the batters a feel. I did plenty of fielding practice because I knew that at some point, I'd been doing it. We were winding up when the Coach called me over. "Looks like the wicket is going to develop for spin, you're playing Sarah, get ready."

I wasn't sure whether to dance a jig, fall to my knees and offer up a prayer of thanks or burst into tears. I did none of those as Hayley patted me on the shoulder and said, "Come on you, let's get ready. Congratulations." We raced to the changing room and I managed to fire off a text to Mum, before turning my phone off.

The whole team trooped out on the field and formed a circle, I wondered what this was about. I spotted Jane Burns, a former England captain, now a radio commentator and she was wearing her England blazer. The Coach held up her hand to ask for quiet before she spoke, "Sarah Hardy makes her test debut today and with that, she gets her England cap. We always try to get a former player to present them and Jane Burns has agreed to do the honours, Jane." I was in shock; I'd never thought about this.

Jane stepped forward. "Thank you, it's always a privilege and honour to carry out this task. Sarah, you've already played for your country in the short versions of the game, but today you make the leap to the highest form of cricket, Test Cricket. The presentation of your England Test Cap is a memory that will stay with you for the rest of your life and it marks a new chapter in your life.

It is a great honour to represent your country, so enjoy it, play your best, remember that your teammates are counting on you, that the public will be watching and that your opponents are your friends as well as your opposition, play the game within the spirit of cricket. Sarah Hardy, England International Test Cricketer, congratulations." She shook my hand and presented me with the cap. It was made of dark blue wool, eight panels with a peak and on the front, the three lions of England topped with a crown. I took it in my hands and raised it to my head. I was incredibly proud; I'd not been expecting this and I had to wipe away tears as I muttered a quiet, "Thank you." Then I was on the receiving end of handshakes, slaps on the shoulder and many hugs.

I made my way back to the dressing room where I sat for a moment staring at this thing in my hands. I'd wear it today and then I was going to keep it safe, I preferred a floppy hat or baseball cap in any case. It didn't seem real and I was brought back to earth as Hayley sat next to me, "You okay, quite a moment, isn't it?"

I turned to her and replied, "I didn't think about this and now I'm a bit overwhelmed. Thanks." She took my hand, which was on the bench between us and gave it a gentle squeeze. No one could have seen that gesture, but it meant the world to me, her smile melted me and I knew that the feelings I had for her were very real.

I spent the morning near to the boundary, moving position as the bowler or captain directed and chasing down every ball that came my way. It meant total concentration, watching every ball bowled and every stroke played by the batswoman. As the bowler ran in, I took a few steps forward, being on the move was important, but on most occasions, there was nothing for me to do, except watch.

The crowd were close by, it was a women's game and therefore only about five thousand people were in the ground, but they were vocal and knowledgeable. When one ball came my way, I swooped on it, took in one hand and threw it back in one smooth motion getting it to land in the wicket keepers' gloves right over the top of the stumps. As I walked back to my position a young man in the crowd called out, "Well done young lady, good throw." I looked up at him and he raised his pint of beer in a toast, smiling as he did so. His shirt marked him as a West Indies supporter and that was why I loved this game, he appreciated good play, but I'm sure that if I'd fumbled the ball, he'd have appreciated it even more.

The lunch break was twenty minutes away, I was looking forward to another cold drink and a seat when all of a sudden, this red ball was speeding towards me. It had been hit flat and was only about five feet above the grass as it got closer, it seemed that it was going to be just out of reach, I dived to my side, full length and threw out my right hand. The ball thwacked into the palm, my fingers closed around it and I tightened my grip as I hit the ground holding the ball clear of the turf as if showing the world some treasure I'd brought up from the depths of the ocean. Some of the crowd roared, some groaned, many applauded and then I was mobbed by my teammates as the batswoman made her walk back to the changing room. More slaps on the back, I was going to have bruises if this keeps up.

Five minutes later Helen, the Captain, beckoned me and as I ran towards her, I wondered what she wanted. The idea that she was going to ask me to bowl was far from my brain, "Okay Sarah, keep it full and tight, a couple of overs to get us to lunch." She handed me the ball and I stared at it as if I'd never seen one before as if it was a grenade and the pin had been pulled. I turned around and saw Hayley gesture to me, suddenly I was back to some sort of sense and I bowled a couple of test deliveries to her to loosen my arm and shoulder.

The first ball was a bit wide and the batter watched it as if she too thought it might be a grenade, but then she'd never seen me bowl before. The second one was a bit wide the other way and again she watched. My third one was straight and she played it with a soft bat so it rolled gently along the ground back to me. The next one caught her by surprise, it moved slightly off the seam as it bounced and she missed it. The next did the same thing and she played it away to mid-wicket, but there was no chance to take a run. My confidence was up, but that was soon dispelled as the next ball sped to the boundary to score four runs.

I bowled another two overs before the interval and conceded another seven runs. One ball had fallen just short of a fielder and a potential catch. It could have been a worse start, but equally, it could have been better and I was grateful for the break to settle my nerves.

*****

The afternoon session saw me once again patrolling the boundary for an hour and a half until Helen waved me over and threw me the ball. I bowled nine overs before the tea interval. I didn't take a wicket, but they didn't score many runs either, only seventeen, that was good and a low run rate frustrates the batters so they take more risks and my teammates bowling from the other end took three wickets during that period. I was pleased to get another seat and a cold drink during the interval. The sun had been relentless and the concentration required for fielding was tiring. I managed to close my eyes and clear my mind of everything, so much so that one of my teammates tapped me on the shoulder and told me it was time to go again.

As I walked out, I started heading to the boundary when Helen called to me, "Sarah, take this end and keep it as tight as you did before tea, Hayley can go after them from the other end."

They took the odd run from me, but I kept it tight as requested. Hayley took more risks, more variations and they scored more freely from her, but she took another two wickets, only one to go. I was worn to a frazzle, I'd never bowled for this long and never in such heat, but I knew that there were only ten minutes to the close of the day's play and I kept my mind on the next ball and then the one after that, one at a time. I was sweating and rubbed my palm in the dirt to try and keep it dry, to stop it slipping from my fingers. Despite that the next one did slip, it flew, almost as if in slow motion, I dreaded my opponent heaving it to the boundary, but fate decreed that the strange delivery fooled the batsman and she clipped it back to the fielder at short mid-on not far away from me. Suddenly there was a roar, I'd taken the last wicket and the opposition innings was over. I got a few handshakes and more pats on the back as I wearily trudged off the pitch. I threw myself into a seat, grabbed some water, which I gulped down and closed my eyes, I was done.

Once an innings is completed there is usually a ten-minute break to allow the teams to get ready, for the new batsmen to get kitted up and for the new bowers and fielders to stretch and limber up. But as the end of the days, play was within that time, it was over for the day and I was pleased about that. I'd fielded well, taken a catch and a wicket from my bowling, not too bad for a debut at the highest level.

*****

By the time we'd got back to the hotel, had dinner and a brief team meeting it was almost 9 pm. I fell back onto the bed, Hayley stood at the end of it looking down at me. "Knackered?" she asked.

"It's been quite a day, it's hard work, lots of emotion and..." I wanted her to kiss me, but perhaps that wasn't going to happen, I had no idea.

"I'm going for a shower. You need to call your Mum and then we can talk, but an early night is a good idea." 'Yes, it is, especially if you'll hold me,' I thought.

Mum was so excited she could hardly speak and, even though it was after midnight at home, I heard a lot of chatter in the background, so I asked her where she was. "Amy and I are at Gran's. Your Grandad has been listening to the radio all day."

"Is he there? Can I speak to him?" The phone was handed over and he said, "Hello."

"Did you hear all of it?" I asked.

"Every word lass, every word. I shed a tear or two, I'm so proud of you, so proud I can't begin to explain it. I've got a picture of you in your cap printed off already." We spoke for a couple of minutes, then Gran, Amy and finally Mum again, before I hung up.

Hayley was sitting on the end of the bed and handed me a glass of something fizzy. "One glass to celebrate the day, your debut, first catch, first wicket and your cap. Cheers."

I took a sip, "But there's also you and I and last night." This was the thing that concerned me most, I'd managed to put it out of my mind all day, but now it was there, at the front of my brain and getting bigger.

"We need to have a longer conversation and tonight is not the time. I know that's not ideal, so I'll say this. What happened was a surprise, but a good one, I have no regrets whatsoever, I'd like to repeat it and most of all I want to go to sleep whilst holding you and kissing you goodnight."

I stared at my glass feeling a bit lighter, "I'd like that too. I have no regrets, none except that we had to stop."

"Let's see where it goes for the next few days. I was worried that you'd want a change of roommate."

"No," I snapped, "Never," I paused, it had sounded harsh, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I don't want to change anything, nothing. I'm bushed, I'm going to have a shower and turn in."

Hayley was in bed when I came out of the bathroom brushing my hair. I looked at her and she turned back a corner of the duvet which I stared at it, "Is that an invite?" I asked.

She nodded, I threw my brush onto a chair and climbed in next to her. She took me into her arms and kissed me, suddenly it was as if there was nothing else in the world except the two of us. When we stopped kissing, I looked at her, "I was terrified that last night was going to be a one-off. I didn't want it to be."

"Neither did I. But now I want another kiss." She got her kiss and then sleep overtook me.

Day two

Waking up the next morning was similar to the previous day, except that I was the one wrapped around Hayley with an arm over her hip and my face buried into the nape of her neck. Something stirred her, "I thought that I was dreaming, but it's not a dream, it is you." She pulled away to give herself enough room to roll over to face me. Nose to nose, eye to eye, we stared at each other. "This is a nice way to wake up."