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Six-a-side at Weston

Somerset cricketers compete in six-a-side cricket match at the Weston-Super-Mare Cricket Festival

Sport 1961 1 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

A large crowd watches as a car’s headlight is smashed and a dog invades the pitch. Sixes is a type of short form cricket played in less time and emphasises quick scoring through aggressive batting and because every player, except the wicket-keeper, is required to bowl one over, the format suits all-rounders. Somerset cricketers, Peter Wight and Terry Barwell appear. Somerset CCC plays home games at Weston for one week every August between 1914 and 1996.

Each team of six players receives one innings with a maximum of five overs or 30 balls. The run up for each bowler is shortened and fewer fielders means more runs are scored. A batsman retires on 30 runs not out but may return and resume the innings if one of the last pair of batsmen is out before all the others. If five of the six wickets fall, the last batsman stays in for the remaining balls with the penultimate batsman only able to run but not face the strike. The Hong Kong Sixes is a high profile six-a-side game held annually over two days and stars international Test players. This is likely to be Weston-Super-Mare Cricket Club's Devonshire Park ground although the Weston Cricket Festival was held at Clarence Park.