Page #7 of “OUT OF IT” a novel by Michael O’Leary

blood red ball pierces the skin of the air, the wind cries with the awareness of its own existence but the ball keeps coming and coming until it hits my bat mid-on and I’m running and the wind is crying…


“And the Mad Monk is home despite a good accurate throw from John Bracewell. So after the single out to mid-on Jimi Hendrix and the team’s score moves on to seven only after two balls have been bowled.”
“What’s an Irishman of the Holy Roman doin’ at a cricket game and what’s he talkin’ – thinkin’ to himself. My darlin’ Maureen Malone, I was nothing before I met you and without you I’ll return to nothin’. I must be like ashes to ashes except it’s man to man. The Malone will return to just being a man without his wise woman’s influence and love and tellin’ off.”

But the radio broke the Malone man’s talkin’ – thinkin’ with an appeal for L.B.W….

“Well that must have been close. Umpire Woodhead has turned down Hadlee’s appeal. Hadlee went up, Ian Smith went up, then the whole New Zealand team went up, but Willy Woodhead’s finger stayed down.”

“Yes Dennis, the New Zealanders will feel deprived there. Monk Lewis can count himself a lucky man to still be standing in front of those three pieces of wood.”
“Youse wanna hear how the word umpire came into being eh, well I’ll tell you. It was in India eh during the Raj, when the English were Lording it up all over the world especially in India, eh. Anyway the locals used to think they was funny, the British, as locals all over the world did. Anyway they knew how prudish the English were in public (and how prudish they weren’t in private I might add – as did locals all over the world)…”
“I’m sorry Billy but Hadlee’s just coming into bowl again, to Lewis who tries to flick the ball off his pad, but misses and the ball goes straight through to the keeper."
”I think that the delivery before last would probably have unsettled the Mad Monk somewhat and that he’ll be struggling a bit out there….”