Wicketz (1989)

Overview

Wicketz is a Cricket sim using a quarter-board for the wicket, model batsmen, fielders, bowlers and umpires, a spinner for the deliveries and 246 cards for the strokes. The fielding player sets the field, the board showing concentric circles around the wicket divided into segments, selects Pace or Spin for the over and spins the delivery, eg. Good Length, Long Hop, Bouncer/Googly. Upon seeing the field and the delivery, the batting player declares a stroke, eg Cut, Cover Drive, Pull, Hook, Leg Glance. There are 12 strokes and an avoiding action if a bouncer is bowled. A card is drawn and the result determined. Initially, the delivery may defeat the batsman, so if a Cut was played, the card might read Bowled if Yorker, whereas a Straight Drive gets an LBW if Good Length. If the bowler wasn't out, the next column shows the segment the ball was struck to. If there is no fielder there, the runs are scored from the card, 0 to 4 with a very rare 6. But if there is a fielder present no runs are scored, and if the card is also marked catch, a catch is possible. This is determined by another spinner, but the higher order get 3 and 2 lives, the tail are out first time. Normal cricket rules apply and the game has advanced rules for bowling & fielding variants. Sumo has the original publisher as A W Compton producing a limited 200 edition. The set I have is by RDA Marketing and Luding reckons the designer is Richard Pullen. Although my rules set refers to a card dispenser and a window display, the game doesn't have them. I can't figure out the relevance of selecting Pace or Spin whatsoever, so I suspect the earlier edition had more to it. Solid sim of limited appeal (geddit!).