Carnival Splash

by Michael Panckridge

  About the Book

  The first T20 Crickomania Carnival is taking place and two teams of kids have been selected to represent the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder. Maddie, Chase and Jye are a few of the lucky ones. They can’t wait to test out their skills and meet some BBL and WBBL players! The event begins with lots of excitement but also some strange occurrences.

  There’s a mix-up with the coaches, unexplained rules and an opposing team who really wants to win.

  Can everyone pull together to make the carnival a success?

  CONTENTS

  COVER

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  TITLE PAGE

  CHAPTER 1: THE LETTER

  CHAPTER 2: WELCOME TO THE MANSION

  CHAPTER 3: INTO THE NETS

  CHAPTER 4: MADDIE PLAYS AT THE MCG

  CHAPTER 5: THE FORBIDDEN FLOOR

  CHAPTER 6: GAME ONE

  CHAPTER 7: FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

  CHAPTER 8: THE AMAZING TOP STOREY

  CHAPTER 9: MADDIE’S PLAN

  CHAPTER 10: THE DECIDER

  COPYRIGHT NOTICE

  Monday afternoon

  WHUMP!

  ‘Maddie?’

  ‘Sorry, Dad.’

  Maddie was a bubbly and friendly girl with mid-length brown hair that she loved wearing in a ponytail. She had big hazel eyes and a permanent grin on her face. Right now she was in the middle of a Sydney Sixers versus Sydney Thunder game of corridor cricket.

  Maddie was forever inventing cricket games and she was very proud of her latest creation. She called it ‘Flick ’n Hit’. The game entailed throwing the ball at her dad’s study door, scooping up the rebound, then whipping around and trying to hit one of the targets she’d sticky-taped to either wall. Each target had a big number drawn in fat texta on it to show how many runs she’d scored. Missing a target meant a wicket was taken.

  THUMP! The only problem was that it was a bit noisy.

  ‘Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrry, Dad!’

  ‘Can’t you play your game outside?’ he called from behind the door.

  ‘There’d be nowhere to put up my stickers!’

  ‘What about the shed?’

  ‘Too messy.’

  The study door opened. ‘Hey, what say we go give it a good clean … Ouch!’ her dad yelped as the ball thudded into his shins.

  ‘Lucky it’s only made from rubber,’ Maddie laughed. Her eyes focused as she dived to her left before flicking the ball underarm at a target just behind her.

  ‘Lucky I don’t tear up all these numbers and bury them along with that ball in the compost heap,’ her dad replied, but he was smiling all the same.

  ‘I missed!’ Maddie shrieked, shaking her head in disbelief.

  ‘Does that mean the game’s over?’

  ‘Dad, the Sydney Sixers are only three wickets down.’

  ‘Really?’ Maddie’s dad sighed. ‘You’ve got 15 minutes, young lady. Then I’m calling a rain delay.’ He headed off past Maddie.

  ‘Okay,’ Maddie hollered.

  But the game only lasted a few more minutes.

  ‘Lunch is ready, sweetie,’ her dad called from the kitchen. ‘Also, a letter has arrived for you.’

  ‘Crickomania?’ Maddie asked hopefully, pausing mid-throw.

  ‘I reckon so,’ came his reply.

  Maddie sped into the kitchen and froze. Lying on the kitchen table was the letter she’d been waiting almost three weeks for.

  It had been the last day of school, almost four weeks ago now, that Maddie had sent off her application to play in the first T20 Crickomania Carnival. It was to be held at a place called Crickomania Mansion and was being sponsored by the Big Bash League.

  Maddie had worked as hard on her application as she’d worked on any piece of homework, ever. She’d written two pages describing her love of cricket, sketched two of her very best pictures featuring a Sydney Sixers game and then added another whole page telling the story of how she came to be a Sydney Sixers supporter. She’d even got Mr Riordan, her class teacher, to proofread her writing.

  Christmas came and went, as did the New Year. The long, hot January days rolled on, and Maddie worried that she might never hear from the people at Crickomania. Maybe the competition had been cancelled? Or perhaps she simply hadn’t been chosen. There were probably hundreds of kids from all over Sydney who’d put in applications.

  ‘Maddie, darling, you know it might not be the news you want,’ her mum said, walking into the kitchen.

  ‘I know, I know,’ Maddie said, staring at the envelope.

  ‘Well?’ her dad asked. ‘Put us out of our misery, Mads.’

  ‘It’s weird! I’ve been waiting so long for this moment and now I’m too scared to open it.’

  ‘Oh, give it to me,’ her mum laughed, snatching the envelope from the table. It had a little coloured drawing of a mansion with the word Crickomania written beneath it.

  ‘No,’ Maddie shrieked. ‘I’ve got this.’ Trying to ignore her racing heart, Maddie took the envelope from her mum and carefully opened it. She pulled out the letter and began reading. ‘Dear Maddie Gleeson …’ Maddie’s face fell as she quickly scanned the words.

  ‘Sweetie, that’s such a shame,’ her mum said, putting an arm around her. ‘There’ll be plenty of opportunities … Maddie? MADDIE?’

  ‘Maddie Gleeson,’ her dad scolded, as a cheeky grin spread across his daughter’s face.

  ‘Sorry,’ Maddie said, ‘couldn’t help myself.’

  ‘Well, what does it say?’ her mum asked.

  ‘Dear Ms Gleeson, I am delighted to inform you that you’ve been chosen to represent the Sydney Sixers in the very first T20 Crickomania Carnival. Please arrive at the Crickomania Mansion by 12 pm on Thursday 23 January.’ Maddie paused, scanning the rest of the page. ‘Then there’s stuff about the program and what to pack.’ Maddie flipped through the pages. ‘Oh, and there’s a page here for you guys to fill in.’

  ‘Let’s have a look, Mads.’ Her dad held out his hand.

  ‘I’m so excited.’ Maddie beamed, clutching the bundle of sheets to her chest. ‘But, I guess it means that I’m going to be away from home,’ she added softly. Maddie had never spent a night away from home before, not even for a sleepover. The thought of not seeing her mum and dad for a few days made her feel quite nervous.

  ‘Maddie, you’ll be fine. It’s only for a couple of days. And you’ll be doing what you love – playing cricket,’ her mum said.

  ‘So what is it about this Crickomania place that’s got everyone talking?’ her dad asked, flicking the kettle on.

  Maddie climbed up onto one of the kitchen stools. ‘Well, there’s this super-rich dude called Mr Harold Abbott and he’s turned his huge mansion into a cricket museum. It’s supposed to be the best museum ever. And not just old stuff, it’s full of really cool, modern interactive things too. No one’s been inside it yet. We’re going to be the first, I reckon. And there’s a full-sized cricket oval too.’

  ‘What, in the mansion?’ her mum asked.

  ‘No, on the property. It’s massive. The whole place is a parkland dedicated to cricket.’

  ‘Hey, it says here that the third game will feature actual BBL and WBBL players,’ her dad said, eying one of the pages.

  ‘Dad, I already told you that, remember?’ Maddie sighed. ‘It’s being sponsored by the BBL and for the carnival part there’ll be two matches with just kids, then for the third game, there’s going to be two Sydney Sixers and two Sydney Thunder players joining us.’

  ‘Won’t that make the teams too big?’ Maddie’s mum asked.

  ‘The coaches will probably choose a couple of players to drop out,’ Maddie explained.

  ‘Well, that seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?’ her mum
continued. She was helping Maddie’s dad cut up some pizza slices.

  ‘Mum, no way. That’s what happens in sport. Not everyone can play. And what about all the kids who applied for the Crickomania Carnival and didn’t even make it? I won’t care if I get dropped for the final game. At least I will have played in the first two.’

  ‘Yeah, fair enough,’ her mum said, giving Maddie’s arm a squeeze.

  ‘I gotta pack,’ Maddie cried, hopping down from her stool and racing to the door.

  ‘Maddie, you’re not going till Thursday,’ her mum said, shaking her head.

  ‘What day is it today?’

  ‘It’s Monday, Mads, now plonk yourself back down and have a slice of pizza with your parents. I might even take you down to the indoor nets this arvo, what do you say?’ her dad asked, patting her stool.

  ‘Oh, Dad, that would be awesome,’ Maddie replied, taking a piece of steaming pizza.

  Wednesday evening

  Three sleeps to go soon became two sleeps, which quickly became one sleep. Although Maddie was getting more excited by the moment, there was another feeling she was experiencing. It was a little knot in her stomach that clenched and tightened every time she thought about Thursday and the moment when she’d be saying goodbye to her parents. Maybe she wouldn’t be feeling so anxious if she knew someone, or if one of her friends was also going. But she didn’t know anyone.

  ‘Maddie,’ her dad said quietly, as the family sat in the lounge room after dinner. ‘I think I know how you’re feeling right now.’

  ‘You do?’ Maddie asked, turning to her dad.

  ‘I never made it, the first night I had a sleepover.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Maddie’s dad sat back on the couch and smiled as she nestled in alongside him. ‘I remember the food was a bit odd and my friend’s dad, well, he was a dentist. He put this weird coloured toothpaste on my brush. And it wasn’t just a little blob, he squeezed out this awful smelling green gunk that went the whole length of the bristles. Honestly, it could have been dead caterpillar for all I knew.’ He shook his head, chuckling softly in spite of the bad memory.

  Maddie giggled. ‘And what happened? Did you brush your teeth with the green caterpillar?’

  ‘Nope. My friend’s mum rang your grandma-ma and she came and collected me straight away.’

  ‘Oh, that’s good. Go grandma-ma,’ Maddie cheered.

  ‘What I’m saying is, you’ve always got a choice, Maddie. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Your mum and I get that you’re a bit nervous about leaving home for a few days.’

  ‘Sweetie,’ her mum said. ‘You just need to ring us, at any time, okay? If you’re not feeling comfortable, then it’s okay to call, all right?’

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ Maddie said. ‘I mean, it’s weird. I’m so excited about the cricket side of things, but I’m also nervous because I won’t be in my own bed.’

  Her mum smiled. ‘Only for a few days, sweetie.’

  ‘And hey,’ her dad added, turning the sound of the TV down with the remote. ‘It’s okay to miss us, too. That’s perfectly normal.’

  As Maddie watched the Hobart Hurricanes smash and crash boundaries, the tension in her stomach slipped away. It felt better now that she’d talked about her worries, and she knew she could call home anytime.

  Maddie sat up suddenly. ‘Hey, I’ve just had a thought,’ she said.

  ‘Hmm?’ her dad said.

  ‘How were all the kids chosen for the carnival?’

  ‘Well, that would be that 15 page essay you wrote, wouldn’t it?’ he suggested.

  ‘Two pages, Dad. But yeah. They could only judge people on what they wrote.’

  ‘And your point is?’ he asked, reaching for a piece of chocolate.

  ‘My point, dear old Dad, is that no one has any idea how good any of us are at cricket.’

  ‘So?’ her mum asked.

  ‘Well, what if I’m the worst there? What if all the others are playing senior cricket or are in special squads or something? I mean, I’m okay in the school team and Stoney Creek Cricket Club, but everyone knows me there, and knows what I can and can’t do.’

  ‘Maddie, what if it’s the opposite?’ her dad countered. ‘What if it turns out you’re the best cricketer there.’

  Maddie smiled dreamily. ‘Yeah, now that would be very cool.’

  ‘I think you’ll be just fine, Maddie,’ her mum said, putting a comforting arm around her.

  ‘I hope so,’ Maddie replied, feeling a little more relaxed once again.

  Thursday morning

  Maddie waved one last goodbye to her parents then turned around, almost bumping into Syd, the Sydney Sixers mascot, who was on the lawn of the Crickomania Mansion.

  ‘Syd!’ Maddie exclaimed.

  ‘Welcome,’ Syd replied. ‘Are you here to play for the Sydney Sixers or the Sydney Thunder?’ Syd’s body was the shape of a pink six, he wore pink boots, dark black sunglasses and he had a huge toothy grin on his face.

  ‘Sydney Sixers, of course,’ Maddie replied. Other mascots were also around to greet the new arrivals.

  ‘Well, that’s great news because you sure look like an excellent cricketer,’ Syd said, jumping up and down and clapping his hands. ‘Good luck!’

  ‘Thanks, Syd,’ Maddie replied. She watched him skip away to another car that had just pulled up in the circular driveway that swept around the front of the mansion. Maddie gazed upwards at the beautiful old building. It was a grand mansion with about four levels. There was even a tower with a huge bell in it.

  ‘You go up those stairs and they give you one of these,’ a girl said, holding out a plastic lanyard she was wearing around her neck.

  ‘Okay, thanks,’ said Maddie.

  ‘Come along, you seem a little bit lost. I’m Chase.’ Maddie looked at the pretty girl with long blonde hair. She was tall and lean and wore pink sneakers to match her Sydney Sixers top.

  Before Maddie could reply that it would be near impossible to get lost with the steps leading up to the mansion only about 20 metres away, Chase had hooked an arm through Maddie’s and was steering her towards the entrance.

  ‘Aren’t the steps awesome?’ Chase said.

  ‘Yeah, amazing,’ Maddie replied. ‘Um, I’m Maddie by the way.’ Each step was painted in the colours of one of the eight Big Bash League teams.

  ‘We have to jump over this one,’ Chase said, skipping a level to clear the pink step of the Sydney Sixers.

  ‘And stamp extra hard and heavy on this one.’ Maddie grinned as she jumped up and down on the Sydney Thunder step.

  ‘Haha, oh yes, good idea,’ Chase laughed, joining Maddie.

  ‘Really?’ a boy muttered, brushing past the girls. He was wearing the lime-green and black colours of the Sydney Thunder. He watched with a perplexed frown, as the girls vigorously stomped on the Sydney Thunder step, as though they were squashing and popping little balloons.

  ‘Spoil sport,’ Chase mumbled.

  ‘Are you talking to me?’ the boy asked. Like Chase, he was tall with blond floppy hair and blue eyes.

  ‘Oh, hi, I’m Chase and this is Maddie.’

  ‘Jye,’ the boy said. He stared at the girls and sniggered.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Maddie asked.

  ‘Not if the Sydney Thunder win,’ Jye replied before turning and marching up the steps.

  ‘Gee, he’s a bit intense,’ Chase whispered, as they followed him through to the foyer of the mansion.

  ‘Wow!’ Maddie gasped, looking around. Everywhere she turned were amazing displays of cricket memorabilia. Huge glass cabinets held famous cricket bats and old cricket balls, paintings and drawings of players covered the walls, and life-sized models of various BBL and WBBL players were scattered around the space in various action poses.

  ‘I know, and look at the stairs! They’re even cooler than the ones outside,’ Chase exclaimed.

  An enormous staircase in the middle of the foyer led upwar
ds. The left-hand banister was covered in a huge pink banner with a sign saying Level One – Sydney Sixers. On the other side was a similar sized banner, this one in green and black, saying Level Two – Sydney Thunder. The steps themselves were covered with little coloured footprints.

  ‘So, the left-hand side is where we go?’ Maddie asked.

  ‘That’s what I’m thinking,’ Chase agreed. ‘But no one’s allowed upstairs yet. Come on, let’s go and get you signed in.’

  Maddie and Chase joined the small queue and soon Maddie had her own pink lanyard hanging around her neck. They spent the next 30 minutes exploring the foyer. There were lots of doors leading off into other rooms, but each one was closed. They wouldn’t be opening until Saturday when the actual carnival commenced and the museum was open to the public.

  At 12.30 pm a gong sounded. Then, from a side door, the eight mascots appeared. Holding their team’s coloured flags, the mascots made a guard of honour for the 24 children.

  ‘Girls and boys, please leave your bags at the foot of the stairs on the side that identifies your team, then make your way over to the mascots,’ a deep voice called through a loudspeaker system.

  ‘This is just so cool,’ Chase cried, dropping her pink bag at the foot of the steps. Maddie dumped hers too and followed Chase. The brightly coloured flags tickled her face as she walked between the mascots and into a large dining room.

  ‘I guess this is ours,’ Chase said, skipping over to a long table covered in a huge pink Sydney Sixers tablecloth. There were six vacant seats on either side. A middle-aged woman was seated at the head of the table.

  ‘Welcome, Sydney Sixers. My name is Claire. Don’t worry,’ she laughed. ‘I’m not your coach. I represent the BBL. If you’ve got any questions or concerns just find me and I’ll help you out. Unfortunately, your real coach has been delayed, but she’ll be at your first practice this afternoon.’

  Maddie stole a glance across the room and noticed the Sydney Thunder coach shaking hands with Jye, the competitive boy they met earlier on the steps. The coach looked young and athletic – like he’d just stepped off the cricket field himself. Maybe he’s a recent player? Maddie wondered, hoping it would be the same with their coach when they finally got to meet her.