Comedian David Earl on Sussex, England and playing Cricket 19 during lockdown

THOMAS BLOW: The comedian will be playing as England in a virtual charity match this Saturday against fellow gamer Kurt Yoy

We all struggled to find our cricketing fix during lockdown. I was able to fill the void thanks to my partner who gladly, and sometimes reluctantly, whacked some tennis balls with me in the garden. I dread to think how many of them are currently sitting on top of the hedge.

While I failed to impress my partner, comedian David Earl was trying something different. He was playing Cricket 19 live on Twitch, a streaming service that allows gamers to broadcast while they are playing. It is the same game used by The Cricketer during the Quarantine Cup, a virtual tournament which took place during April and May.

“Lockdown became a thing and I lost a bit of work,” says Earl. “Iain Lee [the comedian] told me to try Twitch. I didn’t know anything about Twitch, I hadn’t played any video games for years. I had a go on it and thought it was great; you can build a little community and it’s quite fun. I played this cricket game called Cricket 19, it was amazing!”

And now, with weeks of batting under his belt, he is ready to take on fellow gamer Kurt Yoy this Saturday. The two will face each other in what has been described as “virtually the biggest cricket game ever” to raise funds for The Children’s Society, a charity which supports vulnerable children.

“I retired from playing a couple of years ago, so I felt like I was getting that satisfaction of hitting the ball to the boundary,” continues Earl. “Someone suggested that I do a charity match against another gamer who plays a lot of cricket and is a lot better than me! And I really wanted to do it. A month or two before I found Cricket 19, I was playing Howzat! I used to play that as a kid. I think I just need my cricket fix!”

Although Earl is best known for playing Brian in After Life and Kev in Derek, he is also a keen cricketer. “I played for Sussex until I was about 15 or 16. I was nowhere near good enough to carry on! I stopped for a couple of years and then I just played league cricket until my late 30s, but I became the old man in the team and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was at East Grinstead when I was younger, and then I played for a team called Chiddingly in Sussex for a few years before ending at Balcombe, a little village side.

“I realised I was just dropping catches and I had to get out, it was humiliating! I occasionally go and watch a few games down at Hove, but I follow England more than county cricket. Although I was looking forward to The Hundred. I watched the draft in the winter and thought it looked quite fun! But I’m more into Test cricket and following England. I also really like the T20s. I’ll take anything at the minute, hence why I’m playing with computer men!”

Despite appearing in two critically acclaimed Ricky Gervais sitcoms, Earl has not yet received any invitations to see his beloved England play. “I always said I wanted to get into showbiz just so I can get free tickets to watch England! That was my only reason for getting into it, but I haven’t had one yet! It’s really annoying.”

Although he will not be able to watch England at Lord's anytime soon, Earl will be able to play as them on Saturday as he takes on Yoy’s Scotland at 8pm.

The match will be streamed live on his Twitch feed: https://www.twitch.tv/davidearlhello

The Children’s Society supports children including those in care, those who go missing from home, those at risk of sexual exploitation and refugees. With schools closed, the coronavirus outbreak has left many vulnerable children and young people hidden from view, putting them at greater risk of exploitation and abuse. As lockdown restrictions begin to lift, The Children’s Society expects to see a dramatic rise in referrals, putting a strain on existing services. For more information, please visit: childrenssociety.org.uk

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