The Rules of Backyard Cricket

The Rules of Backyard Cricket, a crime novel by Australian writer Jock Serong, follows two brothers, both cricket players, tracing them from their childhoods up until the point when, around middle age, both brothers are considering retiring from the game. The trouble is Darren, the flashier younger brother, is tied up in the trunk of a car; he serves as the narrator, reflecting on his past and his relationship with his brother, and all the small steps that brought him to where he is now.

The novel opens with a dramatic scene: Narrator Darren Keefe is tied up and gagged in the trunk of a moving car, headed, he assumes, toward a shallow grave in a ditch far from civilization. Despite his current predicament, Darren is shockingly calm about the whole ordeal. As he sits in the trunk, waiting to discover what situation he is going to have to fight his way out of, he reflects on his life, and the life of his older brother, Wally.

Wally and Darren were raised in difficult circumstances. Their family was supported by their mother, a single woman tasked with managing two rambunctious boys. Because they only lived on one income, the boys were relatively poor, though they received a lot of love and support from their mother, who was fiery and determined to help her boys get ahead. Nevertheless, fighting for their mothers love is challenging, and eventually, the boys, who are opposites in temperament, struggle to get along with each other and overcome their jealousy.



Wally, the older brother, is a relatively soft-spoken, mild-mannered child. Much less showy that his younger brother, Darren, Wally finds success in his calm demeanor, work ethic, and reflectiveness. Darren, on the other hand, is a show-off. He takes big risks, which sometimes come with big rewards. Darren, however, is sometimes treated to the resounding failures of his spontaneous decisions. Chasing women and seeking attention, Darren has a bad boy lifestyle from the beginning. In many ways, the boys could not be more different from one another.

Despite their differences in personality, Darren and Wally share a passion for backyard cricket. They start playing in their suburban backyard, emulating their favorite players. As they practice together, both boys show a penchant for the game, and their mother, seeing an avenue of success for her sons, pushes them harder. Darren recalls, from the trunk of his assailant's car, the long road that took the boys from their school games to District, then State. Finally, both boys found professional success, projecting their once lower-middle-class family into a much higher tax bracket.

True to form, both men treated their success differently. Wally creates a comfortable life for himself, with a large home, wife, kids, and a traveling lifestyle; he eventually, makes Australian Captain, much to Darren’s dismay. Meanwhile, Darren is busy using his fame to do drugs, cheat, and chase girls. Because he is shallow, his relationships always fail, and he is frequently reprimanded for breaking his team's rules. Darren doesn't think his behavior is a problem until he is badly injured, and his chances at fame and glory go up in smoke.



As Darren sits in the trunk of the car, uncomfortable, stiff, and barely able to breathe, he reflects on his choices. He wonders about the trajectory his life will take, and what will come next for him. However, more than anything, he realizes he wants to fight – to live and do more than what he had done before.

Jock Serong lives and works in Southwest Victoria. He is the author of two novels – Quota, which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction, and The Rules of Backyard Cricket. A trained lawyer, he now works as a features writer and editor of the Great Ocean Quarterly. Married, he lives in Port Fairy with his wife and children.