cricket sides

(i) If I've understood things correctly, the original idea was that the village would provide one side and the hospital the other. (Not clear if the hospital side was intended to be entirely patients or patients and medics.) But the village can't raise an entire side, so others have to make up the numbers. We see medics on both sides, eg Stephens fielding and Hurt batting. Crossley says there are five patients in 'his' team, the rest being medics or outsiders (including Blake the fast bowler). Presumably the other side is a similar mixture.

What's the point of this all being so complicated? Why not simply script it to be Hospital v Village?

(ii) Robert Stephens tells Graves: "The village couldn't raise a team, so you're the scorer."

How does Graves being scorer follow from the village not being able to raise a full side? Surely if there are fewer villagers, there's an increased requirement for others such as Graves to play. And Graves has clearly come expecting to play, not score. The story needs Graves to end up sharing the scorers box with Crossley, but wouldn't it make more sense if that's because there are too many players, not too few? Eg an international fast bowler is now available and Stephens wants one man who's suitably pliant (Graves) to drop out and do a job no-one else wants to. So perhaps we should understand this to be flim flam from Stephens, who doesn't expect Graves to think about it too hard too quickly.

One might criticize the lack of reaction from Graves (Curry), who even if preternaturally uncomplaining would surely register some surprise and disappointment, particularly as we gather he's not on the hospital staff and has driven a long way for this match.

"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."