Cricket/Script

Episode

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Script

The episode opens on a cricket pitch in a park.
Today, Bluey is bowling, and Bingo is at bat, and Bandit, Stripe, Pat, Lucky, Honey, Snickers, Mackenzie, Chloe, Rusty, and Dusty are fielding.
Pat tosses the ball to Bandit.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Let me tell you about the time we tried to get Rusty out."

He hands the ball to Bluey.

Bandit: [V.O.] "It was some kid's birthday, I don't remember who. And we were playing cricket."

Bingo taps her bat on the ground.

Bluey: "Eryah!"

Bluey throws as hard as she can, the follow-through spinning her around. The ball flies high, and bounces a couple of times before it gets to Bingo.
Bingo swings too soon and misses the ball. She lets go of the bat, and it knocks over the wicket. She falls on her bottom, laughing.

Bandit: "Oh, out you go, Bingo. Well done."

He gives her a thumbs-up.

Bluey: "Whose bat?"

Stripe raises his hand.

Stripe: "Mine."

Bandit: "Okay, everyone, move in close. Move in close."

Stripe: "Hilarious."

Stripe picks up the bat and takes his position.

Bandit: "Give us a bowl, Bluey."

She tosses Bandit the ball. He takes a running start and bowls.

Bandit: "Erryah!"

Stripe: "Err!"

Stripe hits the ball high and fast.

All: "Whoa!"

It bounces off the roof of a house, outside the park.

Pat: "Six and out!"

Stripe walks away smugly.

Bandit: "Oh, man!"

Pat: "Who hasn't had a bat yet?"

Bluey: "Rusty hasn't."

She points at Rusty, who is showing Dusty proper catching posture.

Pat: "Hey, Rusty. Your bat, mate."

Rusty runs over.

Bluey: "Dad, can we play tiggy instead?"

Bandit waves to someone off screen, seeking the ball.

Bandit: "What? Cricket's more fun than tiggy."

Someone throws the ball from off screen, and Bandit catches it.

Bluey: "But cricket is just about hitting a ball around the grass."

Bandit: "Cricket's about more than that, kid."

Rusty picks up the bat and takes up his stance, tapping the bat on the ground twice. He's ready.

Bandit: "Tell you what, we'll get Rusty out and then play tiggy."

Bluey crosses her arms - she knows something about this boy the parents don't...

Bluey: "You'll never get Rusty out."

Bandit: "I think I can handle it."

Bandit takes a running start, then bowls a much slower ball than he delivered to Stripe.

Rusty: "Ha!"

Rusty hits a straight drive, right by Bandit's head. He ducks.

Bandit: "Aah!"

All: "Yeah, Rustyyyyy!"

Rusty stands proud.

Pat: "Four bits!"

Bluey: "See?"

[TITLE CARD - Cricket]

Bluey: [V.O.] "This episode of Bluey is called: Cricket."

Bandit prepares to bowl again. He polishes one side of the ball and tosses it from hand to hand.

Bandit: "You right with a bit of swing, Rusty?"

Rusty taps his bat on the ground once more - he's READY.

Rusty: "All good, Mr. Heeler!"

Bandit: [V.O.] "Now, what we didn't know was that Rusty LOVED cricket."

The determined boy taps once more. We then CUT to Rusty's house. The Kelpies have set up a cricket pitch in the front yard, and Rusty's playing with Digger and Dusty. Rusty is at bat, Digger is bowling with a tennis ball, Dusty is watching it all unfold.

Bandit: [V.O.] "He played all day with his brother and sister."

Dusty: "Can you hit me a catch?"

She hops up in excitement.

Rusty: "Not yet, Dusty - I'm almost at fifty."

Rusty hits the ball over Digger's head. Digger and Dusty run after it as Rusty runs for the wicket.

Dusty: "Ya!"

The scene cuts to Rusty, hitting a tennis ball against the side of the house with a cricket bat. The siding is showing signs of wear in that spot.

Bandit: [V.O.] "And when they weren't around, he played by himself."

Back in the present, Bandit bowls. Rusty hits a cover drive, midway between Snickers and Stripe.
Bandit stares at the ball, as Rusty scores runs behind him.

Bandit: "Far out!"

The ball stops at Snickers' feet. He picks it up and throws it about 50 centimetres."

Pat: "That's it, Snickers!"

Rusty scores another run. Pat and Bandit walk up to Bandit to discuss strategy.

Bandit: "Man, this kid's good."

Pat: "Look, he likes to square cut."

Rusty scores another run. The scene cuts to a diagram, showing crude drawings of the characters on the cricket pitch.

Pat: "Stripe, you and me will move to gully and point."

Stripe and Pat move to Rusty's right.

Pat: "You send one to his off stump."

The diagram shows Bandit bowling towards the stump furthest from Rusty. He hits it at a right angle, directly to Pat.

Pat: "Lure him into the catch."

The drawings of Stripe and Pat wiggle from side to side in celebration.
Back in reality, Bandit runs up to bowl, which we CUT to Digger bowling in the Kelpies' front yard.

Bandit: [V.O.] "It was a good plan, but we didn't know about Rusty's kitchen."

He delivers the ball. Rusty hits it to his right - through an open kitchen window! This knocks a bowl out of his mum's hands!

Rusty's Mum: "Aaargh!"

She GLARES AT THEM! Rusty and Digger look nervous.

Rusty: "Uh-oh!"

Digger: "Run!"

The kids split up, running in different directions. Rusty's Mum comes out the front door, wielding a scrubbing brush.

Rusty, Dusty, Digger: "Aaaah!"

Rusty's Mum: "Hey, COME BACK HERE!"

The scene cuts to Rusty, practicing in the side yard. He has set up a can on a stump to his right.

Bandit: [V.O.] "That was good motivation to work on his square cut."

Rusty hits the ball against the house, then on the rebound, tries to hit the stump. He misses the first two attempts, and knocks it down on the third.

The scene CUTS back to Rusty, Dusty, and Digger playing in the front yard. Rusty hits another square cut - this time, it bounces off the siding next to the window. His mum glares, warningly. Rusty smiles sheepishly, then starts to run the wickets.

Bandit: [V.O.] "I had NO chance."

The scene cuts back to the present. Bandit runs up to bowl. Stripe and Pat crouch, ready to receive the ball. Bandit delivers the ball with a grunt.

Rusty HITS THE BALL.

Rusty: Yeh!"

The ball is perfectly placed between Stripe and Pat. They both dive for it, and both miss.

Kids, particularly Bluey: "Yeah, Rusty!"

Chloe flosses in celebration, and Bingo attempts to do a handstand.

Bandit: [V.O.] "It was time to mix up the attack."

Stripe snatches the ball away from Bandit.

Stripe: "Give me that. I've had enough of your pies."

Bandit rolls his eyes and walks away.

Stripe: "Bit of spin okay, Rusty?"

Rusty: "All good, Mr. Heeler!"

Pat runs up to Stripe and whispers to him.

Pat: (whispering) "Stripe, put it right on that crack there, see?"

The camera pans to a crack in the pitch, a few feet ahead of Rusty, to his left.

Stripe: (whispering) "Oh, yeah, good call."

Pat runs back to his position behind Rusty.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Stripe couldn't spin to save himself, but if he could land it on that crack, Rusty would have no chance."

Stripe begins his run-up.
The scene cuts to Calypso's school. Coco and Bella are talking on the porch. Pretzel chases a chicken in the yard. Rusty and Jack are standing with Calypso on the front path.
Jack's Dad and Lulu have just arrived and are standing at the edge of the car park. Jack and Rusty run up to them. Jack hugs his dad.

Bandit: [V.O.] "But what we didn't know was that when Rusty's dad was away..."

The scene cuts to Jack's Dad's car. All three kids are in car seats in the back. They all talk excitedly.

Bandit: [V.O.] "...he'd get a lift home with his mate Jack. And this was his front yard."

The scene cuts to Jack and Rusty playing cricket in Jack's front yard.
The Russells' front yard features a huge tree with exposed roots that takes up half the yard. They have set up a tree branch and a cardboard box in lieu of wickets. Rusty is at bat under the tree, surrounded by roots and seed pods.

Jack BOWLS. The ball bounces off an exposed root and Rusty misses. The ball knocks over the wicket.

Jack: "Got him!"

Rusty: "Awww, not fair."

Bandit: [V.O.] "Rusty played at Jack's a lot that year."

The scene cuts to Calypso's school on another day. Jack's Dad picks them both up again.

In the Russells' yard, Jack bowls again.

Jack: "Huh!"

The ball bounces past Rusty, knocking over the wicket.

Bandit: [V.O.] "So he got pretty good at playing on a rough wicket."

The scene cuts - another ball gets past Rusty. Third try's the charm - he hits the ball, knocking it onto the roof.

Rusty, Jack: "Yeah!"

The scene cuts back to the present. Stripe runs up to bowl.

Bandit: [V.O.] "He could handle Stripe's fruit any day."

Stripe hits the crack, and the ball bounces at a sharp angle. Rusty hits it anyway! Pulling it to the left!

The kids cheer.

Pat: What?!"

Bandit laughs heartily.

Stripe: "How did he hit that?!"

Bandit: [V.O.] "Now, every batsman has a weak spot."

Lucky retrieves the ball and throws it to Pat.

Pat: "That's it. Time for a pace attack."

Bandit: [V.O.] "And Rusty's was pace."

Pat: "Okay if I have a go, Rusty?"

PACE. His confidence shattering before his very eyes, Rusty looks worried.

The scene CUT to a cricket pitch in a different park.
Digger is at bat. The other kids are about Digger's age. Most of them are new characters, but Mia and Captain are among them.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Sometimes Rusty would play with his older brother's mates, one of them being this kid Tiny..."

Tiny runs up and pitches.

Bandit: [V.O.] "...who could bowl really fast."

The ball FLIES past Digger and smashes the wicket.

Tiny: "Got him!"

The other kids cheer.

Bandit: [V.O.] "He was never brave enough to bat."

The wicket-keeper retrieves the ball and tosses it to himself.

Wicket-keeper: "Whose bat?"

Bandit: [V.O.] "Until one day..."

Rusty hesitantly raises his hand.

Rusty: "Um, mine?"

Bandit: [V.O.] "..he was."

Digger hands over the bat, and starts taking off his pads. He puts them on Rusty.

Digger: "Rusty, you can bat if you want, but no one's gotta go easy on you, understand?"

Rusty nods. This is a brand-new experience for him.

Bandit: [V.O.] "They didn't play with a tennis ball, either."

The wicket-keeper tosses the ball back to Tiny.

Bandit: [V.O.] "They used a proper cricket ball."

Tiny tosses the ball in the air; we ZOOM IN on the beat-up leather ball.
Rusty PATS his bat on the ground; Tiny runs up, and pitches the ball at Rusty.

Bandit: [V.O.] "And they are HARD."

We CUT to a POV of the ball as Rusty flinches, putting the bat in front of himself. The camera CUTS AWAY to Digger as the sound of a ball hitting flesh can be heard.

Rusty: "Oof!"

Mia and Digger wince.

ALL: "Oooooh."

The scene cuts to the Kelpies' front yard. Digger and Rusty are returning home. Rusty is limping, a frown on his face.

Soon, we CUT to Rusty and Digger's room, at night. Rusty lies in the top bunk, staring at the ceiling. Digger leans out from the bottom bunk.

Digger: "Maybe wait 'til you're a bit older..."

Rusty continues to stare at the ceiling. His eyebrows lower, determined.

The scene CUTS back to the pitch with the older kids. Rusty is at bat, looking scared.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Rusty didn't want to give up, but he was so scared of Tiny."

Tiny pitches.

Tiny: "Ungh!"

Rusty GASPS and flinches back. The ball knocks over the middle stake and both bails. The wicket-keeper is surprised he did not take the bat.

The scene cuts back to the Kelpies' front yard. Rusty fishes around in the mailbox and finds a letter.

Bandit: [V.O.] "One day, a letter came."

Rusty: "Mum! There's a letter from Dad!"

His tail starts wagging.

The scene cuts to the kitchen. Rusty's Mum sits at the table, reading the letter, with her kids gathered close around her to look at the letter.

Rusty's Mum: "'And, Digger, you thought Christmas up north was hot? You should try over here. It is BOILING. I'll see you all soon. Miss you heaps, Dad.'"

The kids all smile.

Back in the front yard, Rusty sits on the fence, idly tapping a cricket bat against it. His mum walks up and leans against the fence beside him.

Rusty's Mum: "Rusty? Dad's letter has a P.S. for you."

Rusty: "Can ya read it?"

Rusty's Mum: "'This Tiny sounds like he's got some pace on him.'"

Rusty: "He does..."

Rusty's Mum: "'I wish I could be there to bowl a few at you...'"

The scene fades into the big kids' cricket pitch. As it does, Rusty's Mum's voice FADES into the voice of his dad.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "...but I can't right now, mate."

One of the other kids is at bat. He taps the bat on the ground.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "But look, as you grow up, you'll face harder things than a cricket ball, and you'll have two choices."

Tiny delivers the ball. The kid at bat flinches back. The wicket is knocked down.

Wicket-Keeper: "Got him!"

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "Back away and get out..."

Tiny: "Whose bat is it?"

Rusty raises his hand.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "..or..."

Rusty is at bat, a renewed fire of determination in his eyes. He taps his bat on the ground. Tiny delivers the ball.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "..step in front..."

Rusty steps in front of the wicket and hits the ball to his left.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "..and play a pull shot."

Tiny claps.

The scene cuts to Rusty's Dad, writing the letter. He's sitting on top of a wooden structure, fortified with sandbags.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "Just keep your eye on the ball..."

A helicopter flies overhead.

Rusty's Dad: [V.O.] "...and take care of your little sister for me. Love, Dad."

In the present, Pat runs up to pitch.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Lucky's dad had no chance."

Pat delivers the ball.

Pat: "Uagh!"

Lucky hits a pull shot far to the left. The kids cheer.

Pat: (cursing) "DOWNWARD DOG!"

Chilli walks out from the shelter where the other parents are gathered around a picnic table covered in snacks, carrying a bowl of chips.

Chilli: "Lunchtime!"

Kids: "Yay, lunch!"

All the kids RUN toward the lunchspread.

Pat: "Nah, hang on! Rusty!"

Pat picks up Dusty, who was running towards the lunch spread.

Dusty: "Agh!"

Pat: "One more?"

Rusty: "Okay."

Rusty gets back into batting position.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Rusty would have played fifty more."

The scene fades to a beach. Rusty's whole family is playing cricket together. Rusty hits the ball, and runs to the other wicket. Rusty's family cheers.

Rusty's Dad: "What a shot!

Rusty's Mum: "That's it, Rusty, run!"

Rusty's Dad pulls out the single stake they were using as the second wicket, and runs away with it. Rusty chases him, and he passes the stake to Rusty's Mum. Rusty's Dad picks him up as his mum makes a getaway.

Bandit: [V.O.] "He just loved cricket."

We FADE BACK to the present day. Dusty is the only fielder. Bandit and Stripe rub Pat's shoulders. Bluey stands next to them, eating a sausage.

Bluey: "I told you you wouldn't get Rusty out."

Pat: "Come on, Pat. This one's for dignity."

Rusty pats once.

Bandit: [V.O.] "Lucky's dad put everything he had into that ball."

Pat runs up and bowls.

Pat: "RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!"

Rusty gently hits the ball high into the air.

Bandit: [V.O.] "And Rusty could have smashed it into next week if he wanted to."

Dusty GASPS - THIS IS HER CHANCE! She runs to get under the ball. Bandit, Stripe, Pat, and Bluey stare, open-mouthed.

Bandit: [V.O.] "But instead..."

Dusty catches the ball.

Dusty: "I GOT IT!!!"

Bandit: [V.O.] "...he hit his little sister a catch."

As Dusty CHEERS in the background, the adults continue to stare, open-mouthed. Bluey smiles widely.

Rusty: "Oh, ya got me!"

The adults close their mouths. Pat smiles - he seems touched. Stripe starts to walk off.

Stripe: "And that's lunch."

Rusty: "Thanks, Mr. Heeler! Thanks, Lucky's dad!"

Pat, Bandit, Stripe: "No worries, Rusty."

Dusty runs up to Rusty with the ball.

Dusty: "I got ya out!"

Rusty ruffles her hair.

Rusty: "I know! I can't believe it. What a catch!"

Dusty laughs and runs off with the ball.

Bandit: (to Bluey) "That's what cricket's about, kid."

As Rusty continues to walk off, the park fades away into a professional cricket stadium, complete with cheering crowd.
An older version of Rusty, in a full cricket uniform, walks onto the pitch. They bump fists as they pass each other.

[END CREDITS]

The episode theme continues into the credits, with the addition of a vocalizing crowd. The cricket bat and red tennis ball from the birthday party game fade in.