by David Scholz
Joe Hickey, a professor of Chemistry at Diablo Valley College (DVC) in Pleasant Hill, has been calling cricket matches since 2021. Chemistry and cricket have more in common than one might think.“Every question leads to a few more questions,” he says.
Last June, and again this summer, Major League Cricket is at the Oakland Coliseum, for both regular season as well as the playoffs and finals, and Hickey is behind the public address mic boosting excitement for all the runs and wickets for cricket-crazed fans.
He honed his chops calling sports for the DVC soccer team in 2014 after he gained tenure. Baseball and softball followed as did water polo and track and field action.
Hickey got the cricket bug seeing an ESPN+ match between New Zealand and Ireland. It didn’t take long for the game to grab his attention. He learned the ins and outs of the game during the winter break.
It is played on a 365-degree field with nine players defending it. Watching where the players were positioned and how the batter makes adjustments, “It was a real cat and mouse game.”
Calling minor league cricket came his way in 2021. By 2024, he was invited to call action in the World Cup being held in New York City including a match with the titans of the sport, India and Pakistan.
Among his trademark calls has become “timberrrrrr” when the bowler knocks over the stumps against an opposing batter. “(In cricket) when it gets exciting, it gets insanely exciting,” Hickey said.