In these times of hardship we all require a little levity.
For Scotland cricketer Matt Cross, it has taken the form of domestic creativity that has become a social networking hit.
Cross has been posting home videos of trick shots to the TikTok site.
He uses various objects from around his house to assemble assault courses.
Pans, cricket bats, cereal boxes, golf clubs and a tin can have all featured in the short clips, with the aim of getting a ping-pong ball into the can.
🦇s friend not food… pic.twitter.com/2YBLPyY1lJ
— Matthew Cross (@crossy16) April 9, 2020
Cross, who hails from Aberdeen, has been taken aback by how popular his videos have proved to be and is on the lookout for fresh ideas.
He said: “I did a couple of videos and they came out all right. It’s made the days pass really quickly, spending hours chipping balls into cups or off pans. It was more doing it for myself, to keep me entertained, rather than watching TV or playing on the PlayStation all day.
“I have seen people saying they’re going to be bored during lockdown but you kind of have to find your inner kid again.
“Some have taken a few hours. I only post the good bits. Some of the pans ones take a long time to get right. It’s been good fun and everyone seems to be loving the videos.
— Matthew Cross (@crossy16) April 7, 2020
“I used a bit of cricket stuff for the assault course down the stairs – it took quite a long time to get the placement right.
“Being on my own, there’s certain things I can do but can’t film. I’m not sure what’s next. I’m waiting for some ideas to come in.”
The use of a coconut milk tin, which features in all of the videos, came after a trip to a shop that
had run out of of regular milk. Cross was then looking for something in the cupboard to chip into and figured that would work.
He added: “It’s not just doing it all, it’s working out the process.
Even the radio DJ liked the last one 🎙 pic.twitter.com/U36l6Kia8w
— Matthew Cross (@crossy16) April 4, 2020
“It can be quite frustrating at times but it’s interesting.
“I’ve been amazed how well it’s gone down. It’s been posted on BBC Scotland and on (cricket website) cricinfo.”
The former Aberdeenshire player is a keen golfer and enjoys rounds with other members of the Scotland cricket team when the chance arises.
He added: “It’s not just doing it all, it’s working out the process. It can be quite frustrating at times but it’s interesting. I’ve been amazed how well it’s gone down. It’s been posted on BBC Scotland and on (Cricket website) cricinfo.”
PANdemic… #Isolation #TikTok pic.twitter.com/t6hgwT29xU
— Matthew Cross (@crossy16) March 31, 2020