#PromCricket Match Report

And so they gathered under the hot African sun with the expectation of great cricket as the #promcricket Test series commenced. The team sheet looked like this:
Arcanius
Lesterkk
Simonwillo
RoxyAlexDallas (known as Roxy from now on)
TOMolefe (aka DarkNativeBoy and Ozzibuko)
Niels Himself and family
Heather
Franczeska
Carl
Paul

Due to short numbers, MvelaseP was promoted from drinks guarder to player
(Just so you know, the above crowd is a good reflection of South African society, and represents a multitude of races, genders, sexual orientations and ages. We did in one attempt what Cricket South Africa has been trying to do for years).

The start of the fixture was delayed initially because only three of us were there, and there was a security incident when two policemen, for safety reasons, ordered a change of venue (actually, we were playing on some sort of ball-game free section of the Promenade and they made us move, which was rather annoying).

Once the match began to progress, controversy struck as Arcanius was deemed to have used an illegal bat, which was one of the reasons he plonked us all over the park during his first innings where he saw off the pace threat of TOMolefe, the wily spinners of Lesterkk and the, erm, original bowling style of Roxy. Slowly but surely, the pressure began to toll until him and his giant bat were finally out after he had torn the bowling apart in the initial part of his innings. This whole episode followed TOMolefe’s ripping pacers terminating Simonwillo’s opening knock.

Lesterkk was next to show off his abilities as he began by attacking the spin threat of Simonwillo and deposited a few big blows over the leg side field. However, the innings was not to last as a beautifully timed cover drive ended up in the sea, and, due to his own rule, was declared out by the umpires (everyone else who was there). As he didn’t fetch the ball, like the laws of the game state, and wimped out from reterving it from the icy jaws of the Atlantic, he will get bedonnered in the fines meeting, scheduled for sometime in the future.

Niels, on his eighth or ninth smoke-free day was energetically throwing himself round the field as Simonwillo athletically guarded the stumps taking two excellent reflex one-hand-one-bounce catches. The pair of them also spoke a whole heap of shit while the game was in progress. Niels was particularly verbose when Roxy was diving around the field like a hybrid Jonty-Rhodes-sprinbok

Heather’s innings was brief but entertaining as she nearly hit the ball, and then the competition became fierce as Franczeska had to face up to none other than Carl, his boyfriend. In the battle of the couple, Carl had the first laugh as his slender textbook bowling action ended Franczeska’s adventurous innings, but the favour was returned in the next over as Carl, looking set for a long innings, did not actually have one due to the unpredictable deliveries from Franczeska.

Mvelasep, the travelling reserve surprised all as he smashed the ball around the park in an innings that took the other players by surprise, and included a great shot over mid on, past the diving Niels.

A scheduled drinks break signalled the end of the days play as the players were sitting in the sun and having a few beers, and it was just lovely.

In the end the players all shook hands and said goodbye because by then they needed a nap (Well I did).

So hopefully we see YOU at the second season of #promcricket when, once again, we will entertain ourselves with the JP Duminy cricket set, and each other.