PNBHS NEWS

Cricket Development Tour 2018 #3

 
Picture of Ella Mitchell
Cricket Development Tour 2018 #3
'mei a Ella Mitchell - Wednesday, 10 October 2018, 10:02 AM 'aho
 

Cricket Development Tour 2018

Perth to Cape Town

At Perth International Airport, all of our copious visa documentation was thoroughly checked and accepted. A great relief! Our flight from Perth to Johannesburg was remarkably painless after a scheduled but frustrating 5 hour wait at the airport. Favourable flying conditions shaved 1 hour off the flight time, reducing it to 10 hours. Everyone was tired after the game against The Hale School and took the opportunity to sleep for most of the flight. We arrived in Johannesburg feeling surprisingly fresh! Another 2 hour flight took us from Jo’burg to Cape Town and on arrival, our tour bus then took us to some sports outlet shops. The boys are pretty handy shoppers, second only some of the supporting parents who are making the most of every opportunity. Wednesday 3 October was supposed to be spent visiting Robben Island and Table Mountain but unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Windy conditions cancelled both of those activities, so we filled in the day with a frustrating look at Table Mountain from the top of the stationary gondolas on a ride on the Cape Town Wheel, a visit to Newlands rugby ground and some more shopping!

Game 4 vs South Africa Colleges School 1st XI at the De Villiers Oval – 4/10/18

The South African Colleges School is nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain in the leafy suburb of Newlands and is the Alma Mater of cricketing greats Peter and Gary Kirsten. The cricketing facilities are outstanding, with a dedicated oval, clubroom, changing sheds, scorers’ box and electronic scoreboard.

Faced with a fast-looking pitch with a smidgeon of damp on the surface, Captain Bryn Wilson chose to field first to take advantage of the cool morning air and any help from the wicket. Unfortunately, the opening bowlers got off to the “traditional” slow start, giving the batsmen time to settle and score quickly. This trend continued until the morning tea break, with SACS amassing a sizeable total. After some inspirational words from the coach, the PNBHS players took to the field with renewed vigour and put in their best spell of fielding thus far. Angus Lyver took 3 for 32 and Henry Deans, 2 for 52 in a spirited fight back to bowl the opposition out for 263.

Faced with the daunting run chase, the Boys’ High opening batsmen tried to accelerate far too early in their knocks and fell to poorly chosen strokes. With the opposition bowlers fired up and bowling good lines and lengths, the rest of the top and middle-order capitulated meekly to leave the team reeling at 23 for 8 in the 13th over. Up stepped Mitch Leach and Ollie Ferguson and showed the other batsmen that getting into line and playing straight was the order of the day. These two showed grit and determination to take the score to 61, before Ollie fell. Mitch managed to nurse the score along to 75 before the last wicket fell, resulting in a loss by 188 runs. Mitch Leach top scored with 34.

It can only be hoped that the old adage rings true: “You learn more in defeat than victory”. This is a valuable experience for young players who hope to play top flight cricket in the future.

The day ended with a “Boerewors braai” and speeches from the captains where Bryn acquitted himself with aplomb. The players then farewelled the hosts with a rousing school haka which was accepted with gasps of appreciation from the spectators.