KNYSNA NEWS - This past weekend marked the start of the first in a series of cricket festivals organised by local sports development organisation Sport at Backward Point.
There will be three more festivals held over the following three weeks, with more than 50 local and visiting teams taking part on nine different cricket fields between Rheenendal and Plettenberg Bay.
Teams ranging from U12 to U19, and hailing from as far as Kuruman and Hartswater, will be taking part.
On Friday 22 September, the U12s and U13s kicked off the action.
The fields used were at Abbottsfield in Rheenendal, Oakhill School's sports campus, and Plett Primary School.
This cricketing festival ended on Monday 25 September.
A lot more excitement awaits cricket fans, though, as more U13 teams pad up for the next festival, starting Thursday 28 September.
A total of 15 different teams will play it out until Sunday 1 October.
The next day, on 2 October, 16 U11 cricket teams will invade nine different cricket fields for their turn with bat and ball. This festival ends on 5 October.
The last festival in what is known as the Cretchley Cricket Series will combine U13, U15 and some U19 cricket on fields from Rheenendal to Plettenberg Bay.
It kicks off on 5 October and ends on 8 October.
Action from a previous Cretchley Cricket Series.
Developing the sport
According to organiser Keith Cretchley, this series is not only a preseason warm up for the various teams taking part but also aims to push development of the sport.
The teams attending over the next weeks are also not just here for cricket, he said, but in their off time they explore the area and visit some of the many attractions on offer.
“During these festivals we also take the emphasis off winning and losing, and focus more on participation, the ethos of the game and how it is played,” he said, adding that Sport at Backward Point is committed to encouraging an impeccable standard of sportsmanship on and off the field.
Former umpire of South African and international cricket for 29 years, Rudi Koertzen, will also be in attendance.
He believes the Cretchley Cricket Series does more for the promotion of cricket than any other organisation in South Africa.
“I met Keith about four years ago in Port Elizabeth and have been involved with his cricket festivals since. My main objective is to promote what Keith is doing wherever I go,” he said.
Koertzen also aims to teach the players a lesson or two. “Cricket is a gentleman’s game.
It is not always about winning but about the camaraderie, discipline and respect needed for the game. That is what I try and imprint onto them,” he said.
For the full programme, visit sportatbackwardpoint.co.za.
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