The Martinborough Wombles winemakers cricket team played their inaugural game at the exclusive beachside Ocean Beach County Cricket Club on Saturday 22nd November.
Meeting at 6am at the clubhouse (also someone’s actual house), the self-selected team of 12 piled into their hired Mercedes minivan— – a step up from the previous Hi-Ace – complete with trailer for gear and large chilly bin filled with exclusive donations and essential libations. On the road by 6.15am, stopping at 7.45am for coffee, they were finally fully underway with curated playlist blasting and much banter being slung around.
Kindred cricket was the aim – cricket focused on camaraderie, family-friendly vibes, and traditional values rather than cut-throat competition. Created for players over 35 who want to continue their cricketing careers in a relaxed, social atmosphere, it suited our squad perfectly. Our youngest travelling player was 38, the oldest was… something considerably older.
To the cricket itself – we won’t discuss the toss or final result – but we did find ourselves fielding first, our preferred option, so that was a win in itself.
Our bowling effort was extremely commendable, with each bowler delivering tight, difficult balls, pinning opening batters to singles. Boundaries only came through serious outfield unevenness. Ankles, teeth and bodies were all on the line! I’ll just mention that “catches win matches” – our main takeaway from this game. Ahem.
Our batting innings started strongly with a solid opening partnership, Malc retiring at 50. Following that came moments of glory from each batter, but we couldn’t quite reach the target of 249. Cheered by a crowd of cackling Guinea fowl, we stoically took the loss and warmly congratulated the OBCCC team. After some fantastic food, Malc was named Player of the Day for his well-crafted batting performance. The one thing we didn’t lose was anyone in the Havelock North nightlife – just our innocence.
