Cricket is Here!

It’s cricket
season, and the allure of summer has set the tone for an awesome season, so its
time to get out there and support this great game. I travelled to Bloemfontein and Kimberley
to watch Graeme Smith and the Proteas play Kenya in two MTN One Day
Internationals last weekend, and it was great to see the enthusiasm and support
from these communities, who rarely get to host international games.

I am thoroughly
enjoying meeting women, who are behind the staging of most cricket
events in South Africa.
They love the game, know the rules, and enjoy making others feel good through
cricket.

One ground I
am looking forward to going to again this season is home of the Nashua Titans, SuperSport Park, Centurion. The franchise is run by
South Africa’s
only female cricket CEO, Elise Lombard, and she guarantees her spectators an
amazing stadium experience.

Elise does
everything with a touch of class. From the food served at the ground, to the
flowers in the rest rooms, she thinks of everything. There is even an alcohol-free
family area on the grass embankments to encourage families to attend a match. gsport
is honoured to be featuring Elise as our November Woman. Here is a woman who is
doing great things to promote the game of cricket, both locally and
internationally.

 If you’ve
previously not been interested in cricket, now’s the time to give cricket a
chance. The game worldwide is going through a massive explosion, with the
popularity of Twenty20 cricket, and even women’s cricket is getting some much
needed attention, especially from the International Cricket Council, which is
leading the way in raising the profile of the women’s game.

Overall, the
image of cricket is lightening up. It’s still referred to as the gentleman’s
game, but its tapping into new audiences, who are being hooked by the spirit of
cricket.

Celebrity South Africa
in particular have thrown their weight behind South African cricket. They
turned out in their numbers when Cricket South Africa
launched the new Proteas kit at Fashion TV Café in Sandton earlier this week.
Among those who support cricket are Jack Devnarain of Isidingo fame, socialite
Edith Venter, media darling, Uyanda Mbuli, and SABC 3 newsreader, Joanne
Joseph.

It was an
awesome event that allowed friends, media, and supporters of South African
cricket to gather and celebrate the best this game has to offer.

South Africa is a great sporting nation; let’s
show the world what we’re made of.

Look forward
to bumping into you at the cricket!