“I don’t like cricket. I love it!”

It’s like the words in the first chorus of the classic song Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc, “I don’t like cricket. I love it!”

The words perfectly sum up my feelings towards the gentlemen’s game.

Man, oh man, I am besotted with this sport (and I don’t even play it anymore!).

From matches in the backyard with a few of the boys to a club derby match between Benoni’s Northerns and Actonville to the final of the ICC World Cup this sport is one of those that always ignites the passion deep within me.

That pure sound of leather striking the middle of the willow as a batsman plays an exquisite cover drive is, to me, equivalent to the noise of a freshly cracked can of lager or Sarah Brightman hitting a high note – perfect!

You’ll probably see numerous cricket photographs in the Benoni City Times during the cricket season (and most of the year actually).

That’s because our town has such a rich cricketing history that it deserves all the attention it gets.

The greatest cricketer to have come from Benoni is the legendary Denis Lindsay.

He played 19 Tests for South Africa between 1963 and 1970.

His outstanding series was against Australia in 1966/1967, when he scored 606 runs in seven innings, including three centuries, took 24 catches as wicketkeeper and conceded only six byes.

Of all wicketkeepers in Test history with a career of 10 Tests or more, he has the lowest number of byes per Test, with 20 byes conceded in the 15 Tests in which he kept wicket

(The best keepers with longer careers have averaged around three or four byes per Test).

In the Benoni Northerns clubhouse his photograph proudly hangs as a tribute to the wicketkeeper-batsman.

There are still quality cricketers plying their trade in the region, but a lot still needs to be done to take the level of cricket in the union to bigger and better things.

Even Protea all-rounder David Wiese once took to the field with Actonville Cricket Club in the Eastern Premier League.

The Titans man was in the money this week when he sold for $466,000 to the Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League.

The Eastern Premier League has become increasingly competitive in the last two or three years and it’s terrific to see.

Kempton Park’s stranglehold on the league in past seasons has loosened and Benoni Northerns has pounced on their recent misfortunes.

The club is sitting pretty at the top of the league and their quest to the National Club Championships in Pretoria later in the year is 90 per cent complete.

An excellent bowling attack this year is perhaps the biggest reason for their solid charge this season.

United Cricket Club, formed at the beginning of the 2008/2009 season through the amalgamation of Brakpan Cricket Club and Airfield Youth Cricket Club (AYCC), has proven their worth in the upper echelons of club cricket in the region and I have certainly been impressed with the way that they have managed business both on and off the field.

Watch out for them in seasons ahead!

As you can see I could babble on about cricket until pigs fly.

As the game gains in popularity around the globe it is vital that youngsters from our neck of the woods get all the opportunities in the world to step up to the next level.

They need solid support from all structures (especially parents) and need to be nurtured and supported from junior level to semi-professional status.

So, if your child decides that cricket is the sport that he/she wants to play and shows some talent then I suggest that you go and purchase a new umbrella and maybe a camping chair, because you are going to be spending a lot of time in the sun on the boundaries supporting them.

The opportunities in cricket are infinite now!

LG