It was two from three for Bloemfontein during the Last Man Stands World Championships held in Cape Town during the festive season.
The fifth edition of the cricket tournament saw 48 teams from across the globe competing for one of the three titles on offer.
The big one was won by the team from Sri Lanka, which also featured the international spin bowler, Ajantha Mendis. The 32-year-old Mendis has 288 international wickets to his name across all three formats.
The Bloemfontein Scorpions, led by Duane Stones, won the World Championships Plate. Stones told Courant, that they are proud to have represented Bloemfontein.
“Yes, we are very stoked to put Bloem on the map. We have worked very hard as a team to get to where we have. The guys put in a lot of hard work and effort.”
The Bloemfontein Crusaders also returned home with silverware, however, they won the Cow Corner Cup. While Sri Lanka had Mendis in their side, the Crusaders had a secret weapon of their own in the form of Clayton Blommetjies.
Known for his exploits on the rugby field as the Toyota Cheetahs fullback, Blommetjies was an all-rounder in the side.
Arthur Kruger, who captained the Crusaders to the title, told Courant that he couldn’t believe what a good cricketer and team man, Blommetjies is, and that he was a key member of their team.
“Clayton brought a lot to our winning of the Cow Corner Cup. He was one of our frontline bowlers and restricted the runs upfront. He also can wheel willow and get vital runs on the board. He is just a really humble person, very energetic and always positive. Blomme just smiles the whole time and his positive attitude lifts the team. We’ve got a lot of respect for Blomme as a sportsman and team mate.”
The next Last Man Stands World Championships will be taking place in Australia in 2019. – MORGAN PIEK
