Devon Youth Cricket in South Africa 2003

They say you should never go back to the same place, as it will never be the same. How wrong you can be. The Kruger National Park, Cape Town, West Province and the whole South Africa and World Cup experience was even better; some would say “awesome”.

We left Devon with the temperatures around zero degrees and 18 hours and hardly any sleep later arrived in the Kruger National Park to temperatures of 38 degrees and humid! No significant rain for 3 months and the driest for 30 years- ideal game watching conditions- but we were here to play cricket, out of season and yes perhaps spot the odd animal.

After a braii in the bush, courtesy of our hosts and a good nights rest it was up for a leisurely breakfast at the thatched Kruger Golf Club overlooking the last green and lakes- beautiful- with malachite kingfishers flitting across the water. Then to the Skukuza cricket club to play the Limpopo Invitation XI. It was overcast, humid and very hot. A challenge to anyone man let alone 15 year olds 5000 miles from home. Devon made 214-4 off 40 overs with Jack Horton (Plymstock) 88 not out and putting on 74 for the 4 th wicket with Justin Yau (Torquay) 36. Tom Allin (Bideford) 25 not out the first to succumb to the heat and retiring to the pavilion to drink plenty of water!  Devon then bowled out the Limpopo XI for 103 winning by 111 runs with Jack Porter (Barton) taking 4-5 and Mickey Wilkinson (Torquay) taking a stunning driving catch in the covers.

At 4.30PM it was off on an evening Game Drive to see the wildlife. The highlight, not the hundreds of Impala, but with stop lights, a pride of lions and their cubs feeding off a warthog and two lionesses calling to each other and then walking over a distance of a mile or so to each other and their greeting when finding each other. To bed and up at 4.00 AM to a lad to go on a dawn Game Drive. Nothing for an hour as we drive into the bush- empty waterholes and parched scrub; then around the corner a herd of elephants and their young feeding on the side of the road. It was just like a wildlife documentary but being their in their presence, within feet of them was just fantastic- a memory to cherish- worth the tour cost alone! Continued