A first for me.

I know as an Englishman I should be ashamed but today was the first time I have ever been to a cricket match. I have seen it on TV, played at school and even once in the army when my squadron were desperate for an eleventh man, I thought that I knew the rules but when I saw one player caught 4 times in the space of an over and not declared out I had to ask someone why not, only to be told that ball had struck the ground immediately after being hit - how can you see that sort of thing from 100 metres away, I think I will stick to rugby.
Actually I enjoyed the day at the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn where the local team Warriors took on Cape Town Cobras, it was a real family occasion where people bring chairs, sunshades of one form or another, refreshments (beer) and picnics/barbecues or Braai as they are called locally and believe it or not the entrance fee was £1.20. The Rec is right in town so when the players went in for lunch a large part of the crowd, myself included headed out of the ground for something other than the offerings of the onsite burger vans.

Nearly everyone hides from the midday sun.