The drive East from Cape Town through to Paarl on a quiet Saturday afternoon is relaxing and picturesque. The only slightly perplexing thing is the way the outside temperature reading on the dashboard climbs through the high 20’s into the 30’s.
As one turns off the N1 highway and down towards Boland (pronounced boo-uh-lunt) Park, the basalt domes of the Paarl rocks loom large in the windscreen. This is a ground with one of the greatest backdrops. Sitting in the North of the stadium, the domes are off to your West and the Drakenstein (drah-ken-stain) mountains are to the East and South. The grass banks dominate the available seating. The gates open three hours prior to the start, and the shaded spots under the trees fill up quickly.
Today’s question for the fans flummoxes a few of them. Which cricketer would they invite for dinner, and what meal would they serve or share with them. The overwhelming favourite is local resident and Paarl Royals captain David Miller, and there is a range of delicacies that people choose to serve to their heroes and heroines. My personal favourites are the Caviar and Crayfish for Bjorn Fortuin and a selection for the main man, including an eight to ten hour brisket and even sushi.
On a day like today, with the mercury pushing 33C, maybe sushi is a good call, along with a few ice cold beverages that are available for purchase all around the ground.
With the discussion about food merely the hors d’oeuvres, the main course is all about the cricket, with the table decked with a vibe or spirit that the locals call “gees” ( an Afrikaans word that is pronounced like Zeus, but with the “g” being guttural).
The rallying cry is “gees like Royals” and the chant is “Royals jou lekker ding” (Royals you beautiful/great thing). The stadium announcer gets the crowd involved as hometown hero Fortuin opens the bowling from the southern end.
It’s a chastening start for the home team, as SEC boss the Powerplay, but the strategic timeout after six overs gives the fans a chance to gyrate to the strains of “Kaptein” and the on-field worries are forgotten.
As the sun sets behind the pearls of rock, the sky turns the colour of the home team’s shirts and it’s time for the chase. It’s a tough one for the Royals, and the crowd are stunned as their team falters to the lowest SA20 total ever.
On a breezy evening, the fans came here for so many reasons. They were here for the gees, they were here because it’s lekker, they were here because it’s SA20 time in Paarl, and there are few better places to be on a Saturday evening in late December, whatever the score.
Photo by Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20