Riaan 
Umzuzu obalulekile: UMninawa Njokweni uhlonishwa nguMthetheleli Ngumbela, umsunguli weNgumbela Cricket Tournament obuseHealdtown, e-Eastern Cape. Iqembu eliwinile lidlala neqembu eliphezulu emqhudelwaneni Weviki Lophayinaphu. Isithombe: Michael Pinyana
Imfihlo egcinwe kakhulu yekhilikithi yaseNingizimu Afrika kufanele kube isonto likaphayinaphu laminyaka yonke lasePort Alfred, eliqhubeka liqinile kusukela ngo-1904, futhi lingabonisi lutho lokuhlaba umkhosi.
Kube neziphazamiso ngezikhathi ezithile – ngeMpi Yezwe II kanye nonyaka owodwa ngesikhathi sodlame lwe-Covid-19 – kanti umqhudelwano wangonyaka ozayo uhlanganisa iminyaka eyi-120.
Okuthiwa ngoba uphayinaphu ubugcwele yonke indawo kule ndawo yase-Eastern Cape (basalinywa kodwa hhayi kabanzi, njengoba kuthandwa ukufuywa kwe-chicory nezinkomo), bekunamaqembu angama-24 kuleli sonto lalo nyaka ahlukaniswe ngamaqembu amathathu amelene namandla. .
Amaqembu amanengi afana leSalem, iStation Hill, iSouthwell kanye leManley Flats adlala njalo ngezimpelaviki kumaligi akulendawo, kodwa amanye ngamaqembu amema abuthene ukuzoncintisa kulumncintiswano.
Ikhilikithi idlalwa ngaphezu kwama-overs angama-50 kukhokhothi noma ama-hessian mats abekwe kumawikhethi e-turf ukuwavikela ezinsukwini eziyisikhombisa noma eziyisishiyagalombili zokusetshenziswa. Imithetho iqinile — abekho “abakhalayo” noma abantu abazimele abangadlala ngokukhethekile evikini uma bengakadlali inani elincane lemidlalo yeqembu labo kuqala — futhi amameshi aphethwe ngonompempe abanokubekezela isikhathi eside abangathathi hlangothi.
Njengefayibha enesivinini esikhulu, ompempe abangathathi hlangothi bangenye yezinto eziqanjwe kakhulu emhlabeni wanamuhla. Bangase bahlukunyezwe kodwa ekugcineni balalelwe. U-Barry Smith, owayengumshayeli weveni, uyinhloko yonompempe Besonto likaphayinaphu futhi uyingxenye ethandwa kakhulu kulo mqhudelwano.
“Akekho onikeza uBarry umqansa,” kusho owayengumhleli womqhudelwano uJustin Stirk, “ngokwengxenye ngenxa yokuthi unenkumbulo ende. Bayazi ukuthi izinqumo ezinganakiwe zingase zingqubuzane nabo uma benza kanjalo.”
Nakuba kulinga ukuthi ulale ngesikhathi santambama ngenkathi ungompempe ekilabhini yezwe, onompempe kufanele bahlale beqaphile ngoba ukuthatha ithuba kugxile kakhulu eVini likaphayinaphu. Noma yini ingenzeka – futhi iyenzeka njalo.
Kwake kwathi iqembu lakhukhuleka langena enkundleni ngabadlali abangu-12. Ibhola alikwazanga ukutholakala ngaphandle ngoba lihlale eduze kwezimfezi ezimbili zaseKapa ezikhwelana. Akekho owayenesibindi sokubaphazamisa kulesi senzo.
Indaba iyaxoxwa — Isonto likaphayinaphu liwumthombo ongapheli wezindaba ezinhle – zomdlali oshayayo owayevele ephumile kumdlalo wamaphuzu aphansi ebuza ngokuphelelwa yithemba ozakwabo ukuthi uyacabanga yini.
abaphikisi bebengakhathazeka uma ephinda eshaya.
“Nawe njengomuntu oshayayo? Cha, akunjalo,” kwavela impendulo eqondile.
Izindaba zidinga abalingisi kanti Isonto likaphayinaphu ligcwele bona. Ubani ongakhohlwa i-“Tick bird” Fowlds, yena onemilenze emide namadolo axegayo, noma “Dog Shark” Fletcher, noma “Mielie Meal” Yendall? Futhi ubani ongakhohlwa ubudlelwano obunezinkolelo-ze bukaBeth Amm, unkosikazi kaRex nomama kubafowabo uPhillip noPete, bobabili abadlali bekhilikithi abahle osukwini lwabo.
UBeth wayebhema kakhulu futhi ekholelwa emandleni akhe aphezulu ukuze athonye ukuphikiswa emidlalweni emelene neSalem, iqembu umyeni wakhe namadodana akhe abalidlalela.
Uma isivakashi besishaya ngokukhululeka kakhulu, noma kubonakala kunzima ukusikhipha, u-Beth wayebhala amagama aso eceleni kogwayi wakhe ngepensela. Ngesikhathi ugwayi ubhenywa, inganekwane ithi, umshayi wayezobe esecishiwe.
Ngaphandle kwe-hocus-pocus, ompempe abangathathi hlangothi kanye nokugcizelela kwabahleli ngokuziphatha okuhle, kunezinye izizathu zempilo yeViki likaphayinaphu.
“Abanye abasha bayabuya bazodlalela amaqembu oyise noyisemkhulu,” kusho uPete Amm, ongomunye wabagqugquzeli bokuvuselelwa kabusha eSalem Cricket Club. Indodana yakhe uSimon idlala lapho. “Bayawuthanda umqondo wokuvuselela ikhilikithi endaweni futhi baphumelele,” usho kanje.
Kulabo abangakayiboni, iSalem ingenye yezindawo ezinhle kakhulu zekhilikithi ezweni. Insimu izungezwe isonto kanye namathuna futhi, kuye ngesikhathi sonyaka, imvula ensomi ye-bougainvillaea. Lezi zinhlaka zinikeza izinkomba zezinto ezibalulekile zalabo abazinza lapho. Izwi likaNkulunkulu lalibaluleke kakhulu kodwa kwaba njalo, futhi, izwi lokuvikela phambili, i-cover-drive kanye nentombi ngaphezulu.
Esinye sezikhathi ze-eureka sabagqugquzeli Besonto likaphayinaphu eminyakeni yamuva kwaba ukuphinda kabili kwabaphumelele isonto nomnqobi weNgumbela Cricket Tournament, owaqalwa ngo-1989 nguMthetheleli Ngumbela eduze kwaseHealdtown (ebizwa ngokuthi i-Hilltown).
UNgumbela ongumdlali wekhilikithi ephinde abe ngusozigidi ezitolo ezitolo zezithelo nemifino eDutywa, uNgumbela uqale umqhudelwano wakhe ngoba edinwe yizinsizwa zaseHealdtown naseFort Beaufort zingakwazi ukwenza lutho ngekhefu likaKhisimusi kodwa ziyadakwa.
Lo mqhudelwano ngokujwayelekile uqala ngeholidi langomhla ziyi-16 kuZibandlela futhi uhlanganisa amaqembu afana noJackhammer, Lamyeni Hard Catch kanye ne-Fear Not, ngenhloso yokukhipha amadoda emathaveni abe abamhlophe. Umbono wakhe wawudlula umqhudelwano wakhe kodwa womabili akhula kancane. Manje sekuneNgumbela Oval, imali eyanele yemiklomelo kanye nesiko elikhulayo lekhilikithi njengoba lo mqhudelwano usuzophuma kuma-35.
Umdlalo wokuqala phakathi kwabaphumelele imiqhudelwano eyahlukene wenzeka ngo-2015 eCuylerville; Lo mdlalo ubuseNgumbela Oval ngonyaka olandelayo.
UNgumbela ubengumuntu ongahambisani nemithetho. Ngesinye isikhathi, lapho ehamba egcekeni lePort Alfred Country Club, wabona izimbobo ophahleni lwesitendi esikhulu.
“Nina belungu kufanele nibe namahloni, nidedele imvula emakhanda abantu abahlezi ezindlini,” kuthiwa utshele iqembu labahleli bePineapple Week ehleka kancane.
Akukaze kube khona umuntu ogxekayo uma enza into ephathekayo engaba ngcono, uNgumbela wabhala ngokushesha isheke lika-R25 000 lokulungisa uphahla. Ukupha kwakhe akuzange kulibaleke. Lo phahla luhlala njengesikhumbuzo sikaNgumbela, owashona engozini yemoto ngonyaka odlule.
Ikhilikithi idinga amadoda amaningi afana nomdlali ongakhathali. Futhi idinga imiqhudelwano eminingi efana neViki likaphayinaphu.
