The Hunters Retreat Indoor Cricket facility is a hive of activity as teams from across the country do battle at the national championships this week.
The event, which got under way on Monday, features almost 200 players from 19 provincial teams, competing for the title in the week-long tournament.
Games start at 9am daily.
Competing across three divisions – the under 21 men’s, women’s and men’s open competitions – the Eastern Cape hopes to stamp its authority on the competition, with five teams coming from the region.
Indoor Cricket South Africa vice-president (technical) Elrich van de Venter said the competition followed the conventional indoor cricket rules.
He said teams would vie for the top spot on the log, with the first-placed team advancing straight to the final.
“Teams placed second and third will then play each other, with the winner booking their place in the final.
“Teams placed fourth and fifth also play a match, with the winner taking on the loser of the match between teams two and three, so everyone up to fifth position has a chance to win a medal.”
Van de Venter said the week’s cricketing action would see no fewer than 106 games, including the semifinal and final matches.
At the end of the competition, three national squads would be chosen as per the categories.
The national squad will embark on an inland tour of Mpumalanga and Gauteng in February next year.
Van de Venter said a few teams had already emerged as tournament favourites.
However, he would not be drawn into picking a favourite.
Van de Venter, who is also coach for the South African junior women’s team, said they would use the tournament as preparation for their trip to the Indoor Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in September.
“I wanted them to experience a higher level of indoor cricket. We will play 14 games over the course of the week,” he said.
Asked about the popularity of the sport among women players, Van de Venter said: “There are ladies who play socially, but they do not want to play competitively at a provincial level.
“I think outdoor cricket is more attractive to them because they can get contracts to play – unlike our sport, which is self-funded.”
He said while the sport had grown in popularity, organisers were starting at grassroots level in terms of getting more women involved. “SA is not on the level of Australia or New Zealand in terms of female involvement in the sport.”
Eastern Province is one of the best producers of female players who move into the SA indoor cricket fold. There are five players from EP who are part of his junior setup, he said.
Hunters Retreat Indoor Cricket facility owner Flippie Alberts said it was great that the tournament was being hosted in the province, as it served as motivation for the public to become players.