The Kamikaze Bumblebees is a amateur cricket team from Somerset West formed in 2019 when they played in the local Last Man Stands (LMS) cricket league, and now the team has aspirations of qualifying for the World Championship finals, due to be held in Cape Town later this year.
Last Man Stands cricket is a form of cricket played with only eight players per side. It originated in England in 2005. It is a 20-over (with each over lasting five balls) format where a pink ball is used. All eight wickets are needed to bowl a cricket team out. When the seventh wicket falls, the Last Man Stands on his own!
And the Bumblebees are enjoying every minute of it. They have finished as runners-up in multiple leagues and even participated in the Cape Town Super Cup last December which they won, earning them an entry to the main draw for the 2022 SA Champs that takes place in Bloemfontein from Friday 15 to Monday 18 April. A win here will earn them qualification for the World Championships.
The team is made up mostly of players who are a band of friends and play league cricket for Somerset West Cricket Club (SWCC) during season.
One such player, Paul Roux, said that they have a diverse side with representations from all SWCC teams.
“There are members playing from 1st to 4th sides at SWCC, who work well in the LMS format. With LMS having a 3,3 field, the anticipation of shots is essential, to cut off the ball and the amount of off-the-ball movement that is needed to back up throws is one of the biggest adjustments,” he said.
Another player, Jamie Ferreira, added: “Five ball overs is one of my favourite rules. It creates a unique and faster game experience.”
Henry Minnaar insists that diversity and inclusiveness is awesome within the Bumblebees group. He adds of LMS: “The pace of the game is different with this being much faster and ruthless on body and mind.”
According to Jaco Venter, the difference is the flow of runs. “A run a ball in LMS is deemed good bowling. This requires a big mind shift,” he said.
The Kamikaze Bumblebees aim to end in the Top 8 at the SA Champs.
“The team is very amped and feels strongly about our chances for the SA champs coming up,” reads a team statement. “We have had some small sponsors that helped out with clothing, pad covers and caps, and we also have a small donation running from Catchy Print. It’s clothing for sale and every item you purchase gives proceeds towards our costs of participating.”
V More details on how to support the Kamikaze Bumblebees are on the Catchy Print Facebook page.
