Pink Day with a Hitchcockian sting in its tail

Hardly dressed for the occasion, Pierre Hefer, in white overalls, got a matador's reception at the Bullring yesterday.

He came here to save the day, Pink Day to be exact. He had to put to the sword a swarm of bees that had run amok and forced the players off the field.

Initially, the bees had provided an interesting distraction from a Sri Lankan innings that was held together by the openers, but which lacked its usual Dickwellian dash and dare.

Hefer was watching the third ODI between the Proteas and Sri Lanka at home when he noticed there was a problem.

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"It looked like the swarm (he believes 5,000 strong) just happened to pick a busy day at the Wanderers to settle down and regroup," Hefer said about his initial observations on television.

"The ground staff used a fire extinguisher and the bees got airborne. When I saw the problem I thought 'maybe I should go'."

With Hefer on his way, a television floor manager lapping up the attention thought he was quite the bees knees when he too had a go with the fire extinguisher.

Remarkably, Hefer, without a match ticket or accreditation, not just made his way down a cordoned off Corlett Drive, but through the main gate with his vehicle and on foot onto the field. "I told the security guards I needed to get into the ground. They were great," said Hefer, who describes himself as "a hobbyist, but registered beekeeper".

Whether or not he was BEE compliant did not matter to the crowd. He came armed for the job. "I thought I'd bring some combs which had some honey on it. That instantly attracts them."

It was all true to Pink Day, which has a habit of producing a Hitchcockian sting in its tail.