The people of Healdtown take a stand for the game they love

Khanyiso Tshwaku’s maiden journey to the 28th edition of the Ngumbela Rural Development Cricket Tournament in Healdtown coincided with the honouring of giants dedicated to developing the sport in the Border region

Lindi Mdlalo had to endure years of humiliation at the hands of eNtoleni's Jack Hammer Cricket Club.

Since the inception of the Ngumbela Rural Development Cricket Tournament in 1989, the Jack Hammers had come to his home turf, Nxukhwebe, also known as Healdtown, and snatched victory from the tournament's hosts as if it was their personal property.

Something had to be done.

Finally, on January 2 1994, under Mdlalo's stewardship, his beloved Fear Not Cricket Club notched up its first tournament win.

But at the moment of victory, tragedy struck: amid the wild celebrations he had a heart attack and died.

The moment still brings tears to the eyes of Mdlalo's widow, Zuziwe, even though this year she had the pleasure of seeing Fear Not win their first title in five years by way of their 99-run demolition of Alice's Never Give Up - and she was watching from a stand named after her husband.

"That day was a painful moment in many people's lives, including mine, but I never thought I'd be sitting here in this stand ...

"He used to take the family to the beach on New Year's Day but that year, he just wanted to be at the cricket. On our way to the beach, he turned back in King William's Town and went back to the cricket," she said.

"On the morning of the final, he was up at 4am preparing the team. We left Alice with him that morning - he always wanted his family to be at the cricket. However, my late son and I went back to Alice and missed the rest of the final. His sister then called and broke the news."

full_story_image_hleft1

Her daughter Princess finished the story: "We were called and told my father had died of a heart attack while he was celebrating the win.

"We grew up with this tournament. We used to wake up very early and put margarine on bread for the teams. To see the way the tournament has grown is absolutely amazing."

Mdlalo's good friend and tournament patron, Advocate Mthetheleli Ngumbela, 77, has never forgotten Mdlalo's contribution to the local game.

The Mdlalo Stand at the "Home of Cricket" was opened during last Sunday's final, along with the Phila Sigila and Foster Tshona stands.

Sigila had captained Lamyeni Hard Catch and Fear Not before retiring from the game, and Tshona led the first three Jack Hammer teams that won the trophy.

block_quotes_start It's never easy sustaining a tournament that has grown exponentially and it's always difficult getting government funding for rural tournaments block_quotes_end

Having taken just over two years to construct at a cost Ngumbela was coy to reveal - even though it all came from his own pocket - the stands make the ground feel as if the picturesque Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in StLucia in the Caribbean or the Arnos Vale cricket ground in StVincent and the Grenadines have been transplanted into the heart of the Eastern Cape cricket hub. The ground also boasts an electronic scoreboard.

But the cricket grounds are in stark contrast to the deterioration of Healdtown and its surrounds, accurately summed up by what little remains of Healdtown Wesleyan College, which overlooks the venue.

With Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu among its esteemed alumni, the ruins of the once famous college are a sad reminder of the rich educational legacy Healdtown bequeathed the country.

Such is the lack of importance accorded its historical relevance that even locals are hard-pressed to remember who was schooled at the storied institution.

full_story_image_hright2

That void, though, has been partially filled by what Ngumbela started as a six-team tournament 28 years ago.

When Ngumbela left the village in the early 1970s to start a business in Cape Town, the area was a thriving sporting and educational hub.

But by his return in the late '80s, alcohol had taken hold of the area. Ngumbela's determination to change that would alter the face and shape of festive-season celebrations in the Fort Beaufort/Alice area.

The tournament now runs from December 16 to the second Sunday of the new year, pitting 10 teams from Alice and Fort Beaufort against each other in a pool format, with the top team in each pool meeting in the final.

block_quotes_start It hurt when he passed away, because it was in the line of duty. Heroes are not found in politics only, but in sports too block_quotes_end

There's also a plate tournament to ensure the continued interest of the less-skilled teams and an under-15 competition. Everybody gets a participation fee to cover the cost of food and transport.

"It's never easy sustaining a tournament that has grown exponentially and it's always difficult getting government funding for rural tournaments," Ngumbela said.

"Rural areas are at the coalface of poverty and they're never prioritised by the government. It's always difficult not getting what you want so I decided to scratch what I have together and make this tournament work.

"You'll never see a tournament of this magnitude in any village and all my energies go into this tournament.

"I'll never forget Lindi Mdlalo's contribution to the growth of this tournament and how passionate he was about cricket.

"I'll never forget how he rallied the resources available to him to make sure Fear Not won the tournament. It hurt when he passed away, because it was in the line of duty. Heroes are not found in politics only, but in sports too."

Some 5,000 spectators fill the stadium to capacity.

full_story_image_hright3

The Healdtown crowd may not have been as knowledgeable as one in Chennai, but good cricket was congratulated all round.

Dropped catches drew howls of disappointment and such was the passion of the supporters that when a Never Give Up fielder fumbled at third man, one of the ushers yelled at him: "Hey! Uzuke usityise. Ibilula lobhola. Kwenzeka ntoni kuwe? [Hey, don't be fumbling easy balls and costing us. What's happening to you?]"

The third man to have a stand named after him is 68-year-old Tshona, who was coach of the Jack Hammer team on the day Mdlalo died.

"I was far from Lindi when he passed away because our teams were opposing each other and at the time, we weren't on talking terms because of the game," Tshona said.

"It was painful to see him die on the field, but he died doing what he loved."